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Top Spring 2023 colours from Pantone®

Top Spring 2023 colours from Pantone®

by | 8, September, 2022 | blog, marketing advice, news, trends

Grey clouds 

It has been a strange start to the new academic year. I’m usually fired up and ready to start afresh with new vigour and enthusiasm. I was all raring to go when the children when back to school (even though the weather had taken a sudden noise dive towards autumn without the usual tailing out of sunny days.) It was strange to be by myself after having someone around me for the last 11 weeks (due to a string of illnesses before the summer holidays) so I was determined to crack on with the ever expanding to do list. 

And then came the very sad news out of the blue that our Queen, of 70 years, had sadly passed away.

Rainbows in the sky 

I was surprised by how I felt about the news and the emotions that I went through. It makes me so sad thinking about there being no Queen and it was like losing another Nan all over again.  The weather was dull, grey and rainy on the day that she died and then somewhat symbolically a double rainbow arched the sky that evening.  

And a beautiful array of rainbow colours pretty well sums up the latest Pantone® announcement that predicts the colours for next year’s Spring and Summer. 

Spring 2023 

Following the fashion weeks, Pantone® have revealed the Spring/Summer colours to look out for in 2023 including 10 seasonal colours alongside 5 neutral classics.  

There is an abundance of bright rainbow colours with a wonderful tropical vibe, alongside some soothing pastels.  

The Pantone Color Institute’s executive director Leatrice Eiseman said “Colours for Spring/Summer 2023 are recalibrated for the new era we are entering. Blending escapism with reality, wholesomeness, and joy, we embrace the exploration of extreme contrast in mood and colour”. 

Send her victorious  

For me, many of the colours remind me of how bold the Queen always used to dress in her matching hats and jackets in bright colours. She often wore a solid colour from head to toe so that she stood out and was easily visible. You never caught her wearing a depressing colour.  

Colours like Empire Yellow, Classic Green, and Beetroot Purple are perfect examples of colours that would have been great as outfits fit for the Queen. 

Queen Elizabeth II was famed for saying, “If I wore beige, nobody would know who I am.” 

Stand out rainbow colours 

The rainbow colours give such a positive outlook for next year and you can clearly spot a complete rainbow in the Spring line up of colours: 

  • Red – Fiery Red
  • Orange – Tangelo
  • Yellow – Empire Yellow
  • Green – Classic Green
  • Blue – Summer Song
  • Indigo – Blue Perennial
  • Violet – Spring Crocus

Tropical island 

Having had a wonderful summer this year, I can’t wait for another holiday next year and these colours exude travels to an exotic island far away. With clear blue waters, coral reefs, cloudless skies and the sun blazing down.

With colours such as Iced Mango as a mouth-watering sorbet and the vibrant feathers of a Love Bird or Andean Toucan. Paired alongside some neutral colours for a true coastal chic look.  

Spring 2023 colours

The top ten colours for Spring 2023 from NYFW are:
  • Beetroot Purple 18-2143
  • Empire Yellow 14-0756
  • Crystal Rose 12-1708
  • Fiery Red 18-1664
  • Blue Perennial 16-4036
  • Classic Green 16-6340
  • Peach Pink 15-1530
  • Tangelo 15-1335
  • Summer Song 14-4316
  • Love Bird 13-0443

Spring 2023 extra colours from LFW

In the main the colours are repeated at London Fashion Week, albeit in lighter shades of yellow, red, orange and pale blue. However the emphasis shifts from the pink of New York Fashion Week to purple at London Fashion Week in the shape of Spring Crocus. The blues of LFW are also much more vibrant than those at NYW with Electric Blue Lemonade.

Here are the colours from LFW to round off the colours for Spring 2023:

  • Cherry Tomato 17-1563
  • Persimmon 16-1544
  • Iced Mango 14-1140
  • Blazing Yellow 12-0643
  • Titanite 16-0229
  • Andean Toucan 16-6230
  • Airy Blue 14-4122
  • Electric Blue Lemonade 18-4245
  • Spring Crocus 17-3020
  • Pink Cosmos 16-2122

 

Neutral classics

Pantone® have also updated the Classic Colour Palette. These are a group of neutrals that are core basics in the form of a coffee, khaki green, light grey, cream and blue. Perfect grounding colours and perfect peaceful additional colours for weddings. 

