Fewer {couples} are getting married, and it has impacted The Chinese language Marriage ceremony Store’s gross sales
Marriage has lengthy been seen as an necessary union between two households throughout cultures. However in Singapore, fewer {couples} are selecting to tie the knot.
Not too long ago launched figures present that marriages in Singapore fell by about 6.2%, from 26,328 in 2024 to 24,687 in 2025. This decline follows a broader drop after the nation hit a file peak of 29,389 marriages in 2022.
However this pattern doesn’t simply mirror shifting social priorities within the city-state—it’s forcing Singapore’s wedding ceremony business, from banquet providers to bridal studios, to rethink their methods. And for area of interest retailers like The Chinese language Marriage ceremony Store, they should discover a option to steadiness custom and staying related in a market the place fewer individuals are saying “I do.”
Vulcan Publish speaks to co-founder Michelle Neo on how The Chinese language Marriage ceremony Store, a specialist in conventional Chinese language wedding ceremony merchandise, is navigating a marriage recession.
The Chinese language Marriage ceremony Store has been round for nearly 20 years
Michelle first established The Chinese language Marriage ceremony Store along with her husband in 2009, investing S$400,000 of their financial savings to open their first retailer at Ang Mo Kio. From the beginning, they positioned the store as a one-stop vacation spot for {couples} in search of gadgets for conventional Chinese language wedding ceremony customs.
One instance is the Guo Da Li (过大礼), a ceremony the place the groom’s household presents wedding ceremony items to the bride’s household as an indication of respect as sincerity.
Again then, the co-founder shared that there was robust demand for such merchandise.
“At the moment, a lot of our associates who have been getting married have been extraordinarily careworn making an attempt to supply conventional Guo Da Li gadgets,” mentioned Michelle. “They needed to run from store to buy, typically with little steerage, and have been nervous about ‘doing it unsuitable’ in entrance of the elders.”
Past retail, the enterprise additionally guides {couples} by conventional wedding ceremony customs. Every go to begins with a dialog to grasp the couple’s background, which incorporates particulars like:
- Dialect group
- Household expectations
- Marriage ceremony timeline
- How conventional or fashionable they need the ceremony to be
After consolidating this data, the staff guides clients step-by-step by the customary sequence, explaining the necessities and non-obligatory gadgets, and the way sure practices might be simplified or tailored.
“Our focus is to make sure {couples} really feel assured and reassured, relatively than overwhelmed,” emphasised Michelle. These consultations helped the enterprise construct credibility and finally broaden to 5 places throughout Singapore.
Adapting to a shrinking market
However shifting wedding ceremony tendencies over the previous few years have compelled the enterprise to adapt.
Apart from the declining variety of marriages, it has additionally develop into costlier to carry weddings in Singapore. Banquet costs, as an example, elevated as a lot as 10% in 2022 amid inflation, prompting many {couples} to go for smaller, extra intimate ceremonies.
Whereas she didn’t disclose figures, Michelle shared that these tendencies have progressively decreased general gross sales volumes. Prospects have additionally develop into extra intentional with their spending, fastidiously weighing what’s important and what’s not.
“Beforehand, {couples} have been extra nervous about following traditions strictly. Right now, they’re extra centered on why sure customs exist and the way they’ll adapt them meaningfully with out it being unnecessarily complicated,” mentioned Michelle.
To fight the decline, the store has progressively launched new methods: diversifying its curated conventional wedding ceremony units, providing leases of particular person gadgets like wedding ceremony baskets, and creating extra versatile packages that allow {couples} personalise dowry units and different ceremonial necessities.
As extra shoppers shift their procuring habits on-line and worth comfort in buying merchandise, significantly after the COVID-19 pandemic, the enterprise additionally began promoting its merchandise on-line in 2020, each by its personal web site and e-commerce platforms like Shopee and Lazada.
“These new streams helped offset the drop in conventional transactions,” mentioned Michelle, including that the shift has pushed the enterprise to “innovate quicker” and “serve {couples} higher” relatively than counting on custom alone.
Past these initiatives, the store has embraced a one-stop wedding ceremony method, aiming to place itself as a go-to vacation spot the place {couples} can supply extra than simply conventional gadgets.
As an example, the corporate additionally facilitates wedding ceremony cake and pastry orders by partnering with native bakeries comparable to Baker’s Brew, Tong Heng, and Thye Moh Chan.
One other manner the store is positioning itself as a one-stop wedding ceremony vacation spot is by increasing past retail into an advisory and academic platform. Social media has develop into a key channel for the enterprise to coach youthful {couples} about conventional wedding ceremony customs.
“The aim is to scale back stress for {couples} whereas conserving traditions significant, not burdensome,” she added.
Diversification is vital to survival, however weddings stay their bread and butter
Since renewing its choices post-pandemic, Michelle shared that they’ve been effectively acquired by each {couples} and oldsters alike, although she didn’t elaborate additional.
Even so, the shrinking variety of marriages means the general market is prone to proceed contracting, elevating the query of whether or not the corporate ought to diversify past weddings.
Michelle and her staff have explored this potential, contemplating expansions into different Chinese language traditions—comparable to promoting festive banners and purple packets for Chinese language New 12 months—however plans aren’t concrete but, and any transfer into new areas would want the identical degree of cultural sensitivity, information, and relevance.
Weddings proceed to be the enterprise’s bread and butter as of now, because the credibility they’ve gained over time allowed them to determine a distinct segment in Singapore’s crowded wedding ceremony scene.
“For now, our precedence is to deepen our wedding-related choices, comparable to rental units for particular makes use of and modernised options, earlier than extending into different areas.”
- Be taught extra about The Chinese language Marriage ceremony Store right here.
- Learn extra tales we’ve wrote on Singaporean companies right here.
Featured Picture Credit score: The Chinese language Marriage ceremony Store
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