What You Need to Know About the Wedding Boom

Photo: Kelly Stevens Photography

As a destination wedding planner, I have come to realized that there is an apparent line of demarcation circa 2020 in the wedding world. Gone are the days where the worst-case scenario was scrambling to revert to the rain plan or running minutes behind on the timeline. Today’s couples and industry professionals now are approaching one of the most unprecedented times that the wedding industry has ever seen. If you are recently engaged or planning to get married between 2022 -2024, you might have come across the term, “Wedding Boom”, used to describe the current state of affairs

But what exactly is the Wedding Boom and how will it impact the industry millions of couples, including you, for your wedding day?

Photo: Kelly Stevens Photography

The Wedding Boom Overview

In 2020, the event industry faced the most tumultuous time in modern day history when the entire world was forced to shut down due to Coronavirus. Millions of skilled workers were laid off, many businesses were forced to shut their doors both temporarily and permanently, and many professionals left the industry altogether.

In addition to internal affairs, couples we forced to either cancel, postpone or have micro weddings during this time, with the promise of having their encore wedding resume when the world resumed to “normal”.  Little did we know, the world would never be the same and “normal” as we once knew it was a long and fond memory.

As stay-at-home restrictions began to lift, couples around the world began to book their wedding dates with the anticipation of the wedding they always wanted.  Contracts resumed with vendors, dates were shifted, vendors doted with excitement, but there was only one major detail that no one has foresaw: Everyone had the same intention in mind. And BOOM – there you have it: the wedding industry became known as the Wedding Boom.

The impact of the labor crisis created a compound effect across multiple industries that caused a domino effect for product supply. Without labor, orders could not be shipped or fulfilled, and many sub-industries, such as the floral and catering industry experienced shortages in product and supply as the demand grew. With weddings expected to be booked at a rate of 40% higher in 2022 than previous years, one can expect many changes during the typical wedding planning process.

How is the Wedding Boom Impacting Weddings Now?

Limited availability.

If you have started your search for the prime wedding date at your dream venue for your 2022 wedding, there is a change that the venue is completely booked. In New England, this would include Saturday evenings between May through October.

In addition to limited venue availability, As a full-service wedding planner, our couples are requesting to hire some of the best talent for as far out as 2024. If you are planning your wedding in 2022, there is a chance that the best talent is already booked with limited dates still available as postponements and prior contractual agreements, increase in weddings, and shortage of staff .

Longer engagements

An average engagement is typically between 9-15 months. In today’s wedding world, it is not uncommon for couples to be engaged anywhere between 16-24 months as they eagerly await to have the wedding of their dreams at the venue of their dreams.

Inflation

While the average rate of inflation increases about 3% each year, consumers can expect that rate to increase by 10-15%. This will impact the average cost of weddings to rise as well.

How will This Impact Your Wedding Day?

It is important to remember that with every challenge, a solution does exist. Now more than ever, it is important to know what resources are available to you, establish realistic expectations based on facts, and above all, plan ahead to ensure that you aren’t making emotional decisions which can impact the outcome of the event that you envision.

How to Mitigate the Risks Associated with the Wedding Boom?

Invest in Insurance:

While most wedding insurance companies to not cover COVID-19 related topics, A great wedding insurance plan will give you peace a mind to cover other unforeseen circumstances, such as having to postpone or cancel due to contractual related issues. Be sure to speak with a representative and read the fine print.

Carefully review contracts

Many vendors now have clauses that deal specifically with COVID-19 clauses in order to protect your health and safety. Be sure that you fully understand the expectations of all parties involved.

Be flexible:

It important to establish realistic expectations, top priorities, and the non-negotiables for your wedding day with your fiancé before adding multiple people (and opinions) into the mix. For example, if your dream is to be married at the RoseCliff Mansion in Newport in July, or at the Boston Public Library in Boston in October of 2022, you may want to consider revisiting the date or time of your wedding if the venue has limited availability and the date is non-negotiable.

Work with a professional wedding planner:

An established wedding planner has seen the never-ending changes of regulations, mandates, contingency plans associated with COVID-19. They will be able to help you identify your event goals and create a strategic (and safe) plan to reach them.

In addition to contingency planning knowledge, your wedding planner is the ultimate matchmaker to source and hire the ideal vendor team that exudes the skillset required to execute your vision while honoring your financial investment. We understand that expectations are high and working with the right team with availability should be non-negotiable.  

Thirdly, a wedding planner will help you to identify your top priorities, set realistic expectations, and serve as an advocate and guide to help you during this process.  When you feel like jumping overboard the planning ship, he or she will reel you back in, calm your nerves, and keep the planning momentum going.

Lastly, if you are planning a destination wedding weekend, it is important to consider that each region and country is being impacted differently by the Wedding Boom. An experienced destination wedding planner will have the tools and resources within that region to help guide you to make the right choices for your vision.

In summary, The Wedding Boom is an exciting time in the industry for couples and businesses alike. This is an era of innovation and jubilant celebrations where new concepts will be developed, revolution will breed creativity, and love will get us through.  While there are many trials that couples and vendors must consider, it is important to remember that with the right planning partner and resources, the possibility of your wedding day is endless.