The bonus classic neutral colours for Spring 2023 are: 

  • Macchiato 17-1221
  • Leek Green 15-0628
  • Gray Lilac 13-3804
  • Vanilla Cream 12-1009
  • Skylight 12-4604

And at LFW these are:

  • Oyster Mushroom 13-4201
  • Grayed Jade 14-6011
  • Tender Peach 12-0912
  • Mocha Mousse 17-1230
  • Bluing 19-3954

Colour themes

Colour plays an important part in our lives and it’ll be interesting to see how these colours filter through to influence things around us.

Pantone® is the world-renowned authority on colour and the Pantone® Color of the Year is always really influential in any popular colour themes in fashion, interior design and weddings.

Look out for my report when the 2023 colour of the year is released later in the year. My guess is for a bright green of Love Bird – we haven’t had a green since 2017 so feels fitting. And definitely a colour the Queen would have worn.  

“We should take comfort that while we may have more still to endure, better days will return. We will be without friends again. We will be with our families again. We will meet again.” Queen Elizabeth II 2020 































Old Red

Old Red

by | 27, May, 2022 | blog, marketing advice

Old Red

My first boss had a red biro that he nicknamed ‘Old Red’.

I learnt so much in my very first marketing job. I find myself reciting, referring to and returning back to his tried and tested mantras over and over again. The lessons are etched in my head forever.

My training with him was a proper grounding in the foundations of good marketing – a broad introduction into the vast and wonderful elements of a great marketing toolkit.

Old Red would appear to mark up my copy. At the time I feared Old Red – wondering if my copy would pass the test and get signed off without further edits or redrafting.

Two pairs of eyes

But now I completely see the benefits of what Old Red came to teach me.

‘Four eyes see more than two’ became one such mantra because sometimes you become so close to a piece of work that you can’t see any obvious flaws in it. It’s always useful to get someone to check over your work for any mistakes or to make suggestions for improvements.

One of my first jobs was to design our Yellow Pages adverts – this was back in the day of print advertising. There was no margin of error and once it was sent to print there was no going back. So it had to be perfect (unlike now, with the ability to edit websites and digital media).

Proofreading 

It was the best way to learn my craft. And watching the same boss throw any direct mail straight in the bin (without even opening it) if his name was not spelt correctly on the envelope, made me realise the importance of getting things right. Of making the best first impression. Of the power of language and words.

So if you need a second pair of eyes to check over your existing copy, you can send it my way for editing and proofreading (where the legacy of Old Red lives on).































Top Autumn 2022 colours from Pantone®

Top Autumn 2022 colours from Pantone®

by | 15, March, 2022 | blog, marketing advice, news, trends

Change of season

It’s coming up to the Spring equinox this weekend and it definitely feels like the seasons are shifting with the very welcome return of sunnier weather and longer days.
I feel like I’ve lost a whole month – February was a complete right off for me. So it’s quite a shock to be in March already!

With the change in season, comes the start of the ‘social season’ in spring and summer when it was traditional for members of the upper class to change their residence (from their country houses to London) in order to attend events of the season.

These events include Cheltenham Festival (March), the Grand National (April), The Boat Race (April), Badminton Horse Trials (May), Chelsea Flower Show (May), Epsom Derby (June), Royal Ascot (June), Cricket test matches at Lord’s (July), Wimbledon (July), Henley Royal Regatta (July), Edinburgh International Festival (August) , Cowes week (August), the Proms (July-September) and ending with Goodwood Revival (September).

Historically the ‘London season’ events would’ve coincided with political business in the city and conclude when the elite would return to their country homes for the beginning of the shooting season on 12th August.

Autumn 2022 colours

Whilst we enter the beautiful and hopeful season of Spring, my thoughts drift to the cooler months at the end of the year with the recent fashion weeks in New York, London and Milan last month, then Paris earlier this month. It was good to see them back to being in person again this year (although only via invite only this time).

From these fashion weeks, Pantone® have predicted 10 colours that they think will be prevalent in Autumn/Winter 2022/23.

Fiery

There are some really bright and bold colours to make a statement this autumn that are reminiscent of a roaring fire on Guy Fawkes night. Or for me, they evoke memories of the recent Winter Olympics and Paralympic Games held in Beijing. The fiery red (Lava Falls) feels similar to the Chinese flag and the Orange Tiger provides a nod to the Year of the Tiger which was marked recently for Chinese New Year.

