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Image (left): Bridal salon,
Winston-Salem, North Carolina,
1950. From the Gottscho-Schleisner
Collection, Prints and Photographs Division
Reproduction Number:
LC-G613-T-56494
 
First, it is an industry that is made up of multiple smaller enterprises like caterers, wedding consultants, wedding dresses, various beauty suppliers (hair, makeup), photographers, favors/bridesmaids gifts, music, honeymoon related, etc. While the industry as a whole represents a lot of money, each of the component parts is much smaller -- some smaller than others. These smaller composite suppliers can be very local and likely will be small and privately owned -- traditionally the types of businesses that do not necessarily report financial information to any agency other than the IRS. This is in sharp contrast to larger industries, comprised on many public companies which are required to file with the SEC making it much easier to find information. These larger industries also affect the economy as a whole on a much more obvious scale, also making it easier to find out information on them.
Second, many of the smaller components like caterers, DJs, and photographers, wedding favors, invitations, etc. also do other events without necessarily breaking their business down into wedding versus non-wedding.

Third, because some of the individuals and businesses that provide services and products may only work part-time on wedding-related services to supplement their income or out of friendship, there will either be a minimal charge or no charge at all. Figures if there are any, will likely not be in any "industry" tally.
Since overall industry numbers are going to be hard to come by, other ways of finding the information will be necessary. One way is by searching local (and community) newspapers,which may provide information on a local market. Also, there may be individual accounts of weddings that would be relevant. Contacting local companies/people will provide someone with experience and knowledge on the local scene. Try the local phone books under weddings, party planning, catering, event planning, etc. to find the local companies/professionals. Also, ReferenceUSA (often available in local public libraries) is an electronic directory with SIC/NAICS codes search limitable by various geographic search functions.

Many times keywords, Standard Industrial Classification (SIC), or North American Industrial Classification Codes (NAICS) will be helpful in finding information. For example, the following codes can be used to search for companies in databases like ReferenceUSA or D&B. They can also be used to locate information in the Economic Census. This Census comes out every 5 years and has information on sales and numbers of establishments (national and by state).

SIC
5812 Eating Establishments (includes Caterers)
2335 Women's, Misses', and Juniors' Dresses (includes Wedding Dresses, Wedding Gowns)
5621 Women's Clothing Stores (includes Bridal shops, except custom-retail)
5699 Miscellaneous Apparel and Accessory Stores includes Custom Dress Making Shops)
7299 Miscellaneous Personal Services, Not Elsewhere Classified (includes Wedding Gown Rental and Wedding Planning)
5943 Stationery Stores
NAICS
722320 Caterers
315233 Women's and Girls' Cut and Sew Dress Manufacturing (includes Wedding Gowns, Bridal Dresses, Wedding Gowns)
315212 Wedding dresses, women's, cut and sew apparel contractors
448190 Other Clothing Stores (includes Bridal gown shops -except custom)
532220 Formal Wear and Costume Rental (includes Bridal Wear Rental)
812990 All Other Personal Services (includes Wedding Planning)
45321 Office Supplies and Stationery Stores (pt)
Services
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 dres