Covid effected the wedding industry in a big way last year, and to this day, still is. The impact from a financial perspective has been devastating to a lot of wedding professionals, but from the very beginning, I kept saying, “Don’t feel bad for me, my heart just goes out to the couples who are effected.” All of you were forced to make some really tough decisions if you got married last year or are planning to this year…..should you still get married or postpone? Should you change venues? Should you cut back the guest list? Should you just have a ceremony and forget the reception? From the beginning of wedding season when Covid first appeared, until the end on New Year’s Eve, every single wedding I had was impacted in some way, and the types of changes evolved throughout the season. A lot of my weddings early on felt like “normal” weddings, whereas by the end of the year, the mandates were explicit and some big changes had been made as to how the weddings could even operate (like mandatory masks, no dance floor, no guest congregating, etc).
In the end, most of my couples decided to go smaller, but still get married. There were a lot of “backyard weddings” and what are now being called “micro weddings” . A few couples were forced to change venues because the original venue they booked had closed down. Most cut their guests lists by half or more, and some had to beg people to even come at all anyways. I had one wedding where the bride had to decide to go forward or not without her parents being able to attend because they tested positive less than a week before their Big Day. I felt the turmoil of these couples that had to make some pretty heart wrenching decisions, and all I could do was offer a listening ear. Your wedding is a big deal….but so is everyone’s safety. Its tough. I get it. These are all decisions I’m glad I don’t have to make myself. As with many things in life, it is all about compromise anymore. For all the couple’s still looking to move forward with their 2021 weddings, I understand that you may have reservations because of stories just like these, and doubled with the restrictions, you may be second guessing the decision you’ve made to go ahead and get married.
But the one thing I kept hearing from each and every couple I photographed in 2020 was that while it wasn’t the wedding they originally planned, it was everything they wanted it to be, and perhaps even better in the end. Let me tell you a secret, I’m not surprised by that. The “intimate” weddings I’ve been a part of over the past 15 years I’ve been a photographer, well, they have always been my favorites. Everyone is just more relaxed and the atmosphere is completely different. Looking back, some of my favorite weddings had less than 20 people attending. These small weddings actually have more of a celebratory feeling than some of the “big party” weddings I’ve been a part of with over 400 guests. I promise you, it doesn’t matter how many people are present, only the quality of the relationship you have with the people.
The biggest takeaway for me in 2020 was that love wins. Nothing was going to stop these couples from becoming Mr. and Mrs. Not a virus. Not the government. Not a venue change. Nothing. The most important thing to them was ultimately being able to just get married. It wasn’t about the people, nor the party. It was only about each other. And I love that.
If you’re engaged and wedding planning, but just not quite sure what you want to do and how to proceed, first of all, take a deep breath. Ask yourself what matters most. There is no wrong answer. Maybe it is celebrate with your family and friends. Maybe it is to simply be married. Also consider your level of anxiety with Covid restrictions that may effect your day and how much stress that may cause you. And if you ultimately decide you want to get married, no matter what that kind of a day looks like to you, big or small, my piece of advice is to make sure to have a written understanding from all of your vendors that outlines cancellation and postponement policies due to Covid should they become absolutely necessary. Including these has become standard and you most definitely want to have a backup plan, just in case, plus an understanding of how these policies apply to your day. That is at least one step you can take to help manage the added stress of planning a wedding during Covid.
And if you’ve heard nobody is getting married during the pandemic, think again. Here’s some general 2020 wedding stats just for fun!
October is the leader when it comes to the most popular time to get married (16%), followed by September (15%) and June (13%) The Knot
A registered total number of 2,126,126 weddings took place, which means an average of 5,825 weddings took place each day Wedding Report
Surveys reveal that love is the most important reason why the vast majority of Americans (88%) choose to get married Pew Social Trends (No surprise there!)
The average wedding hosts 131 guests (The Knot)
A basic insurance policy that covers anything from loss of photos, videos, attire, gifts, rings and deposits costs the newlywed couple in between $155 and $550 (The Knot)
50% of proposers believe the proposal was a surprise to their partner, but only 33% of proposees say they didn’t expect it (The Knot)
A little over 10% of proposers ask their partner to marry them without a ring (The Knot)
87% of proposers say the exact words ‘Will you marry me’, while 84% get down on one knee (The Knot)
And according to The Knot, the average for a wedding photographer is $2400
In 52% of weddings, it’s the parents who cover most of the wedding costs Wedding Wire