More Reason To Celebrate | The Odyssey Online
Start writing a post
Politics and Activism

More Reason To Celebrate

17
More Reason To Celebrate
GroomsAdvice

If you’ve noticed an unusual abundance of engagement announcements popping up on your Facebook feed over the past few months, you’re not alone. According to WeddingWire, a Bethesda, MD company that provides technology for wedding companies, 33 percent of engagements take place in the period between Thanksgiving and New Year’s Day.

It makes sense: It’s almost as if the holiday season, with its glistening, cozy atmosphere, is designed to enable proposals. Family and friends gather. Year-end bonuses render the purchase of a ring slightly less taxing on the wallet. Vacation days provide extra time to pull off a splendid proposal.

" Christmas is by far the number one day for engagements," says Mark Vadon, the chief executive and a founder of Bluenile.com, an online jewelry retailer in Seattle, WA. "It is a season when you're thinking about other people who are meaningful in your life. People are emotional. And an engagement is an important event you want to share with others, especially your family. Think about it. You're about to spend the holidays with your in-laws. There's a little pressure there to step up and propose."

Jewelers, too, join in the celebration during this period. They make 36 percent of their yearly sales from October through December. Come January, the financial benefits shift over to the wedding industry, as bridal shops, venue owners, and wedding planners face increased demand for their services.

Indeed, the wedding industry has happily hopped onto the holiday proposal bandwagon. Bridal magazines release special holiday issues. In fact, Brides Magazine consistently reports the highest sales for its January edition, which sold 250 ad pages in January 2011 compared to the 40 which is average for most women’s magazines during the month. Retailers offering wedding registries organize events for couples to check out their stock. Wedding sites experience a surge in web traffic. Sonny Ganguly, WeddingWire’s chief marketing officer, says that new user registration skyrockets on the Monday after New Year’s Day. Throughout the month of January, the site’s most popular features include reviews of local venues and a checklist intended to help couples keep track of their progress as they plan their nuptials.

Yet the wedding-planning blitz is not limited to the newly-engaged, either. Couples who popped the question long before the holidays also get swept up in the frenzy.

“Over the holiday, everyone asks these girls, ‘When’s your wedding? What’s your wedding date?’ And those who don’t have an answer want an answer quick,” says Jennifer Stiebel, founder of SoCo Events, a Washington wedding-planning firm. “If they don’t have that all squared up, panic sets in.”

Perhaps as a result of this phenomenon, however, the holiday season sees the smallest number of actual weddings -- according to a 2004 study from the Condé Nast Bridal Group, only 8 percent of couples choose to tie the knot in December. Most of these ceremonies take place between the milder months of May and August.
Report this Content
This article has not been reviewed by Odyssey HQ and solely reflects the ideas and opinions of the creator.
Entertainment

Every Girl Needs To Listen To 'She Used To Be Mine' By Sara Bareilles

These powerful lyrics remind us how much good is inside each of us and that sometimes we are too blinded by our imperfections to see the other side of the coin, to see all of that good.

103772
Every Girl Needs To Listen To 'She Used To Be Mine' By Sara Bareilles

The song was sent to me late in the middle of the night. I was still awake enough to plug in my headphones and listen to it immediately. I always did this when my best friend sent me songs, never wasting a moment. She had sent a message with this one too, telling me it reminded her so much of both of us and what we have each been through in the past couple of months.

Keep Reading...Show less
Zodiac wheel with signs and symbols surrounding a central sun against a starry sky.

What's your sign? It's one of the first questions some of us are asked when approached by someone in a bar, at a party or even when having lunch with some of our friends. Astrology, for centuries, has been one of the largest phenomenons out there. There's a reason why many magazines and newspapers have a horoscope page, and there's also a reason why almost every bookstore or library has a section dedicated completely to astrology. Many of us could just be curious about why some of us act differently than others and whom we will get along with best, and others may just want to see if their sign does, in fact, match their personality.

Keep Reading...Show less
Entertainment

20 Song Lyrics To Put A Spring Into Your Instagram Captions

"On an island in the sun, We'll be playing and having fun"

18980
Person in front of neon musical instruments; glowing red and white lights.
Photo by Spencer Imbrock on Unsplash

Whenever I post a picture to Instagram, it takes me so long to come up with a caption. I want to be funny, clever, cute and direct all at the same time. It can be frustrating! So I just look for some online. I really like to find a song lyric that goes with my picture, I just feel like it gives the picture a certain vibe.

Here's a list of song lyrics that can go with any picture you want to post!

Keep Reading...Show less
Chalk drawing of scales weighing "good" and "bad" on a blackboard.
WP content

Being a good person does not depend on your religion or status in life, your race or skin color, political views or culture. It depends on how good you treat others.

We are all born to do something great. Whether that be to grow up and become a doctor and save the lives of thousands of people, run a marathon, win the Noble Peace Prize, or be the greatest mother or father for your own future children one day. Regardless, we are all born with a purpose. But in between birth and death lies a path that life paves for us; a path that we must fill with something that gives our lives meaning.

Keep Reading...Show less
Health and Wellness

10 Hygiene Tips For All College Athletes

College athletes, it's time we talk about sports hygiene.

17672
Woman doing pull-ups on bars with sun shining behind her.

I got a request to talk about college athletes hygiene so here it is.

College athletes, I get it, you are busy! From class, to morning workouts, to study table, to practice, and more. But that does not excuse the fact that your hygiene comes first! Here are some tips when it comes to taking care of your self.

Keep Reading...Show less

Subscribe to Our Newsletter

Facebook Comments