Wedding Dresses
When looking for data on the size of this industry, the first thing to note
is that, while there is a lot of money in the wedding industry, gowns represent
only one segment of the industry.
Second, wedding gowns are part of a larger women's clothing industry –
depending on how the business reports itself and how deep the search
functionality is of the database, separating wedding dresses from the larger
industry may be difficult. It might help to use the two NAICS codes that are
applicable to help you find companies and numbers (that is, sales figures).
Databases like Duns Million Dollar Directory and ReferenceUSA allow searches by
the NAICS codes given above, while other databases still use SIC codes. To have
a complete picture, however, it is necessary to also consider those
establishments that sell used gowns and those offering rental gowns. Lastly,
neither of those take into account those women who have someone make their
dress. There are SIC codes for all of these others but not for the instance
where a friend or family member makes the dress.
Lastly, there are many definitions of wedding dress. When most people in the
U.S. think of wedding dresses, they think in terms of the traditional long,
white dress. However, there are brides who only buy a nice outfit and go to the
judge's chambers and others who plan "ethnic" weddings where the
bride wears a traditional costume from her country.
