95% of Brits are more likely to attend a wedding if they don’t have to take up annual leave

As we approach the run up to Christmas and new year, party season is almost upon us and people in the UK are starting to prioritise their planning. From weddings to divorce parties, which celebratory events do Brits favour the most, and what would make them not attend?

With so many occasions in people’s diaries, searches have increased dramatically over the last month for key terms such as “wedding ideas” (5,000%) “engagement party planning” (50%), “Christmas ideas” (6,400%), “new years eve parties” (3,500%), “best way to gender reveal” (1,000%)1

To help Brits decide on the events they need to prioritise across the autumn and winter, greetings card marketplace thortful has surveyed the UK2 to find out the occasions people like to attend from best to worst, as well as the core reasons they dislike attending any, to help hosts with preparation plans.

Topping the list is birthdays, with more than 9 in 10 (92%) Brits revealing they enjoy attending a friend or family member’s birthday more than any other occasion.

Interestingly, more people prefer a friend’s wedding over a family member’s wedding, with 7% claiming they prefer to celebrate with friends over family. In third place is Christmas Day and Boxing Day, a priority occasion for 89%.

Ranking 12th is divorce parties, with an almost 50/50 split on popularity. 17% of those that don’t want an invite said it’s “an unnecessary spend of money.” Gender reveal parties also have a divide, 55% of people in the UK like to celebrate with loved ones, however of those that don’t, 48% claim it is “cringeworthy.” As we approach spooky season, Halloween parties didn’t rank at all on the list, and interestingly, there’s been a 70% decrease in searches for “Halloween party” over the last year.

Engagement parties (85%), house warmings (84%) and big new years eve plans (81%) are all more than welcomed across the next few months with high votes from Brits.

See the full list of occasions and their popularity ranking below:

To ensure any events people plan over the busy end of the year accommodate all guests, Brits confessed they would attend them if:

–         They accommodate children (96%)

–         They don’t need to use up much annual leave (95%)

–         They don’t have to dress up (87%)

–         There isn’t a pressure to drink alcohol (85%)

–         They aren’t too materialistic (67%)

For further information on how to plan the perfect parties, visit thortful’s blog here: https://www.thortful.com/blog/

Or, visit their homepage to find cards for all occasions: https://www.thortful.com/