Retailers gear up for the biggest wedding season since 1984

Wedding bells are ringing and retailers are hearing alarm sirens to get ready. The US is gearing up to host 2.5 million ceremonies in 2022, the most since 1984, per Reuters.

• Wedding-related goods and services are expected to hit $68.66 billion in sales this year, surging 31% from last year, according to The Wedding Report.

More weddings means more business for apparel companies with gown departments. It also means that prep and planning started *checks watch* yesterday.

Love is in the air: Anthropologie’s BHLDN doubled its wedding inventory from 2021, Reuters reported. Rent the Runway’s special-occasion collection has expanded by 10% since before the pandemic. Meanwhile, Macy’s and Kohl’s both increased their evening-gown and party-dress categories, the latter upping space dedicated to them by 75%.

Intermix is another retailer leaning into the spirit. Last month, the company rolled out the Wedding Edit, a section of its website with 200 bridal styles, including white mini dresses, jumpsuits, and slips. The company is also holding a NYC pop-up to showcase its wedding goods and exclusive bridal looks from designer labels.

• CEO Jyothi Rao told Business of Fashion that the bridal campaign was informed by customer data. Intermix’s website racked up 300,000+ wedding-related searches in the past year.

Crunch time: Jefferies analyst Ashley Helgans told Reuters that while the supply chain was supposed to be functioning efficiently by the end of the year, “as we move into wedding season...it doesn’t feel like supply is totally back to normal.”—JG