We are all excited to jump into wedding season, which will probably last from summer 2021 until Fall 2023! With so many couples having postponed, and new couples getting engaged every day, things are booking up quickly. It truly is a wedding boom. This means that you might have to kick your planning up a notch.
With such high demand of venues, vendors and dresses, planning quickly will serve you well. You may have to deal with:
Overbooked venues: there are only so many days in the week
Overbooked vendors: planners, florists, stationery designers, etc. can only take on so many projects at once
Delays in shipping: décor supplies, wedding dresses, bridesmaid dresses can all be slowed due to overwhelming shipping demand
Sold-out products: The US opened up their events industry sooner than us, which put a strain on supply from American companies
Competing for wedding dates (sometimes even in your own social circle)
So what can you do? Here is what some wedding planning pros have to say.
Be flexible and think outside the box. A lot of people have a cookie cutter idea of what a wedding should be. But with the large volume of couples planning their weddings all at the same time, changing up the typical wedding is not only a necessity of the times, but also will fill the need for their wedding to be unique and memorable.
Ways to think outside the box:
Have your wedding on a weekday.
Change the time of your wedding, have a brunch or lunch wedding.
Have a picnic wedding rather than sit-down affair.
Host your wedding at a non-typical venue, like a zoo, amusement park, art gallery, drive-in, a park or conservation area.
Book a pop-up or microwedding package (many venues and wedding planners are offering them).
Shop local to avoid shipping delays and restrictions.
The best advice I can offer is to book early, be flexible and be decisive. The time for the long game is gone for the time being! Vendors and venues are booking up quickly as restrictions are lifting, and dates are being taken by the hour. Your favourite vendors may not be available if you wait too long to make a decision on how to move forward, especially on your ideal date.
Many core vendors have capacity constraints, not only date restraints. Maintaining a certain cap of how many clients one can take on to guarantee each wedding can be kept on track is a tricky game. Even if the vendor has your date available, they may not have the capacity to take on another wedding.
Lock in your dream team as soon as possible, or you might lose them! With rules changing frequently, flexible packages are also flying out the window. Vendors and venues had to pivot to keep the doors open during hard times, but we’re all looking to get back to normal and create space for a strong comeback.
Being flexible while planning in the “wedding boom” will be paramount. We’ve all learned to be extremely flexible during the pandemic, so this should be a breeze. Vendors, venues and rentals will all be in high demand, but the good news is, the wedding industry is saturated with talented people. Being flexible with your overall vision or date will give you more options when choosing a venue. Taking referrals from your fave unavailable vendors to other vendors they recommend will spread the booking wealth and ensure you are working with talented people. And, being flexible with your aesthetic will mean that you can find chic alternatives to rentals or products that might not be available.
The wedding boom and the loss of revenue that the industry experienced in the pandemic will undoubtedly make certain items like fresh florals or catering more expensive. Understanding that the pandemic had grave effects on the industry will help you respond empathetically to these higher price points. It will also mean being receptive to alternative ideas from your design based vendors – we really do have your best interests at heart when it comes to a beautiful look and respecting your budget, while remaining transparent.
My biggest piece of advice is to start now. Don’t wait to book your venue or vendors, put deposits down where you can, and start a wedding website or send invites/save-the-dates early so you don’t have to compete for RSVPs. People are ready to party and are ready to plan for the future again. Be sure to stay on top of it all.
I would definitely recommend clients to book their vendors soon, especially if they already have a preference in mind – the more you wait, the higher chances you lose them.
Book your wedding planner as soon as possible. Even if that wasn’t your original plan, I would suggest getting in contact with one to help make this overwhelming process more manageable. Wedding planners also have direct access to most of the vendors and venues and know the right questions to ask
Make sure you have an up-to-date wedding website where guests can get the latest information about your special day. Since things are moving really fast, this is a great way to keep your guests in the loop and inform them of any upcoming changes.
It sure feels like we are transitioning from an extreme draught/famine to a season of abundance. Much as it sounds exciting and is a positive move for the wedding industry, it is also a time for couples-to-be to be more intentional and pro-active in deciding who their wedding pro-team is and book them as soon as you can.
Most venues and vendors are experiencing a higher demand for their services; hence, you need to plan to book your preferred venue and vendors now.
If there is anything the pandemic taught us, it is to ensure you have a professional planner to help you make the right decisions, be your wedding project manager and ensure you have signed contracts and clear agreements with everyone you plan to have a financial and working commitment with.
Not sure where to begin? Check out our planning section and get started!
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