Struggling Economy Impacts Wedding Industry

By ABC-7 Reporter, Marissa Monroy

EL PASO — With the struggling economy, even the most dreamy-eyed couples are concerned about how they’ll pay for their big day.

“It’s not so much the wedding that I’m worried about, just as much as making sure that as a couple we make wise decisions together,” said Angelica Rosales. “I think finances is one of those areas where a lot of people can struggle together.”

Rosales is planning a wedding, but it’s not just the bride and groom that are suffering. Retail stores that specialize in wedding merchandize are also feeling the crunch.Tony Salgado, Manager of S & H Crafts, said the economy is definitely having an impact on his business.

“We’re actually atless than half of what we were last year,” Salgado said. “Our sales are not what they used to be.”

The economic turmoil is crashing a lot of weddings.

“You start looking at things that you probably don’t need. You really start evaluating where you’d rather spend your money,” Rosales said.

The economy is forcing a lot of budget-minded couples to think twice about over-spending.

“A lot of times the rings they’re using are their grandparents or they’re using their mother’s bible,” Salgado said.

Hard times are also forcing a lot of couples to turn to close relatives or friends for help.

“What the customers are doing now is they’re taking a lot of the material and saving themselves half of what I’d charge them for labor and having their friend or their neighbor or someone else that knows a little bit of crafting and having them make it.” Salgado said.

Even bargaining is out of the question for some retailers.

“When people come in here, they get mad because we can’t bargain with them. They just need to understand the position we’re in,” Salgado said. “It’s hard and we’re just like everybody else, trying to survive.”