Wed& Insider: Weddings This Week
What's happening in weddings around the world | Issue #1 | 5 September 2025
This Week's Focus: Why couples are spending more on multiple outfits and what it means for your business
TRENDS THIS WEEK
Couples Are Buying Way More Outfits Than Ever Before
What's happening: We came across this CNBC article about a bride who spent $18,000 on 15 dresses - just for her bachelorette events! The article showed how couples are treating weddings as extended celebrations that need multiple looks.
Why this caught our attention: Asian weddings have always involved multiple events - tea ceremonies, mehendi nights, reception parties. What's new is that Western couples are now expecting the same comprehensive styling approach we've always offered.
Young Couples Want Both: Tradition AND Their Own Style
What's happening: The New Paper Singapore featured couples who are finding ways to honour family traditions whilst expressing their personal style. One couple got married at McDonald's because it reflected who they really were, but they still had proper cultural ceremonies for their families.
Why this matters: More couples want to work with their families rather than oppose them. They're looking for vendors who can help navigate these conversations.
Fancy Wedding Magazines Are Treating Multicultural Weddings as Standard
What's happening: Vogue India just featured this gorgeous Tuscany wedding with Hindu and Christian ceremonies, multiple cultural elements, and seamless coordination across traditions. What struck us was how they presented it - not as something exotic or educational, but as excellent wedding planning.
Why this is significant: When luxury publications treat multicultural coordination as standard excellence rather than speciality service, it means your clients will expect this level of understanding from all vendors, not just specialists.
WHAT THIS MEANS FOR YOU
Multiple Events = Multiple Revenue Opportunities
Asian couples already do multi-event celebrations, but now they're expecting comprehensive styling coordination across bachelorette parties, pre-wedding shoots, cultural ceremonies, and after-parties. Couples willing to spend $18,000 on outfits clearly value comprehensive styling services.
The opportunity: If you're pricing per event, you might be missing out on packaging multi-event styling as complete experiences.
Family Mediation Might Be Your Next Service
Couples are seeking vendors who can help facilitate family discussions rather than just execute decisions. In Singapore's multi-generational wedding environment, this could be a real differentiator.
The opportunity: Vendors who can professionally navigate family dynamics might command premium pricing while reducing project stress.
Understanding Different Cultures Is Becoming Standard
When Vogue presents multicultural coordination as standard rather than speciality, it signals that clients will expect cultural understanding from all vendors, not just specialists.
The reality check: Can your team confidently handle different ceremony requirements without needing the couple to educate you?
WHAT TO DO/ASK YOURSELF
This Week's Action Steps
Check your packages: Look at your current service offerings. Are you capturing revenue across all the events couples want styling for? Pre-wedding shoots, bachelorette parties, cultural ceremonies, reception after-parties? Or are you only pricing for the ceremony and reception?
Assess your family skills: When couples' families have different expectations, can your team professionally facilitate those conversations? Or do family conflicts derail your projects and stress everyone out?
Test your cultural knowledge: Could you confidently coordinate different ceremony types without needing the couple to teach you the basics?
Questions Worth Asking Yourself
About multiple events:
Am I positioned to handle comprehensive celebration styling, or am I leaving coordination fees on the table?
Do I package multi-event services to show their full value, or price them separately?
About family dynamics:
Do I view family mediation as a professional service that warrants premium pricing, or merely as basic customer support?
Can my team navigate generational differences professionally, or do we avoid these conversations?
About cultural understanding:
Is my cultural knowledge deep enough for modern client expectations, or am I still learning basics during weddings?
Do I have authentic cultural advisory relationships, or am I working from surface-level knowledge?
Skills Worth Developing
Family conversation facilitation: Moving beyond customer service to professional mediation
Comprehensive event coordination: Packaging multiple styling events as cohesive experiences
Cultural advisory relationships: Building authentic community connections beyond transactional vendor relationships
Looking Ahead
What we're tracking: Financial planning is becoming part of wedding ceremonies; destination wedding coordination skills are increasing in value; technology is helping with multicultural ceremonies.
In the coming weeks, we'll watch for: How couples are making destination wedding decisions; whether vendors are developing financial planning partnerships; signs of systematic cultural training in the vendor community.
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