January 2006

Above: Debbie Stanicki is owner of Cakes to You. What started as a side job has turned into a full-time business for the Willoughby baker. Photo by Kim Cassidy.

The Business of Brides: Weddings benefit local economy
by Annemarie Donnelly

Before the last invitation is sealed and stamped, couples will often spend months or even years in preparation for their wedding day. From dance teachers to limousine drivers and everything in between, Lake County businesses can happily attach dollar signs to every aspect of a couple’s once-in-a-lifetime day.

The cost of love

The funds Lake County residents spent on weddings in 2004 easily surpassed the national average of $26,000. For example, in the communities of Mentor, Painesville and Willoughby, the average costs associated with a wedding were $32,000, $28,000 and $28,000, respectively. These figures do not include the purchase of engagement rings or honeymoon trips.

Why are weddings so expensive? The answer is two-fold: capital outlay and the changing demands of brides. Today’s consumers want it all, and are often willing to spend much more than Grandma did for her nuptials.

One business owner who has seen changes in wedding trends is Rachel Lanese of Always & Forever Jeweler in Mentor.

“The average stone that I sell is one carat and up,” she said about diamond engagement rings. “When I started in 1982, the average stone size was .5 to .75 carats.”

In addition, many couples want their rings to be custom designed, or to include family heirlooms. Lanese estimates that approximately 25 percent of her business is due to the sale of engagement rings. A fair warning for marriage-minded guys: Lanese said that a ring typically costs about $3,200.

Wedding memories have also become more expensive. Photographers now provide both traditional photographs and a video of the event.

At Moments by Michael in Painesville, husband and wife team Michael and Kathi Roe attribute the bulk of their business to weddings.

“It’s probably 75 percent of my business,” said Michael Roe. A couple can expect to pay $1,800 to $2,000 for Roe’s photos-only package. Add a video, and the price goes up another thousand dollars.

Making brides beautiful

Combine the trend of videography with a bride’s natural desire to look great and the result is increased popularity for salon/spas and dance studios. Aiming for a polished and coordinated look, brides and their attendants are booking up spa and salon appointments like never before. Ballroom dance lessons are also de rigueur for many wedding parties.

Mary Jo Miller of Bella Donna Spa & Salon estimates that 7 percent of her business originates from weddings. During the peak season, Miller said her Painesville establishment may service as many as four wedding parties in a day, and the popularity of wedding services is still growing.

“They start the day before, by getting ready for the rehearsal dinner, and then they come back the next day. It’s a big planned weekend. For most brides, this is the type of day they’ve always dreamed of,” she said.

If Bella Donna Spa & Salon ensures a lovely bride and attendants, Mike Patrick at The Right Step in Willoughby will have them looking smart on the dance floor. With at least two-thirds of his business associated with weddings, Patrick attributes the interest in dance to the popularity of videography.

“They know they’ll have a wedding video, and they want to look like they know what they’re doing when they’re dancing,” he said.

The desire to look stylish often leads a couple to hire a limousine company.

“It’s a fantasy for them when they go by,” said Larry Chrystal, owner of A-1 Mr. Limo in Wickliffe. “People always wonder who’s on the other side of the window. It’s a very special thing.”

Specializing in a shuttle bus with a limo interior, Chrystal estimates that 30 percent of his business originates from weddings.

“We consider ourselves more in the entertainment business than transportation. The drivers are very important,” said Chrystal, noting that his drivers are encouraged to add to the fairytale mystique with an appropriate attitude and demeanor.

Dinner and dancing

Like wedding celebrations the world over, good quality food remains one of the main considerations for a successful day. And be it elegant or casual, the wedding reception is usually the main expense for a couple.

For Rick Fox, co-owner of the Kirtlander Party Center in Kirtland, weddings are the foundation of the party center business.

“Weddings are the one thing we want to do most,” he said. “For us, they are the single biggest ticket item.”

After 27 years in business, Fox has noticed some changes in the menus that brides are now selecting. “Vegetarian and vegan meals are a new trend. Also, more people are asking about children’s meals, because they think the children won’t eat what the adults are eating.”

Most receptions are still held on Saturdays and some Fridays, but Fox has also noticed an upswing in receptions held after the wedding day.

“We’re doing a few more post-wedding receptions,” he said. “Someone getting married might be in the service, or perhaps the couple eloped.”

During the wedding reception, the most popular choice for musical entertainment is a disc jockey. Bukky Call, owner of DC Sounds Unlimited, sees continued market growth. Located in a Mentor plaza along with a jeweler and a bridal shop, Call is part of a group of businesses specifically targeting brides. Call sometimes shares time with a live band, a new trend he has seen evolve over the last 10 years.

“We can offer to have the DJ handle cocktails and horsd’ oeuvres, and during the main portion the band plays,” he said. “Plus, it keeps the party going and the dance floor full.”

Of course, no wedding reception is complete without a cake. Debbie Stanicki of Cakes to You in Willoughby said much of her business comes from referrals from florists and caterers. “It really helps to get the word out there to other businesses.”

Stanicki said grooms cakes have become popular and even wedding cakes have changed.

“Nowadays the standard is to have the wedding cake in different flavors, unless it’s the only dessert,” she said.

Once the wedding is over, more brides are opting to have their gown cleaned and preserved. While only making up a small percent of his business, Tim Blankenship, owner of Premier Dry Cleaning & Shirt Laundry, sees wedding gown preservation services increasing. Blankenship said gift certificates for the service are becoming popular since brides often say they can’t afford the service.

Weddings also drive sales for a variety of other businesses that cannot specifically measure the impact on their bottom line. Gifts for attendants, favors, makeup, hosiery and undergarments as well as money spent on services such as teeth whitening and tanning salons can be difficult to track as wedding-related.

And within a few years, other businesses will profit from each year’s wedding boom. How does that jingle go? First comes love, then comes marriage, then comes triplets in a baby carriage.

(Annemarie Donnelly is a Mentor freelance writer.)