Shutterfly Survey Reveals a Rise in Pre-Wedding Parties and DIY Brides

Shutterfly, Inc. (NASDAQ:SFLY), the leading Internet-based social expression and personal publishing service, today revealed survey results that show that today’s brides are do-it-yourselfers; blue is the "it” color this season; and past brides feel they spent too much money on some surprising wedding purchases. Today, Shutterfly also boosted its popular bridal line of designer stationery with 250 new styles, including engagement party, bachelorette party and rehearsal dinner invitations, wedding announcements and thank yous, as well as new bridal shower and save the date cards.

Though the economy may have impacted pre-wedding celebrations, according to Shutterfly’s Wedding Trends Survey administered by Decipher, Inc., March 22-30^th, 2010, bridal showers and bachelorette parties are back. The survey polled 422 women who were married in the past 12 months, and 500 women who are engaged and will be married in the next 12 months. Results showed an anticipated 58 percent rise in bachelorette parties and a 47 percent increase in showers.

Responding to this demand, Shutterfly debuts nearly 90 new styles created specifically for those pre-wedding events from noted designers like Dabney Lee, Stacy Claire Boyd and Tag & Co. According to Stephanie Roeder, Shutterfly’s Card Stylist, "Instead of sending a run-of-the-mill e-invitation, create something special – and personal – for your once in a lifetime event. Starting with the save the date, you can set the tone of your wedding experience. Whether that tone is clean, crisp modern; funky fresh or classic beauty, Shutterfly’s new card styles offer something for every taste.”

Traditional "rules” of wedding planning say that the maid/matron of honor organizes the pre-wedding parties. Although nearly half of survey respondents said that their maid of honor took the lead on planning, the survey also reported a 36 percent rise in brides planning their own showers, and a bump in them planning their own bachelorette parties, too. The study showed a shift away from bachelorette party planning by friends who aren’t in the bridal party (61 percent decrease); more and more sisters are taking on that responsibility (47 percent increase).

Other findings from Shutterfly’s Wedding Trend Survey revealed:

• Should’ve spent less on the dress; more on the memories. Of survey respondents married within 12 months prior to the survey, 28 percent felt they didn’t spend enough money on the honeymoon; 22 percent felt the same about the photographer. 19 percent of the same sample reported spending too much on the bridal gown and food.
• The old adage: "Always a bridesmaid, never a bride” might not be true. Shutterfly’s survey revealed that a third of respondents had been a maid of honor at least once in the past; 37 percent of those brides have been a maid of honor more than once.
• Blue is the color of the season. Twenty-seven percent of engaged brides listed blue as their primary wedding hue. Other hot schemes were black and white (24 percent); purple (19 percent) and red (17 percent).

With survey results in mind, Shutterfly’s Card Stylist offers the following tips for planning and executing a successful event:

• Use tools to stay organized. Planning all the details for the big day can become overwhelming. Shutterfly’s new Wedding Solution Site offers tools like wedding to-do lists, photo checklist, and tips for picking the best save-the-date card and rehearsal dinner invitation. Whether you are just engaged, a bride-to-be or a newlywed, Shutterfly will help you create, capture and celebrate your special day. To learn more, visit, www.shutterfly.com/wedding.
• Let the stationery guide you. Peruse invitations to get inspired by color palettes. For example, Stacy Claire Boyd’s light blue and brown "One Heart Aqua” save the date could easily inspire floral arrangements, place settings and even bridal party attire. Shutterfly’s black and white "Now Playing” save the date might inspire a movie-themed shower or red carpet bachelorette.
• Book it. Whether it features the engagement, the wedding, the honeymoon or all the celebrations, nothing protects and shows off your wedding memories like an award-winning Shutterfly photo book. Don’t forget to capture all the details of your wedding story – take plenty of candid photos at every event and include memorable quotes and photos of landmarks, signs and meals from wedding events, particularly if it’s a destination wedding.
• Streamline communication. Cut down on calls and emails back and forth between the bridal party and all others involved by creating a free wedding Share site on Shutterfly. Post notable dates, share milestone photos and key wedding updates. These sites are fast becoming the "go-to” solution for personalized wedding web sites, especially since Shutterfly will store your photos free of charge long after the event is over.

About Shutterfly Weddings

With a wide variety of offerings to help capture and share every moment leading up to the big day and through honeymoon, Shutterfly is Wedding Central. Brides will find new designer wedding stationery for everything from the wedding shower and bachelorette invitations to thank you notes and wedding announcements. The versatility of Shutterfly's award-winning photo book line helps couples celebrate memories and showcase engagement shots, favorite bachelor/bachelorette photos or images from the wedding day in professionally bound books. Shutterfly Share sites keep brides and their bridal parties on track; help notify and remind guests of events and registries; and serve as one-stop sites to view and share photos and videos from engagement to the big day and beyond. Finally, from playing cards to luggage tags to jewelry to large format prints, Shutterfly is the place for personalized gifts for the bridal party and other key wedding contributors. For more information on Shutterfly’s complete line of wedding solutions, visit: http://www.shutterfly.com/wedding.

About Shutterfly

Founded in 1999, Shutterfly, Inc. is an Internet-based social expression and personal publishing service. Shutterfly provides high quality products and world class services that make it easy, convenient and fun for consumers to preserve their digital photos in a creative and thoughtful manner. Shutterfly's flagship product is its award-winning photo book line, which helps consumers celebrate memories and tell their stories in professionally bound coffee table books. More information about Shutterfly (NASDAQ:SFLY) is available at www.shutterfly.com. Shutterfly and Shutterfly.com are trademarks of Shutterfly, Inc.

Photos/Multimedia Gallery Available: http://www.businesswire.com/cgi-bin/mmg.cgi?eid=6250306&lang=en