After 2022's wedding boom, wedding fashion brands prepare for a return to pre-pandemic business

The first two years of the pandemic were dire for wedding and bridal brands. The lack of nuptials and events pushed some brands close to bankruptcy. But 2022 was just the opposite, providing brands that survived the prior two years the boost they needed to get back on their feet. Now, three months into 2023, the category is settling back into something closer to normal.

What happened

Now, three months into 2023, the category is settling back into something closer to normal.

Why it matters

“Prior to the pandemic, there’d be about 2.1 million weddings per year in the U.S.,” said Andrew Blackmon, co-founder and CEO of men’s suit rental service The Black Tux. “You could plan around that.”

That figure has remained reliably true every year for more than a decade. But in 2020, that dropped down to 1.7 million, while in 2022, it jumped up 2.6 million, according to data from the National Center for Health Statistics and The Knot. As 2023 looks likely to settle back into the 2.1 million figure of pre-pandemic, wedding-focused brands are using the cushion that 2022 gave them to continue growing even as business slows.

For example, Blackmon said The Black Tux suffered an unprecedented drop in demand in 2020. Its rental business dried up almost completely. But 2022 saw the brand surge back to life, with revenue growing 35% over pre-pandemic levels and achieving profitability. Now, Blackmon is trying to expand the company’s business to take advantage of that growth. The Black Tux acquired the DTC wedding band startup Marke earlier this month. In November, it opened a new showroom in New York, and it’s set to open another in Atlanta later this year.

This news brief is based on reporting published by Glossy on 2023-03-14. The original report is linked below.