Re: [Callers] Barn Weddings are a thing now

Hi Luke, I call for two or three weddings a year. There are as many non-weddings as weddings in barns. Some of the barns are terrible! The weddings tend to be in the better quality barns. I think a number of old barns have been refurbished to make bring them up to wedding/conference standard. I think those refurbishments are the reason more weddings are held in barns. The number of brides who want a barn dance has probably remained unchanged. Happy dancing, John John Sweeney, Dancer, England john(a)modernjive.com 01233 625 362 & 07802 940 574 http://www.modernjive.com for Modern Jive Events & DVDs http://www.contrafusion.co.uk for Dancing in Kent From: Callers &lt;callers-bounces(a)lists.sharedweight.net&gt; On Behalf Of Luke Donforth via Callers Sent: 14 August 2018 15:02 To: callers(a)lists.sharedweight.net Subject: [Callers] Barn Weddings are a thing now This is tangentially related to calling, but apparently the percentage of weddings hosted in barns has grown from 2% to 15% in the last decade (https://tinyurl.com/ycbm9god). While the article doesn't specific that called dancing has increased as well, I'd be surprised if it hadn't. A decade ago is about when I started calling. I'd appreciate hearing from folks with longer records how they feel the prevalence of wedding gigs has shifted over time; and how that varies geographically. Although possibly the fluctuations are too large to get a decent signal out of the small sample size. From my own records: 2017: I had 14 One-Night-Stand gigs, and 1 of those was a wedding. 2016: I had 14 family level dances, and 4 of those were weddings. 2015: 10 ONS, 3 weddings. 2014: 14 ONS, 7 weddings 2013: 13 ONS, 2 weddings 2012: 4 ONS, 1 wedding As an aside, I really think the 15% of couples having their wedding party in a barn should be framed as a rebound from a longer historic decline. But if it's getting noticed and push-back from banquet hall trade groups, it may be coming to a close. -- Luke Donforth Luke.Donforth(a)gmail.com <mailto:Luke.Donev@gmail.com>