-The wedding industry grew 20 per cent last year making it one of the fastest growing in the UAE's

thriving leisure and tourism sector - according to the Bride Show Dubai.
Other statistics, compiled by Doha-based International Wedding Exhibition, also shows that Qatar
wedding business experienced annual growth of 25 per cent from 2006 to 2007.
The Bride Show, which begins in Dubai on Wednesday, marks the start of the wedding season in the GCC
- estimated to be worth billions, with Qatari residents alone spending about $500 million (Dh1.8 billion)
on their grand nuptials in 2007.
But while the market for UAE national weddings remains stable, demand from expatriates is soaring.
Global destination wedding market size 2022-2033 Published by Statista Research Department, Aug 11,
2023

-The global destination wedding market was expected to roughly quadruple from 2022 to 2023. While the
market size amounted to roughly 26.8 billion U.S. dollars in 2022, this figure was expected to surpass 30
billion U.S. dollars in 2023 and then reach nearly 103.5 billion U.S. dollars in 2033.

-Thu 01-12-2011

Amman, 1st December, 2011. Arabia Weddings, a specialized comprehensive online

platform for the wedding industry in Jordan and the Middle East,
(www.arabiaweddings.com) released the results of a survey it conducted on
wedding planning in Jordan. The survey, which was answered mostly by females
(79%) revealed interesting facts about the wedding planning process and behavior.

Survey results indicated that 50% of all weddings in Jordan take place at 4 and 5-
star hotels, while 28% are held at wedding halls and 16% at clubs and restaurants.
Weddings in Jordan, as elsewhere in the Middle East, tend to be larger in terms of
the number of guests than weddings in Europe and the US. Nearly half of weddings
in Jordan (48%) have between 200 and 300 guests, while a quarter of all weddings in
the Kingdom (25%) have 300 to 400 guests. Not surprisingly, brides and grooms
have indicated that the least favorite part of wedding planning is guest list
preparation and invitations. Families in Jordan tend to be large. Add to that
extended family members, friends, colleagues and neighbors, the guest list soon
becomes a lot longer than expected, forcing couples to cut down significantly on
the number of guests to stay within budget, thus adding to the stress and tension
faced by couples during that period. The survey confirmed that wedding planning in
general -while largely enjoyable- is quite stressful.

The survey revealed that 81% of engaged couples set a wedding budget; 53% of
whom end up overspending. The average wedding spending in Jordan including
engagement rings and honeymoons was found to be as follows: 30% spend
between JD 10,000 to JD 15,000, 23% spend between JD 5,000 and JD 10,000, 16%
spend between JD 15,000 and JD 20,000, 9.5% between JD 20,000 and JD 25,000 and
9.5% between JD 25,000 and JD 40,000. 5% spend over JD 40,000. (JD1 = $1.4)

Although nearly 32% of marriages have an engagement period of over a year, most
weddings in Jordan are planned within 3 to 9 months (55%), with 32% of engaged
couples planning their wedding in less than 3 months. In Jordan, over 63% of
couples do not use wedding planners. Most of them (38%) attribute that to cost
while others (36%) find it unnecessary. Most of those couples who appoint wedding
planners find their services ranging from satisfactory to fantastic, with nearly 10%
of them finding wedding planners in Jordan poor.

The most favorite part of wedding planning for most survey respondents is
wedding dress shopping and honeymoon planning, followed by the selection of
entertainment and music, flowers and pre-wedding parties. The most critical
elements in wedding planning are makeup and hairstyles of the bride, as well as,
honeymoon planning, followed by the wedding dress and photo and video services.
The least critical elements as identified by brides and grooms-to-be in Jordan are
having a wedding planner and the pre-wedding parties.

The survey, which was conducted over the internet, revealed that over 47% of
brides and grooms in Jordan use the Internet as their primary source of inspiration
for their wedding, followed by 24% who identified their friends as their source of
inspiration. 18% of survey respondents get their inspiration from visiting the
Wedding Show that is held annually in the capital, Amman, while only 10% are
inspired by magazines.

The survey also revealed an interesting fact about e-commerce among brides-to-be,
who according to the survey averaged 24.8 years old at the time of their wedding.
Despite the lack of any specialized e-commerce wedding platforms in the region,
23% of brides have made a purchase over the Internet for their wedding. Those
surveyed indicated that they have bought wedding dresses, shoes, lingerie,
wedding favors, evening dresses and more, citing international websites such as
www.davidsbridal.com, www.victoriasecret.com, www.theknott.com and
www.weddingstar.com as some of their web sources.