5 Reasons Drone Services Will Be Part of the $72 Billion Wedding Industry

The average cost of a wedding in the US peaked above $30,000 in 2014 for the first time- a 5% increase over the prior year. Since they are spending so much money, brides and grooms are looking for new, cost-effective ways to document and remember every single detail of their special day.

Weddings are huge business. $72 Billion per year is spent on weddings. Approximately 2.3 million couples wed every year in the U.S. That breaks down to nearly 6,200 weddings a day.

Hiring a photographer averages about $2,814 according to PetaPixel, with the most expensive shoots costing nearly $4,000.

Given the big bucks being dished out, we at DRONELIFE feel that drones augmenting wedding photography will be an increasingly popular trend in 2015 and beyond. Why? Here are 5 reasons:

1.) The couples care.  Weddings are, for many people, one of the major events in their lives. The desire to document the special day with both video and still aerial footage runs deep.  You can get the flavor of a wedding by using a Drone.

Instead of just showing the faces of the bride and groom, you can show the ripple of people as they walk down an aisle.

Rather than showing a few couples dancing you can show all of the wedding party dancing.

You can see the entire wedding party, not just line of sight as you would traditionally.

A Drone can show the venue in a way that you can not otherwise;  a drone flying around shooting video the church or synagogue, the beach or the mountain top, is different than a still at ground level. You can get the feel for the event in a way that you can not otherwise.

2.) Elasticity of Demand. People are less likely to try to save money on weddings than other life events. People are less likely to try to “scrimp” on wedding than on other events. This elasticity of demand for drones at wedding services will help to maintain margins so that drone providers can cover their costs.

3.) Many weddings have an outdoor component, making them especially well-suited for drone photography. Wedding marches, outdoor photos, and tent weddings are all great fits for drone video footage. If the wedding is on a beach you can see the expanse of sand rather than just the 20 feet that goes into a traditional video. You can see the entire bridal party and the guests during the ceremony.

4.) The demographics match well with drone awareness. With the average age of a groom at 26.7 and a bride at 25.3 this are a market segment that is both familiar with drones and taking photos of everything. They know what technology is out there and how they can use it to optimize their experiences.

5.) The providers are coming.  Couples hire professional photographers to document their wedding because they want to know their pictures are going to be of the highest quality. Even though everyone has a camera on them now, not everyone possesses the skills to effectively shoot a wedding. It’s the same with drone services anyone can buy a drone but expertise, licensing, and special skills take natural talent and hours of practice. Drones are still new, but expert photographers are starting aerial businesses every day. We add new photographers with impressive portfolios to JobforDrones.com all the time. As more businesses start up, their work will become more well known and  will be a major growth area for the industry in the next 12 months and beyond.