Polar

I’ve loved watching all the winter sports coverage and a number of the colours conjure up images of cold winters on the piste (or equally on a dark polar night) such as an icy turquoise (Watersprout), a pale pink (Nosegay) and the dark navy blue night sky of Midnight.

Rainforest

Lastly, there is a real grounding of some earthy, natural colours that would be happily found in a luscious rainforest including greens of Amazon and Martini, along with a rich brown (Caramel).

Fall 2022 colours 

The top ten colours for Fall 2022 from New York Fashion Week are:
  • Pantone 18-1552 Lava Falls
  • Pantone 14-0852 Samoan Sun
  • Pantone 16-1358 Orange Tiger
  • Pantone 17-2624 Rose Violet
  • Pantone 18-6024 Amazon
  • Pantone 14-2806 Nosegay
  • Pantone 14-4618 Waterspout
  • Pantone 18-1148 Caramel Café
  • Pantone 19-4127 Midnight
  • Pantone 18-0625 Martini Olive 

Fall 2022 extra colours from LFW

They may have different names but in the main the colours are repeated at London Fashion Week, with Watersprout apparent at both. There was one additional colour (instead of the bright pink from NYFW) to round off the colours for Fall 2022 in the form of the purple of Meadow Violet (similar to the current colour of the year, Very Peri).

Neutral classics

Pantone® have also created a Fall 2022 Classic Colour Palette. These are a group of neutrals that are core basics in the form of white, cream, dark and light grey, plus khaki green.

The bonus classic neutral colours for Fall 2022 are:

  • Pantone 12-0602 Arctic Wolf
  • Pantone 12-0813 Autumn Blonde
  • Pantone 19-4105 Polar Night
  • Pantone 17-0210 Loden Frost
  • Pantone 16-3917 Chiseled Stone

    Colour themes

    Colour plays an important part in our lives and it’ll be interesting to see how these colours filter through to influence things around us.

    Pantone® is the world-renowned authority on colour and the Pantone® Color of the Year is always really influential in any popular colour themes in fashion, interior design and weddings.































    Pantone® announce the Color of the Year 2022

    Pantone® announce the Color of the Year 2022

    by | 13, December, 2021 | blog, marketing advice, news, trends

    Pantone® Colour of the Year 2022

    Aside from the obvious big occasion on the horizon, the other thing I look forward to in December is the announcement of the Pantone® colour of the year.

    I must admit, I was expecting a light and airy colour – perhaps a pale pink that would act like a breath of fresh air, so I had plumped for a gossamer pale pink.

    Very Peri 17-3938 

    Instead, Pantone® have announced that Very Peri will be the colour of the year for 2022, a lavender purple colour.

    It’s not that long since another purple (in the form of Ultra Violet) took the top spot in 2018. And purple is no stranger to the colour of the year with Radiant Orchid in 2014 and Blue Iris from 2008.

    A bit of a happy, unexpected surprise as this colour doesn’t appear in any of their seasonal predictions. Instead they’ve created a brand new colour combining a cool blue and vibrant red. And purple just happens to be one of my favourite (and company brand) colours!

    Spring 2022 predictions

    Aside from two grey colours in the neutral section, the colour predicitons from New York and London fashion weeks differed greatly which made it hard to see a clear winner for colour of the year for 2022.

    Pantone® are certainly not afraid of breaking or even making the rules. In the past, they’ve picked not one, but two colours such as this year (with Illuminating and Ultimate Gray in 2021) as well as in 2016 with Rose Quartz and Serenity.

    So they are perfectly within their rights to just create a brand new colour if the right shade isn’t already in their catalogue of colours.

    “It was really important for us to come up with a new color, because we have a very new vision of the world now,” said Pantone® Color Institute’s Executive Director Leatrice Eiseman.

    Merging and emerging

    Very Peri, has been described by colour company Pantone® as “a periwinkle shade of blue”. Leatrice Eiseman, executive director of Pantone® Color Institute said that the Colour of the Year for 2022 encompasses “the qualities of the blues, yet at the same time possesses a violet-red undertone. Pantone® 17-3938 Very Peri displays a spritely, joyous attitude and dynamic presence that encourages courageous creativity and imaginative expression.”

