1.1 Definition and scope of the study

The wedding market includes all products and services revolving around marriage. This includes, among other things, clothing (wedding dress and costumes), venue, catering, decoration, etc. In particular, it also includes the wedding planning market. Wedding planners are professionals qualified to advise and assist in the organization of weddings.

Globally, the wedding planning market is dominated by the United States. Around 80-90% of marriages in the US use a wedding planner. This can be put in contrast to France where the equivalent figure hoovers around 0-10%.

Indeed, the global market for wedding planners is driven by markets such as the United States, South Korea and China. Generally speaking, the Asian zone is growing rapidly. In Europe, the market is still in its infancy, except in the United Kingdom and Norway where wedding planners have already been well established for several years.

In France, the profession's penetration rate remains relatively low, provided by the fact that the service is immature and recently introduced. Estimates claim it has only been around for a decade or two in France. The market is stagnant, amid a decline in the number of marriages in France. Between 2004 and 2019 the number of marriages in France decreased by 21%. Meanwhile, the average budget per wedding in France has reamained stable in the last five years, hoovering around €8,100.

On top of this, COVID-19 will have a detrimental effect on the wedding market in France, a harm which will most likely persist going into 2021 as well. This has negative spillover effects on the wedding planner market which is highly dependant on the number of marriages.

The wedding planning market in France is highly fragmented, with estimates of between 300 to 900 players in the industry. Entry barriers are very low since there are no requirements for anyone to titulate themself as a wedding planner.

1.2 The global market

The overall wedding market

The wedding market includes many aspects such as logistics, clothing, catering, entertainment services, event planning etc.

Although it is difficult to estimate an aggregate value for all components which together make up the wedding market, several estimates exist. For instance, HuffPost estimated the total market size to ...

1.3 France: number of marriages are down

Number of marriages per year France, ****-****, in '*** units Source: ****

As the graph above shows, the number of people getting married in France is decreasing. In ****, ***,*** people got married, whilst the equivalent was ***,*** in ****. This represents a decrease of almost **% over ** years.

This decrease does not fall into the hands ...

1.4 COVID-19's impact on the wedding planner market

COVID-** has turned **** into a nightmare year for any business operating in the wedding industry. Between March and May, weddings were completely forbidden. The French Government stated only recently that "as part of the progressive deconfinement, it is once again possible since * June **** to celebrate weddings and to register PACS in ...

2.1 Profile analysis: the French consumer

Average age at first wedding France, ****-****, in years Source: ****

The average age at which French people get married has increased significantly; in **** the value for men (***) years.

For same-sex marriages the average age to get married is **.* years olds for men and **.* for women. [***]

This trend points towards a shift ...

2.2 Budgeting - a key metric for wedding planners

Expenditure is an important metric for wedding planners to track, since it also increases the likelihood that consumers hire a wedding planner. This follows the simple logic that if a consumer is more willing to spend on a wedding, a higher proportion of that spending will go to the (***) wedding ...

2.3 Demand Trends

Cyclicality

Search interest "mariage" France, ****-****, in % Source: ****

The graph above represents the proportion of searches for a given term in a given region during a specified amount of time, compared to when it was the most searched (***). Thus, a value of ** means that the keyword has been used less often ...

3.1 Becoming a wedding planner

The wedding planner market in France is fragmented, with a large number of players spread across the nation, and with different services offered. The latter are at core the same, yet the ability to differentiate is important in this market. Some players position themselves in the luxury segment. Others offer tailor-made ...

3.2 The business of wedding planners

Overview

In France, the usage of a wedding planner remains low; LCI claims that the amount of weddings absorbed by these businesses amounted to *% in **** only, whilst weddingacademy states that around **% of all weddings in France in **** used wedding planners. This can be compared to for example the United States where ...

3.3 Geographical distribution of wedding planners

Overall, mon-evenement reports of *** companies operating in the wedding planning industry across France.

3.4 ASSOCEM

In section *.* we stated that the industry is suffering from a lack of certfication in the industry (***). One solution, however, is to join ASSOCEM, the wedding planner association, which emerged in ****. This association brings together the wedding planners of France and fulfils several objectives:

To promote the profession to the public, ...

4.1 Service overview

Wedding planners' services are vast and depend on what the customer demands. The involvement can be limited to only consulting, whilst in other cases the wedding planner is in full charge and organises the entire wedding. For instance, if a client has started to organise their wedding, and have solved aspects ...

4.2 Price Analysis

Source: ****

The table above provides an overview of the price charged by wedding planners in France.

Some wedding planners implement a variable pricing fee. For premium wedding planners', thes fees hoover around **% of total wedding cost. In other words, between €**,*** and €**,*** including tax is typically charged for wedding budgets between €***,*** and ...

4.3 Supply Trends

Weddings include many services and goods to consider. This includes the venue, decoration: flowers, lightning, design, etc., clothing (***), and indirect services which are purchased in relation to the wedding such as the honeymoon.

Below follows an overview of the supply of wedding venues in France (***). This metric is relevant for wedding ...

5.1 Regulation

Administrative aspects

The operation of an apartment, a reception room or even a country cottage is not subject to any specific professional status. The rental of real estate is possible without creating a company. Only the standards in force (***) and the tax return of this rental is mandatory.

To transform an ...