Take & Give Needs Wedding Planner Survey: Gender-Free and Sustainable Recent Weddings

Leading wedding company Take & Give Needs Co., Ltd. (Headquarters: Shinagawa-ku, Tokyo; President and Representative Director: Kenji Iwase; hereinafter: T&G) conducted a survey targeting its wedding planners nationwide on the theme of 'Gender-Free and Sustainable Recent Weddings', and we are pleased to announce the survey results.

Since the COVID-19 pandemic, values regarding weddings have diversified, and the way weddings are held is being redefined. There is an increasing number of couples incorporating gender-free values and a sustainable perspective into their weddings, updating them to reflect their own identities. We investigated how gender-free and sustainability are perceived in weddings, what kind of requests are increasing, and what proposals wedding planners are making in response to these needs.

■ Nowadays, there is a growing trend of 'customers desiring gender-free weddings'

To the question, 'Do you feel that there are increasing numbers of customers who question gender-fixed roles in weddings or desire gender-free weddings?', 66% of wedding planners responded 'Yes'. Of these, approximately 60% of wedding planners answered that 'more than half of their customers have gender-free inclinations regarding weddings'.

■ Changes towards 'couple-like' ceremonies that are gender-free and unconstrained by tradition

Regarding 'items frequently updated by customers with a gender-free perspective', wedding planners who answered 'Bouquet toss (176 people)' and 'Bride's letter reading (143 people)' accounted for less than 50% of the total.

There were also comments stating that couples are increasingly viewing weddings from a perspective of flat values that cherish their individuality, rather than adhering to existing traditions fixed by gender, such as the bride being the main focus and the groom giving greetings. It can be seen that there are increasing practical examples where rituals that tend to be limited to specific attributes, such as bouquet tosses, are being updated based on gender-free principles. Some mentioned, 'Classic wedding traditions...'