By Ciara Daykin

The wedding world was hit with some sad news this morning when it was announced by Conde Nast that they would close two of their bridal publications, Modern Bride and Elegant Bride. As more brides take to the internet for wedding ideas advertisement sales have been on the decline in print media.

I too have found that print media advertising doesn’t have as big of an impact as it once did. With the internet being the go to source most wedding professionals are devoting their advertising budget to Google pay per click. I think it is sad though that the collaborative ideas that come out of magazines such as Modern Bride and Elegant Bride end up suffering because of a lack of advertising sales. Print publications will most likely go to a model of sponsored editorial as being mentioned in editorial holds more clout with the bride. However, if that model does become more predominant the question of editorial integrity then arises, could wedding professionals receive editorial coverage simply because their bank account allows it and not because they deserve it?

I’d also like to offer my condolences to the editor of these two publications, Antonia van der Meer, whom I had dinner with at the Engage ‘09 conference. Antonia is a very intelligent and creative woman and I have no doubt that whatever she moves on to next will be a great success. Modern Bride also chose the Top 25 Trendsetters in the wedding industry and actually recognized individuals for their contribution to this ever growing industry. I’m sad that this will no longer be the case and hope that another reputable source takes on the task of acknowledging those in our industry who are truly making a splash.

RIP Modern Bride and Elegant Bride.