COVID-19 Sixty per cent of newlyweds without a wedding, 70% without a honeymoon

[thomas]

A survey by Meiji Yasuda Life Insurance Co. found that 60 per cent of couples marrying during coronavirus pandemic forewent wedding parties. In comparison, 70 per cent refrained from honeymoon trips due to travel restrictions. The pre-pandemic numbers amounted to 20.4 per cent and 19.5 per cent, respectively.

Yuichi Kodama, chief economist at the Meiji Yasuda Research Institute, said couples refraining from the ceremonies and trips are shifting much of their spending to purchasing furniture and household goods instead. "The coronavirus pandemic has brought a major change to the lifestyle and demand structures of newlyweds," Kodama said. The survey also found that as married couples spend more time at home as a result of the pandemic, 20.2 percent became closer to their partners amid the pandemic, compared with 8.2 percent whose relationships worsened. The remaining couples saw no change. Those seeing their relationships with spouses improve tended to spend more time with family members, while those seeing relationships worsen tended to spend more time alone, such as on hobbies.

It's good to see young couples more focused on the essentials. I heard that wedding BBQ parties are en vogue, too.

60% of newlyweds in Japan forgo holding weddings amid pandemic - The Mainichi

TOKYO (Kyodo) -- About 60 percent of Japanese couples marrying since shortly before the start of the coronavirus pandemic have refrained from holding

mainichi.jp

新婚６割が式挙げずコロナ影響、明治安田調査

明治安田生命保険は１５日、令和元年１０月以降に結婚した新婚夫婦の５８・８％が結婚式を挙げていないとの調査結果を発表した。新婚ではない夫婦（２０・４％）の３倍近…

www.sankei.com

Japan's wedding industry had already expected a decrease in wedding ceremonies before the pandemic started:

Wedding Industry Trends | Understanding IKK | IR Information

You can see the Wedding Industry Trends of IKK Holdings.

www.ikk-grp.jp

Rethinking their cancellation policies won't be enough:

Wedding industry rethinks cancelation policies