    “Pantone® 17-3938 Very Peri is a symbol of the global zeitgeist of the moment and the transition we are going through,” the brand explained. “As we emerge from an intense period of isolation, our notions and standards are changing, and our physical and digital lives have merged in new ways.”

    I’m surprised at myself that I wished for a pastel colour. But maybe we need something comforting, rich and warm like a heavy velvet blanket right now to see us through the winter and into 2022.

    #COY2022

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    Top Spring 2022 colours from Pantone®

    Top Spring 2022 colours from Pantone®

    by | 9, September, 2021 | blog, marketing advice, news, trends

    Late sunshine 

    I have loved the late summer sunshine this week. With the children all back at school, I’ve actually felt like I’ve been on holiday as I have managed to eat my lunch sat in the garden in the sunshine with peace and quiet. It’s been lovely to extend that summer vibe for a little longer. We had such a wonderful summertime that I didn’t want it to end. We managed our first holiday in 2 years and got to relax and breathe in the sea breeze.

    But seasons come and seasons go and I know that the nights drawing in is a signal of the entrance of autumn – quick on the heels of a glorious summer break.

    However, my thoughts are being drawn to the lighter Spring days already and dreams of holidays, as the latest Pantone® announcement predicts that the colours that will dominate the scene for next year’s Spring and Summer are calming and evocative for travels further afield.

    Spring 2022

    With the fashion weeks just kicking off, Pantone® have revealed the Spring/Summer colours to look out for in 2022 including 10 seasonal colours alongside 5 neutral classics.

    There is an abundance of blues in the mix for next year, alongside a vibrant collections of bold colours. To me, they encapsulate two of my favourite things – being by the seaside, plus a joyous celebrations of colourful florals in my garden.

    The Pantone Color Institute’s executive director Leatrice Eiseman said “Half are in calming colors. Obviously, everyone wants to feel they’re in a safe haven. On the other hand, there is the very human proclivity of wanting to get out and be active again. That’s where the more energetic colors come in. The latter offer more experimentation.” Eiseman added. “Brighter colors lift your spirits and let you abandon the rules about color that you learned, when you were older. They bring you back to being a kid again and teach you to celebrate something in your life that will give you pleasure.”

    I do like to be besides the seaside

    We were so pleased to make it to a few beaches in both Scotland and Wales over the summer. With some wonderful coastal walks, harbour visits and simply playing on the sand. Eating fish and chips or ice creams always taste better when sitting by the seaside. The change of scene and pace of life are certainly relaxing. Just watching the rhythm of the sea washing in and out provides a real sense of escapism.

    I’m delighted that blues seem to be centre stage in the mix of colours for next year (perhaps eluding to one of them being the Colour of the Year 2022?). The beautiful seascape includes Spun Sugar, Glacier Lake, and Skydiver, along with a teal blue of Harbour Blue.

    Cool pastel colours

    The fragility of things at the moment couldn’t be described better than the name of the pale pink colour in Gossamer Pink – conjuring up images of dewy spiders’ webs glistening in the early spring sunrises.

    Teamed with a warming Coca Mocha and the earthy and pale neutral colours – it feels as fresh as newly washed sheets on the washing line in the summer breeze. The refreshing feeling we all need for our health and wellness.

    Gardening companions 

    Even before lock down, I had got the gardening bug and had started growing and propagating my own flowers and vegetables. It started with an obsession for succulents and indoor plants (I daren’t say the number out loud of how many house plants I have at the moment!) which spilled out in to the outdoors.

    We have loved growing our own fruit and vegetables and now filling the garden with more home grown flowers too. Gardening is such a relaxing and a very worthwhile past time that is currently seeing a soar in popularity. The lock down has certainly made everyone appreciate being outside and enjoying improving their natural surroundings.

    So the vibrant names of some of the colours conjure up joyful colours of spring and summer flowers just as I’m planning and planting my bulb lasagne for next year (such as the bright Daffodil colour). I’ve tried growing dahlias this year and can’t wait to try more in 2022 perhaps in the purple of Dahlia, or vibrant pink Innuendo. Along with the travel inducing flamboyant Poinciana tropical tree from Madagascar.

