Couples' Priorities, Mindsets, and Relationships are Shifting as They Replan, Not Cancel, Their Weddings, According to Zola Study

Study of 2,223 Couples With Weddings Impacted by COVID-19 Reveals That Despite All of the Heartbreak Caused by COVID-19, Relationships are Stronger and Couples Have Redefined Their "Dream Day"

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Zola

Oct 01, 2020, 09:05 ET

NEW YORK, Oct. 1, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, Zola, the ultimate one-stop-site for couples getting married, released a comprehensive report about how couples are reimagining their weddings around COVID-19. During this time, Zola has continued to launch innovative features, expert advice, and provide unparalleled customer support to engaged couples and the entire wedding community.

Zola surveyed 2,223 couples with weddings between March 2020 - December 2022, the majority of whom were originally scheduled to get married this year, and found that COVID-19 has changed the way that 2,200 are thinking, feeling, and planning. Only 23 couples said they have not been affected, and only 58 are cancelling or putting wedding planning on pause. As couples manage the emotional and financial burdens of this year, they're shifting even more wedding planning to be online, shrinking their in-person guest lists but expanding them virtually, creating safety protocols, and their #1 priority is celebrating with most, but not all, of their loved ones. 2020 marks the year when couples juggled RSVP cards, virtual events and registry gifts with social distancing, political activism, and working from home. Couples still do want to have the perfect day they've dreamed about, but 81% believe that's achievable even if the look, location or date of the wedding is different. Through it all, couples are even more in love, they're feeling confident in the decisions they've made together, they cannot wait to get married, and they're embracing, not rejecting, new plans.

"Our mission to bring joy, ease, and magic to every engaged couple is more paramount than ever before. Over the past several months our community has continued to inspire us, and we will never stop innovating on their behalf. We've been there to support the couples who eloped in the spring, the couples who livestreamed their lawn weddings this summer, and we'll be there for those couples hosting receptions in 2021, 2022, and after. Even with all of the unknowns in the world right now, what we know for sure is that weddings are still happening, and love and marriage are still very much present." said Shan-Lyn Ma, Zola's Co-Founder and CEO.

Most Couples Affected by COVID-19 Are Celebrating In 2021, Prioritizing a Time and Place When Most (but not all) Loved Ones Can Attend

How couples are moving forward:

62% are postponing, most choosing to celebrate one year from their original date

38% are delaying their entire wedding
24% are tying the knot in 2020, but are delaying their larger reception

28% reduced their guest list to keep their ceremony and reception on their original date
7% are diving right into newlywed life, opting for an elopement
3% pressed pause on wedding planning, or cancelled their nuptials altogether

When couples are getting married:

92% who're postponing have already booked a new date

65% of celebrations are scheduled for 2021, most scheduled for April - September
24% of postponements are still on for late in 2020

54% chose a date that they believe will avoid COVID-19, 38% think there may even be a vaccine

What couples are prioritizing:

Couples #1 priority is to have most (but not all) friends & family in attendance, the #2 priority is to legally marry as soon as possible, and the #3 priority is to keep the same wedding vendors

8 Key Takeaways About How Couples Are Feeling As They Replan While Dealing With The Many Other Burdens of COVID-19

Stressed. A 2018 survey by Zola found that 40% of couples used the terms "very" and "extremely" to describe wedding planning stress. In this iteration of Zola's survey, that percentage increased to 72%.
Relieved, and excited to redefine their "dream" wedding. Most couples do feel sad about shifting their plans, but a significant 25% are also relieved and even finding consolation in the extra planning time. And, 10% said they're excited to re-plan and prioritize.
Confident in their new timeline, and ready to get creative. 3 out of 4 couples postponed their wedding one time, while 1 out of 4 postponed two or three times. However, 70% feel at ease about their new timeline, and they're not considering another delay. 50% are even accepting that some loved ones will RSVP "no" because of health or travel limitations.
Emotional about the political climate beyond COVID-19. Zola's 2018 survey identified the greatest outside stressors to be budget, the quest for perfection and the pressure of social media. In 2020 the #2 stressor is navigating the current political landscape, including the Black Lives Matter movement and the upcoming election. 97% of couples are stressed about this, many channeling that stress into action with 88% having more political discussions at home, 26% making a charitable donation and 13% participating in a march together.
Reprioritizing newlywed milestones due to the pandemic's financial and mental impact. For 35% of couples, at least one partner was laid off and/or received a salary cut. And, for 34% of couples, at least one partner is dealing with mental health struggles. As a result, 24% of engaged couples are delaying a home purchase, 21% are delaying finding a new job, and 19% are putting plans to have or adopt a child on hold. Another hard pill to swallow - 12% of couples experienced the loss of a loved one due to the virus.
Optimistic and supported. 92% have found ways to remain hopeful during this time, with 82% of couples finding support from their partner. 59% have also relied on their wonderful team of wedding vendors for support as they rethink their big event(s). Other ways that couples are staying positive include retail therapy (52%), taking up a new hobby (32%), and going to therapy (15%).
Ultimately, they're more in love than ever. 55% of couples have a stronger relationship now than just six months ago, and only 10% feel their relationship is strained. So, while the global pandemic has turned so many parts of life upside down, relationships aren't one of them.
Thrilled to be married. Couples who got married between March - September 2020 described their big day as stressful, but they also described it to be "absolutely the best," "perfect and intimate," "happy and loving," "calm," and "very meaningful." Here are how real Zola couples described their recent wedding:

"We had our wedding as planned on June 20th. We had 12 people by our side, and 130+ people online. It was a fantastic day, and most people stayed online with us for 3 hours! We were extremely happy with how it all turned out."

