Couples Opt for Smaller Weddings Due to Increased Costs

Hungary recently celebrated Marriage Week, which highlights the importance of couples’ relationships. Last year, there were more than 70,000 marriages in Hungary, but only two-thirds of them included weddings. Although many people are still planning to get married, more and more of them are not planning to do so with a wedding because of the cost, or if they are, they prefer to invite fewer guests.

Hungarian economic site Világgazdaság asked the president of the Association of Masters Ceremonies about the situation, who said that the number of weddings in Hungary is expected to remain high due to state supports such as the baby-expecting loan or family housing support (CSOK), only available to married couples. However, Mihály Tóth also pointed out that inflation will make weddings more expensive, which is a global phenomenon now.

According to the expert, the increased costs will lead couples organizing smaller weddings and to look for cost-effective alternatives and service providers who may offer them below average prices. However, this sometimes comes with lower quality and couples should look out for that. Tóth says that

while in the past people have tended not to skimp on their wedding, this year they are trying to be more conscious.

A similar trend can be seen in the United States, where the number of weddings was also very high last year, but the industry is expected to slow down in 2023. Prices there are also rising rapidly, making people think twice about getting married, with many people choosing second-hand rather than new accessories for their big day.

What is similar in the two countries is that couples organizing weddings are getting less for their money – even if some couples have not seen their budgets reduced in the current economic climate, the services they are getting for the same amount is less than 2-3 years earlier. Speaking to Mandiner, the president of the Wedding Service Providers Association said that

2023 promises to be an interesting year for the wedding sector, as various economic changes, such as inflation and increased energy costs, have made it impossible to plan for a while.

Catering venues were unable to give couples a concrete offer because they could not give a fixed price months or even a year in advance, Andrea Dávid pointed out.

Now the situation seems to have calmed down, with Hungarian service providers once again receiving more requests for offers. This also means that couples are now typically not organizing their wedding for up to two years, but only for a few months. This was unthinkable before, as popular providers were often booked one to two years in advance, but now the situation is different.

If a couple starts planning their wedding now in February, for July of this year, they can still find plenty of suitable providers, as the uncertainty has meant that calendars are not full.

According to Dávid, couples are spending less money on their wedding, and it is becoming increasingly common for couples to plan only a dinner, and forgoing a big wedding with a party. This has a knock-on effect on service providers such as bands, DJs or even masters of ceremonies, as their work is typically not needed in such cases.

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