    Old favourites 

    It’s reassuring to also see the current colours of the year 2021 still showing their prescience and easing us through the transition to another year. Although with different names, you can still identify the yellow of Illuminating (which I correctly tipped this time last year as the Colour of the Year 2021) and also Ultimate Gray in the neutral classics.

    Spring 2022 colours

    The top ten colours for Spring 2022 are:
    • Spun Sugar 12-4401
    • Gossamer Pink 13-1513
    • Daffodil 14-0850
    • Glacier Lake 16-4118
    • Poinciana 18-1564
    • Coca Mocha 18-1019
    • Innuendo 18-2042
    • Dahlia 18-3324
    • Harbor Blue 18-4728
    • Skydiver 19-4151

    Spring 2022 extra colours from LFW

    In the main the colours are repeated at London Fashion Week, albeit in different shades of browns and pinks. However the emphasis shifts from the blues and bright red of NYFW to more rusty orange colours at London Fashion Week in the shape of Coral Rose and Sudan Brown. There is also an additional neon lime green and a really striking turquoise of Cascade.

    Here are the colours from LFW to round off the colours for Spring 2022:

    • Cascade 14-5713
    • Coral Rose 16-1349
    • Super Sonic 18-4143
    • Popcorn 12-0825
    • Potpourri 13-2004
    • Bubblegum 17-1928
    • Sudan Brown 18-1160
    • Fragile Sprout 15-0549
    • Orchid Bloom 14-3612
    • Coffee Quartz 18-1307

    Aside from two grey colours in the neutral section, the colours differ greatly which makes it hard to see a clear winner for colour of the year in 2022.

    Neutral classics

    Pantone® have also updated the Classic Colour Palette. These are a group of neutrals that are core basics in the form of a white, cream, khaki green, plus light and dark grey. Perfect grounding colours and perfect peaceful additional colours for weddings.

    The bonus classic neutral colours for Spring 2022 are: 

    • Snow White 11-0602
    • Perfectly Pale 13-0003
    • Northern Droplet 14-4104
    • Basil 16-6216
    • Poppy Seed 18-4004

    And at LFW these are:

    • White Alyssum 11-1001
    • Humus 15-1304
    • Fair Green 15-6316
    • Northern Droplet 14-4104
    • Poppy Seed 18-4004

    Colour themes

    It’ll be great to see how couples incorporate these colours in to their weddings next year. There’s plenty of scope for unique colour combinations and personalisation.

    Pantone® is the world-renowned authority on colour and the Pantone® Color of the Year is always really influential in any popular colour themes in fashion, interior design and weddings.

    Look out for my report when the 2022 colour of the year is released later in the year.

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    Marketing advice: how to start a company blog

    Marketing advice: how to start a company blog

    by | 25, July, 2019 | marketing advice

    As featured on Bride magazine, wedding marketing advice for wedding suppliers on how to start a blog on your website.

    company blog on your website

    One of the best ways to enhance your rankings and get your website in front of your target audience is to generate regular new content for your website (which Google loves) and one way to achieve this is by having a company blog on your website. Here are some top tips on how to start and maintain a good company blog.

     

    what do you want to achieve?

    Firstly, you need to decide on your objectives. Why do you want to write a blog? What do you want it to achieve? How will you measure its success? Start with these big questions and always bring everything back to the answers. If what you’re doing doesn’t fulfil the answer then you need to question whether it is worth doing at all.

    choose your niche

    Don’t go too broad. Think about your expertise and stick to what you know. Be a content creator, a journalist in your own field, reporting on your area of knowledge as you see it.

    pick your audience

    Think about their age, education, interests, location, gender and occupation. Who do they follow on social media? Visualise them. What problems do they have? How will you be able to help them with their sticking points?

    plan your blogging schedule

    Think about how regularly you will blog and try to stick to the same time/day for each post. It is worth the effort to plan your content in advance so you’re not struggling to think of something to write each time. Have a calendar for the year and mark out any special events on it (national, local, industry, your company). Then think of themes for the quarter/month/week so that you can ensure all promotions are consistent at the same time.

    pick a topic and title

    Will your post answer a problem or provide new insight? Will you be able to solve the issues of your target audience?

    plan & organise

    Think about what type of posts you will write:

