Veiled money
The image of the Polish wedding has changed over the last 10 years. Barns or fire stations are no longer the venues of choice for Polish wedding receptions, and the majority of parties now take place in fancy restaurants, hotels or special 'wedding houses'.
But before the couple exchanges vows, hundreds of details have to be taken care of, from the groom's suit and the invitations, to the bride's dress and, of course, her hairdresser. Now, a whole industry has sprung up to cater for the biggest day in a person's life.
Big money day
The value of the Polish wedding market is estimated at zł.4 billion a year. The biggest Polish companies, such as Elizabeth Konin, Karina and Nabla, are recognized internationally.
Domestically, the market is strong, with more than 2,000 wedding shops, out of which several hundred are exclusive boutiques. In Kraków there are more than 50, in Warsaw almost 100. In comparison, Berlin can claim less than 20 such shops.
"The market will continue to enlarge, especially in bigger cities," says Karina Kudrej, CEO of the Karina Wedding Boutiques chain. "Poles are still bound to the tradition of having big wedding parties and yet we have become a modern society with bigger tastes and needs, which means weddings are now more expensive. Companies like mine follow the market and so we are opening two new premium wedding stores this year."
Cold feet
Fifteen or so years ago, the idea of holding a trade fair for the wedding business was unknown in Poland. Even as recently as the late 1990s, businesses were skeptical of the benefits.
"In 1998 we had huge problems with our first fair," says Andrzej Gontarz, CEO of the Kreatorzy wedding fair chain. "Most firms would not reveal themselves to the public, and if you said 'publicity' they would look at you as if you were mad." Now, however, wedding fairs can be found in nearly every corner of the country. "Today there are fairs organized in every major city in Poland, sometimes several at the same time in the bigger cities, such as Warsaw," says Gontarz.
The prime wedding-fair season starts in January each year and lasts approximately until the end of February. During these two months there are roughly 20 huge fairs and dozens of smaller ones taking place. The most high profile are held in the largest venues available, such as the Palace of Science and Culture in Warsaw, the Spodek arena in Katowice or Wisła Kraków's football stadium. In Warsaw or Kraków, fairs sometimes host more than 200 companies each, and top Polish celebrities are hired to lead the show.
