Seemingly unaffected by the precarious economic times that have organizations witnessing a decline in consumer spending, the wedding industry continues to grow expeditiously with couples splurging on overseas weddings like never before.

The luxury destination wedding segment is currently valued at $80 billion, representing a mammoth market share of the $300 billion global wedding industry.
 
Sponsors and creative partners of the 4th Annual Destination Wedding Planners (DWP) Congress organised by Dubai-based QnA International, and currently ongoing in Phuket, Thailand, shared certain factors that influence the sector’s success and resilience. These include the characteristics of chosen destinations, natural beauty and mystical charm; the opulence of luxury; the unique designs; and the exclusivity surrounding the event.
 
According to Freda Malcolm, director of romance for the Bahamas Ministry of Tourism, romance and The Bahamas are synonymous. “Weddings are big in every way in The Islands of the Bahamas, and we are well poised to not only fulfill the requirements and needs of our special guests but to exceed their expectations as well. The DWP Congress is vital to the success of our romance brand.  It gives us great pleasure and is indeed an honour to participate in a Congress of this calibre,” said Malcolm.
 
Resonating a similar line of thought, Bernadette Willemin, director Europe, Seychelles Tourism Board - Hong Kong Regional Office, said: "The hauntingly beautiful backdrop of the islands with their unique natural splendour, authentic way of life and the great tranquillity is a natural venue for weddings and honeymoons. It is precisely this kind of exclusive, bespoke experience which appeals to the luxury market and to luxury travellers in search of something truly special and different and we in Seychelles are proud to be able to exceed their expectations in this regard.”

The characteristics of the destination aside, the DWP Congress 2017 sponsors also suggested that targeting the luxury wedding sector is a natural extension of their products and services. “When we first started, luxury weddings were not really a target for ourselves. But over the years, with the services and products that we deliver, we realized it serves the specific clientele. However, rather than focusing on a specific market, we focus on our passion to capture a couple's beautiful love story and turn it to a timeless memory,” explained Kinsky Bunyamin, director of marketing, Axioo, Indonesia.
 
Emphasizing on the happy amalgamation of products, services and location, Marsha Eyre, director of events management Shangri-La's Rasa Ria Resort & Spa, Malaysia, said: “Shangri-La’s Rasa Ria Resort & Spa is the perfect venue and location for the luxury wedding market. Located in Sabah which is known for its beaches, rainforests, coral reefs and abundant wildlife, the resort has access to many beautiful and ideal outdoor venues such as beachfront sunset locations, manicured tropical gardens amongst others. Further, we have exclusive and breathtaking amenities set to take advantage of the natural beauty of our location. The amenities are designed to offer our clients ample relaxation amidst a romantic setting, and we craft premium services, benefits and privileges to add value for our clients.”
 
Creative partners are now looking at targeting the global wedding industry to explore new markets and build their brand beyond borders. Supporting this statement, Elie Azar, founder, ParAzar, Lebanon, said, “When I started ParAzar it was out of desire to achieve growth not only in our local portfolio of services but internationally too. Having mastered the local wedding luxury segment and grown organically into the regional one, serving weddings in Lebanon and the neighboring countries in the Levant and the GCC with up to 2,000 attendees per wedding, I felt it was time to expand our brand in the luxury wedding segment and gain more exposure internationally.”
 
Adding to this, Marilyne Morin, area director of communications, Shangri-La Hotels and Resorts - Indian Ocean, Maldives, said: “Having such a wonderful product and service that match a high-end clientele is a wonderful thing, but the most challenging is to get access to them. But the DWP Congress gives us the opportunity to achieve this, creating the perfect environment and direct interactions with the experts in the wedding industry."
 
This extravagant segment of the wedding industry poses as the perfect target audience for partners with unique or out of the box services to showcase their offerings, explained Anthony Galati who is a Live Event Painter. Galati added that his services were perfect for couples that have it all and are yet looking for something more at their wedding, and he creates one of a kind works of art as a part of their celebrations.
 
Disneyland Paris too is vouching for a piece of the luxury wedding pie! “Next to the city of love, Disneyland Paris gives couples a unique storybook setting for their own happily ever after,” said Nicolas Dupeux, director of Disney Business Solutions, Paris, on the organizations decision to begin targeting this niche market.
 
“There are many reasons why the luxury wedding sector is an important cornerstone of the tourism sector, and in many economies across the world. Currently, we are hearing many testimonies on the importance of the sector, the future trajectory of the sector, and what strategies are necessary to keep it growing,” noted Ackash Jain, director of QnA International.
 
“There can’t be a better time than now for wedding suppliers to shift their focus to this market, and that’s where we come in. The DWP Congress is a closed door luxury boutique event that brings together only the world’s leading wedding planners who are on the lookout for partners with unique offerings to elevate the experience delivered to their clients. We are sure numerous deals will be closed during the course of this 3 day power packed initiative”, he added.
 
Commenting on the importance of attending the fourth Annual DWP Congress, many sponsors alluded to the calibre of the attendees, citing the pre-scheduled meetings, and networking opportunities with them as a huge motivational factor. “The DWP Congress will give me the opportunity to develop my activities on the international stage and to meet a lot of the world’s most important players in this growing sector in one place,” contributed Marianne Guély, France, who is the founder of Studio specialising in paper décor.
 
The visibility and popularity that the DWP Congress has garnered over the past four years assists even well-established destinations, “Florence and Tuscany are already very popular and leading Italian destinations for International Weddings (42 per cent of the global wedding market share is in Tuscany, and 19 per cent in Florence), but after the third DWP Congress was hosted in Florence in 2016, it became the reference point for the promotion of Florence and Tuscany in the international weddings market,” commented Chiara Gheri, division manager, Tuscany for Weddings, Italy.
 
The fourth annual DWP Congress brings together luxury destination wedding planners with leading wedding suppliers and creative partners under one roof is currently running from 02 – 04 May 2017 at Phuket, Thailand.