It comes as no secret that the past year sadly wrote off all major events, including weddings. With weddings being postponed from the first lockdown in 2020 with guest numbers only returning to normality this summer, there has been a lot of patience amongst the bride and grooms to be. However now that we enter a new normal, wedding planning is back on and this is a great opportunity for independent jewellers.

As mentioned in our Retail Insight Report, 2021 is set to be a bumper year for weddings due to more than 135,000 UK weddings being postponed in 2020. Wedding planner Holly Poulter, founder and creative director of Revelry Events, also predicts that: “2021 will be the industry’s busiest yet, with even the off-peak, normally quieter weekdays and months booking up with not only 2020 postponements, but also couples who would have been planning a 2021 wedding anyway.”

Don’t miss out on this wedding boom and make sure that you have show stopper wedding and engagement ring collections and prioritise promoting these. Be proactive by contacting those that purchased engagement rings from you last year. Invite them in for a wedding ring appointment and remain a part of their story right through to your customer’s wedding day. As per our Retail Insight Report, 26% of UK millennials are planning to get married in the next two years, according to KPMG, so this age range would be a good target audience for your stunning collections.

As part of our #LoveYourLocalJeweller campaign, we will be sending CMJ retailers a selection of exclusive supplier offers as well as a range of bridal social assets for you to use to support you throughout the bridal boom and promote the benefits and specialism of independent retail jewellers. Keep your eyes peeled, this is all coming soon. Click here to read more information on this campaign.

As well as the demand for wedding and engagement rings, let’s not forget those all important wedding gifts. These could be gifts, such as watches for groomsmen, or meaningful gifts for bridesmaids. For those couples that have had their wedding postponed, maybe more than once, their groomsmen and bridesmaids could have been an emotional support through uncertain times and so gifting may be more popular this year.

For more information on the trends and insights for 2021, read our Retail Insight Report. Haven’t got a copy or want to find out more about the benefits of CMJ membership? Email us on info@masterjewellers.co.uk.