    • how to / tutorials
    • lists
    • resources / links
    • checklists / to do
    • interview / q&a with customers on why they chose your services, what they liked
    • real stories
    • news (awards, milestones, birthdays)
    • mood boards
    • guest posts
    • blog series / weekly theme
    • diary / day in the life of
    • personal experience
    • inspiration
    • relevant celebrity news / cultural topics / tv shows / films
    • reviews
    • info graphics
    • podcast
    • video (tour of workplace)

     

     

     

    think of your introduction

    You need to grab your audience’s interest straight away and outline what the post will cover.

    research

    Read around your subject and add in your own stance on the topic.

    write for your audience

    Think about the length of your post. Discussion posts are usually around 300 words to get people commenting; blogs for sharing on social media are often around 500-1000 words; to get more traffic to your website you’re looking at posts of 2000 words plus. Break up content with headlines.

    make the appearance appealing

    We buy with our eyes and an image speaks a thousand words so think carefully about the images, font, formatting, tags and meta data that you use in the post.

    call to action

    Make sure you think about what you want your audience to do with this post once they’ve read it. What is your ‘call to action’? Do you want them to share, comment, sign up for something, buy etc?

    SEO and mobile

    You need to consider the keywords you use throughout the post (what are your audience searching for on Google?) and how your post will appear on different devices. Install the YOAST plugin to your website to help with keyword and search engine optimisation. It also gives tips on how to make each post have good readability.

    tag visuals

    Make it easy for people to share images (pin it, tweet it, like it) and therefore ensure you’ve tagged the visuals so they always point back to your site.

    hit publish

    As well as publishing on your own site, consider pushing your content to other providers (via plugins) for a wider reach.

    promote your blog posts

    If you don’t promote your content then no one will know it is there! So, the promotional side of things is as important as the content itself. Social media is an amazing way of spreading the word without spending a penny on marketing. There are lots of scheduling tools to help to do this in a timely manner.

    Think about what your audience read. What social media do they use? You need to tell people what, where and when you’ve written new content. Consider networking/groups in social media for extra coverage.

    link to social media

    As well as making your content pin able etc, make sure your social media channels all link to your blog and vice versa. Plus include links in your email signature.

    link in bios of social media

    Change the links in Instagram and Twitter bios to the latest blog post or consider having a ‘landing page of links’ (such as LinkTree etc) so that you can include that link in bios.

    hashtags

    It is really important that when you’re promoting your blog to try to attract views from non-followers too. Think about hashtags that your audience would use. Don’t go for hashtags which are too popular or broad as your stuff will get lost. Likewise, don’t go for hashtags that are rarely used as no one will be looking at them.

    review your content

    Check what has worked, which posts have been the most successful (traffic/likes/comments/sales etc). Also check which posts haven’t worked and consider why so that you can amend for future posts.

    repeat

    Learn from your successes/failures and repeat what has worked well.

     

     

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    winner UK Blog Awards 2018

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    Wedding trends in the Cotswolds

    Wedding trends in the Cotswolds

    by | 4, April, 2019 | blog, marketing advice, trends

    Insight in to weddings

    Looking at current wedding trends can provide valuable insight for those working in the wedding industry (such as venues, planners or suppliers) as well as couples wedding planning. Trends can give an idea of popular thinking, areas of growth, ways to save money and how to differentiate and personalise away from these common elements.

    Wedding revenue

    The wedding industry is a year round business, although it does have seasonal fluctuations with the main wedding season of April-October in the UK. It is currently worth around £10 billion each year in the UK and the market is refreshed 100% every year with new customers.

    Value of weddings

    Brexit could have a huge affect on prices including importing flowers and labour. Plus a possible recession could mean reduced wedding budgets as inflation rates increase.

    A weak value of the British pound may mean that it is less likely for UK couples to travel aboard for a destination wedding. However it may make the UK an attractive destination wedding location for non UK couples. The recent royal weddings have also boosted the wedding industry and tourism. So wedding suppliers may be able to capitalise on these changes.

    Number of weddings declining

    Since 1972, the number of marriages in England and Wales has shown a steady decline. In 2012, the number of marriages in England and Wales increased by 5.3% on the previous year. However in 2013, the number of marriages in England and Wales decreased by 8.6% which was the first decline since 2009.

