Do you guys think some people are skipping this year and waiting until 2014 because it's 2013...
Talked with a wedding planner yesterday and she said her 2013 bookings are half of what they are used to be and 2014 is already almost booked.
I guess it depends on the country,city and the culture.
In some cultures folks are trying to get houses with specific numbers and get married on specific dates.
If you are a devoted catholic, my guess 13 is something you would want to avoid.
I GUARANTEE some people are skipping 2013 because of the 13. How do I know?
1) Some of our clients in 2012 told us they brought their wedding forward to 2012 because they didn't want to get married in '13.
2) Some of our bookings for 2014 are from people who told us they were delaying because they didn't want to get married in '13.
3) People at wedding fairs have told me they don't want to get married in '13.
4) Several venues have sold us their bookings are down this year, they believe for exactly the same reason. They are offering special discounts (always a dangerous downward spiral in my mind) to people who are willing to get married in 2013.
So we've seen / heard it from all angles really.
Of course, some people don't care. 2013 is not '13', and lots of people are not that superstitious.
Clearly some countries are more superstitious than others, and it even varies from region to region, so you may have a big problem in one region and not see any problem in another.
"First Look" is a prime example. In all the years I've been shooting I've never once done a "first look" because it's considered totally bad luck for the bride and groom to see each other before the ceremony. It's one of those major NO-NOs. Frankly I think it's total crap because my wife and I drove to our ceremony together and we've been married > 20 years
interesting topic and I honestly didn't even think about this, going to mention it to my husband because he was just yesterday commenting on how business is definitely down for this month which is normally our craziest busiest month of the year, it still is busy, but not as busy as we normally are
Dave_EP wrote:
In all the years I've been shooting I've never once done a "first look" because it's considered totally bad luck for the bride and groom to see each other before the ceremony.
In the US "first looks" can be rare, too. Most years I don't have a single one. Not that my couples are superstitious but it's just tradition to not see each other before the ceremony. I worked a number of years in the business before I encountered my first look.
D. Diggler wrote:
In the US "first looks" can be rare, too. Most years I don't have a single one. Not that my couples are superstitious but it's just tradition to not see each other before the ceremony. I worked a number of years in the business before I encountered my first look.
I did it once last year, but she was American and so obviously half the party was American as well (well, probably more than half in fact). So it was normal to them, still strange to me. We did groups & portraits before the ceremony as well... Strange. BUT no body died.
I never considered this, but it makes total sense. Someone referenced buildings without a 13th Floor. I know there are a ton of older buildings in New York City that superstition applies to.
the Westin I stay at in Fuzhou, China is not even 2 year old. No 4th flour or 14th flour if I remember correctly.
In The Asian world .... 2012 Chinese year was magical. It was the end of the wood cycle. It was the year to get married. This year .... not so much.
2013; Year of the snake and the start of the fire cycle.
The cultural twist are interesting and do play a part in couple lives including when to get married.
I am sure this affects wedding shooters in different amounts to different shooters.
Really? I can't imagine that two people fall in love, get engaged and then decide to wait an extra year for one of the most important days of their life because the least important number in their anniversary is a minor superstition. Seems really weird to me.
