A single wedding venue is able to generate hundreds of thousands of dollars each year for it’s local community. And a new Australian start-up aims to encourage regional businesses to get in on the action.
Regional tourism boards and businesses would be wise to include the newly-betrothed audience in their marketing plans.
According to the Annual Bride to Be ‘Cost of Love Survey’, one in three weddings are ‘destination weddings’ (meaning they are held in regions or countries other than that inhabited by the couple) and of these, 75% are held in Australia.
This means that an average of 29,654 Australian weddings require the bridal party and guests to travel and stay in local accommodation for 2-3 nights (based on ABS figures of 118,962 Australian weddings per year).
Edwards Wines, Cowaramup, WA
With the average wedding bringing upwards of $30,000 to the surrounding region (think bedding, catering, food, transport, gifts, local wedding suppliers), a single wedding venue booked for just half a year could potentially inject $780,000 into the local economy.
And there are plenty of regional properties getting in on the action. A new platform called WedShed brings together a collection of unique venues from across Australia for couples to book.
Founded by Sydney women Melany Mashman and Amy Parfett, the platform is similar to Airbnb but for a niche wedding market, and provides a solution for those searching for something different for the big day.
“We use the word venue loosely,” said WedShed Co-founder Amy Parfett. “Our venues range from haysheds and warehouses to public halls and quirky cafes and restaurants.”
“Thanks to the rise of the sharing economy, it’s become normalised to rent private properties and non-traditional spaces for vacations, and it’s definitely a trend that’s expanded into the wedding industry”
Amy Parfett, Co-founder, WedShed
“Couples are searching for unique spaces that feel personal and allow them to get away for an extended weekend with friends and family. We’re seeing lots of private farms do incredibly well from renting out their property for the occasional big day”, she continued.
The Apple Shed, Grove, TAS
WedShed also lists a full range of wedding suppliers like photographers, celebrants and caterers, and encourages couples to work with businesses near their venue through a back-end system that matches up the two parties based on locality.
It’s definitely food for thought for the community-conscious couple – or the savvy property owner.
Read more on:
instagram.com/wedshed / @wedshed