    In 2014, the number of marriages between opposite sex couples increased by 2.7% from 2013 but dipped again in 2015. There were also 4,850 marriages between same sex couples in 2014 and 6,493 in 2015. The introduction of marriages of same sex couples since 29 March 2014 showed an increase in marriages compared with separate civil ceremonies.

    Average age increasing

    By contrast the average age of marriages in England and Wales continues to rise overall year on year since the 1970s. Among opposite sex couples, more women than men married at ages under 30; on average, men tend to form relationships with women younger than themselves. Among same sex couples, more women than men married at ages under 50.

    For marriages of opposite sex couples, the average age for men marrying in 2015 was 37.5 years, while for women it was 35.1 years. The average age at marriage for same sex couples in 2015 was slightly higher at 40.6 years for men and 37.0 years for women. An aging population means more older couples are marrying/remarrying aged 65 to 69.

    Increase in ceremonies in civil approved venues

    In 1995, the law was changed to allow marriages to be conducted in other civil approved venues (other than religious venue or a registry office). Now 40% of ceremonies are carried out in these type of venues. The number of civil approved venues continues to rise and more couples chose to marry in this type of premise.

    Going forwards the type of ceremony in England and Wales could include legal outdoor ceremonies. There has been lots of talk around the government trying to help couples getting married to keep wedding costs down with a view to the end of austerity. This proposed change is already the case in Scotland where ceremonies can be legally held outdoors, not just by a religious leader or registrants but also for humanists to conduct legally binding ceremonies. 

    Saturdays most popular day to get married

    The weekend continues to be the most popular (and therefore most expensive) day of the week to get married. Whilst Wednesday is the least popular day. Couples are looking at alternative under utilised week day weddings to open up possibilities and potentially lower the cost of venue hire. However this would mean that guests would need to take time off work to attend.

    August most popular month to get married

    Whilst British weather isn’t guaranteed in summer months, it doesn’t stop August, July, September and May being the most popular months to get married in England and Wales.
    January, February, November and March are least popular months to tie the knot. Winter and Christmas weddings are on the increase as are those near bank holidays and school holidays such as Easter and October half terms.

    Number of couples cohabiting prior to marriage increasing

    With the main market of the millennial generation getting married, the number of couples cohabiting prior to marriage continues to increase each year. With 87.7% of weddings of opposite sex couples in 2015 and 95.2% of wedding of same sex couples in 2015.

    Average cost of wedding increasing

    The average cost of a wedding is currently over £27,000 outside of London (with the average cost of a wedding in London over £38,000). An incredible 4% of weddings in the southeast cost more than £100,000. This often does not include the average cost of a honeymoon at £3,704.

    Wedding budget costs have seen an outstanding 35% increase in the last 10 years. However there is an deeper distinction of wedding extremes with budgets being at very ends of the spectrum such as lavish celebrity style wedding versus diy weddings with more homemade elements.

    Weddings in the Cotswolds

    Located in a beautiful part of the UK with stunning lush countryside, an abundance of barns, manor houses, hotels and beautiful backdrops to tie the knot. It’s no wonder that every year 20,106 of couples getting married in England choose to say ‘I do’ in the Cotswolds, with 3,269 weddings in Oxfordshire each year.

     

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    Wedding marketing advice published

    Wedding marketing advice published

    by | 5, March, 2019 | marketing advice, news

    Marketing article featured on Bride magazine

    As well as writing an award winning wedding blog, I’m also a wedding marketing specialist, with 17 years experience in a number of industries.

    During my career I’ve obtained my CIM Professional Diploma in Marketing and worked in various marketing roles for 13 years before starting my own business. I’ve also obtained my Diploma in Wedding and Event Planning with the UK Academy of Wedding & Event Planners.

    Hanami Dream was founded in 2014, which combines my marketing skills and photo shoot experience along with my passion and knowledge of the wedding industry and local market. My marketing background gives me the insight and experience to help local wedding businesses with their marketing strategy and promotional plans.

    So I’m proud to have one of my wedding marketing advice articles published on Bride magazine to help wedding suppliers to start and maintain a good company blog.

    Keep an eye out for more posts where I share marketing advice for venues and wedding industry professionals from small, local, independent wedding businesses in and around Witney, Oxfordshire and the Cotswolds. 

     

     

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    winner UK Blog Awards 2018

    wonderful wedding wares