More than two-thirds of brides shop locally for their wedding dress

Research by Archant Bride reveals that 67% of brides visit local bridal boutiques to find their dream wedding dress

A new survey from Archant Bride has revealed that, despite the increasing popularity of online shopping, brides-to-be are still opting to shop locally for their wedding dress and accessories. More than two-thirds of brides (67%) have bought or will buy their wedding dress from a local bridal boutique, while 10% opted for a chain bridal store and just 6% turned to the internet.

Similarly, 85% of respondents disclosed that they would be or have already made their wedding-related purchases at a combination of local shops, online sites and local shows or fairs – whereas a mere 11% exclusively shopped online.

Digital is still a key influence on wedding planning, however, with just over three quarters of brides-to-be (76%) turning to Pinterest for inspiration for their big day and 49% and 42% looking at Facebook and Instagram respectively. With just 10% of respondents claiming not to use social media at all in the planning of their wedding, the results show that social media remains a useful tool for advertising and marketing wedding-related services and products.

Gift lists are also predominantly compiled on the internet, with 45% of couples choosing an online provider compared to 34% who opted for a department store, and 21% who have put theirs together independently. 

The survey also looked into other elements of wedding planning, such as the budget – which was revealed to be £12,300 on average. Four fifths (80%) of those surveyed stated that their choice of venue was the priciest part of their wedding, closely followed by catering for 24%, honeymoons for 18%, and photography for 14% of respondents.

Although just 18% of those surveyed are spending the majority of their budget on their honeymoon, the survey showed that couples still like to splurge on the trip of a lifetime. Just under half of respondents (48%) plan to spend more than £2,001 on their honeymoon, followed by 30% who intend to spend between £1,001 and £2,000. And despite the increase in popularity of UK mini-breaks, the majority of respondents – 68% – are planning to travel abroad.