Hungary's booming wedding market doused by inflation

STORY: The number of weddings is falling in Hungary

hitting their lowest level in nine years

Couples and the wedding industry blame the fall on soaring inflation

Locator: Budapest, Hungary

(Kinga Urban-Szabo, Bride-to-be)

"I think everything has become a lot more expensive. We have exceeded our budget several times, but then someone says we only have a wedding once and then we spend more on something and cut back on others, so we have to make compromises but it's difficult."

The government's family support measures have fuelled a wedding boom in recent years

and lifted Hungary to the top of the European Union matrimony table

But the situation appears to be changing

with Hungary projected to run the EU's highest average inflation rate at 16.4% this year

(Mihaly Toth, Wedding planner and officiant)

"What we are seeing now is that the number of guests at weddings is dramatically decreasing. Twenty years ago when I began my career the average wedding had 100-120 guests, then 10 years ago it was 80-100 and now weddings with 60 guests are the most frequent. This shows that the couples do not have enough money in their pockets to throw a really big party."