"We had a small ceremony with 20 guests (parents, siblings, and wedding party). It was truly a beautiful day. After all the stress and uncertainty, this whole process was a lesson in letting go, and we were fortunate to have something even more wonderful in its place."

"We postponed our big reception with all of our friends and family to next year and eloped with 9 of our closest family members. It was the absolute best day ever. We got to choose the food we wanted without worrying about scaling to 120+ people like we were originally planning, the atmosphere was beyond relaxed, and it felt like a joyful dream to get to marry my best friend. I have no regrets about prioritizing the health and safety of my friends and family and pushing our big celebration to next year."

"We got married in July at our original venue, which was entirely outdoors. I was a mess for a month before. But, once we got to the venue, I was able to let that go. It was no longer about stressing over what I wanted my wedding to be, but enjoying what it was--a day to make a promise to the love of my life and hear him make that promise back, with some food and dance thrown in for good measure. My bridesmaids were incredible at stealing away my stress, and our guests were genuinely so excited to be at a wedding that it made me happy just seeing them laughing. We spaced the tables and benches further apart than we would have normally, but people had fun anyways and it didn't feel like there was this crazy weight over us. It was truly the best wedding I could have had."

Significant Trends In Wedding Replanning

Save the new virtual wedding date. 56% of couples are shrinking their guest list, but 49% are considering streaming their wedding for a longer-list of attendees. To support this surge in couples going virtual, the company unveiled a free feature called Virtual Events so couples can host any wedding event directly on their beautiful Zola wedding website. Over 4,000 Virtual Events have already been scheduled to take place on Zola just in 2020, and the company also has tips for how to be a great virtual wedding guest.

To have and to hold, safely and socially distanced. For almost all couples (96%) guest safety is a very important factor, and safety protocols are the new norm. Almost 100% did change wedding details to accommodate for COVID-19, and 3 out of 4 couples have already made a preliminary plan:

73% will have hand sanitizer stations and adjusted seating arrangements to accommodate for social distancing
62% will incorporate masks, either as suggested or as required
55% have changed their food service plan to be plated (for context, 64% of wedding meals were served buffet or family-style according to a 2017 Zola survey)
32% have moved their celebrations to an outdoor venue

Smaller weddings do not equal smaller budgets. 88% of couples are tackling extra expenses and 29% are choosing to spend more on dream must-haves. For 27%, replanning has cost $1,000 - $5,000, which is significant considering 89% of Zola couples cover many or all of their own wedding expenses. Couples are spending on new invitations, duplicate services like photography for a two-part wedding, and even spending on hand sanitizer and masks. But there's an upside - couples are focusing their budget on dream must-haves like a more gourmet meal, a videographer, and almost ½ of couples are shopping for an extra wedding day outfit online.

Planning a wedding online is officially the norm. 3 out of 4 couples are shifting more of their wedding planning to be online, relying on Zola's helpful tools to plan comfortably at home. 67% who were not considering shopping for wedding paper online now are, 55% of couples are scheduling virtual wedding vendor appointments, 46% are shopping for wedding apparel online, 18% are tasting their food and/or cake at home, and 12% of recently engaged couples are selecting their wedding venue via virtual tour. Over the past six months, Zola has remained dedicated to supporting couples in every way, rolling out innovative features to address their needs including reception-only wedding invitations, a micro-wedding essentials collection of in-stock wedding dresses, decor, masks and more, and a vendor search product that connects couples to pre-screened wedding vendors across the country.

There are best practices to uninvite and update guests. More than ½ of couples (57%) are choosing to text and call loved ones personally, which is no small feat considering most Zola weddings have on average 150 guests. But, the #1 way (67%) that couples are easily sharing their updated event details is via a banner on their wedding website, and 33% are also sending change the date cards. To help couples who've had to change course, Zola launched pre-written announcements that can easily be added to the top of any Zola wedding website, and the company is also offering change the dates for free with all save the date and wedding invitation purchases.

Couples are arguing more, but not about wedding planning. 35% of couples reported an uptick in arguments, but when Zola asked for more details about common disagreements, the responses were priceless. Couples have argued about who drank all of the wine, what is the best brand of dog food, which bowl will fit the most amount of popcorn, what furniture can be used as at-home gym equipment, and if a dish drying rack is an appropriate wedding registry gift (it is). What was rarely mentioned was wedding planning, and in fact deciding how to move forward with the big day ranked as the least stressful part of replanning.

With more time at home, wedding registries are the new shopping destination. With the majority of couples living together before marriage, the majority of engaged couples have sheltered in place together, too. 57% of couples said that they've been inspired to add more gifts to their registry, and 41% of couples have purchased gifts for themselves. Specifically, as couples cook, work, spend time outdoors, and cozy up their homes together, Zola has seen a lift in sales of cookware, bakeware, office furniture, outdoor gear, and home decor. The number of couples buying bread makers have tripled, while the number of couples buying grills, ice cream makers, kayaks, desks and beach towels have doubled. Couples are also still going to receive their dream wishlist at some point, even if they reduce their guest list or go virtual: 90% of guests are planning to give a wedding gift no matter what. Zola is today's premiere wedding registry destination, with an online store of over 100,000 curated gifts from over 1,000 top-rated registry brands.

About Zola

We're Zola, the wedding company that will do anything for love. We support couples from engagement to wedding and newlywed life by combining compassionate customer service with smart technology. Since launching in 2013, we've helped simplify wedding planning for over 1 million couples with our registry, wedding websites, wedding stationery, and free suite of wedding planning tools, all in one place.

For more information about Zola, please visit www.zola.com or follow @Zola on Instagram, Pinterest, Twitter and Facebook.

Media Contact:

Emily Forrest

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SOURCE Zola