How many weddings have you been invited to this past year? How many times do you scroll on your social media feed and find that someone has just “jumped the broom” and or has answered yes to a recent proposal? By now, you have probably seen the post and memes all over the internet advising that there will be an estimated 2.5 million weddings in 2022, which is the most the U.S. has seen since 1984, according to The Wedding Report, a market research firm. In 1984 – those attending weddings were The Baby Boomers Generation (born 1946-1964). And now, in 2022-2023, The Baby Boomers are attending the weddings of their Millennial Grandchildren; leaving three generations to celebrate love!
What is causing this current surge in bookings? For starters, weddings that were originally planned for 2020 and had to be postponed due to Covid-19 are largely rescheduled for 2022 and 2023. That, coupled with the myriad of engagements during “lockdown”, there are at least TWICE the amount of people looking to get married all at the same time.
The hard truth is that many vendors (venues, florists, planners, DJs, photographers, etc.) are already halfway booked, if not fully booked for 2022. These same vendors are already welcoming bookings well into 2023, too. Booking more than 12 months in advance is now more widely seen, which was not previously a common practice. The sudden surge and increased demand has forced some vendors to start offering and accepting 2023 dates. Venue dates are flying off of the books! Couples are resorting to booking on weekdays just to get the desired venue, cake, and caterer they want. Keep in mind that someone has to supply all of these weddings, and we are still in a shipping and manufacturing crisis on the back of Covid-19.
Consequently, causing an influx in prices of fresh florals, labor, and shipping across the board.
Imagine this scenario:
Day 1 – Research for venue and find that it meets every requirement you’ve set
Day 2 – Call the venue to request information
Day 3 – Receive a phone call back from venue
Day 5 – Tour venue, take pictures, imagine your big day here
Day 6 – Discuss options with your soon to be spouse and your parents
Day 8 – Call venue to book – but, they inform you they are now BOOKED with a signed contract from a different couple. You and your future spouse are now forced to make a change (i.e., venue, date, guest count, location etc.)
What is a newly engaged couple to do?! Now more than ever, having a wedding planner and trusting your vendor partners is key. A wedding planner is there to help alleviate any added STRESS, FEAR, and WORRY while simultaneously saving you TIME, MONEY, and SANITY. Your wedding planner will navigate you through the rocky world of wedding planning. Professional planners will have a preferred vendors list, videos and pictures of venues they have already pre-toured, and prior expertise and knowledge of a specific vendors’ services. The benefit of having this information on hand allows clients to coast through the research process and get to the decision making in a more timely fashion.
When you are planning your wedding, and you and your wedding planner share a clear vision for your dream day, you want to see that through to fruition. Having a professional to spend the hours setting up appointments, attending appointments, reviewing contracts, and researching vendors will eliminate the added stress that planning a wedding can entail. Most importantly, having a professional wedding planner on your side enables you to enjoy your engagement without disappointments, stress, and indecision. So, ask yourself, are you willing to invest in a professional that will help ensure you have a seamless, stress-free experience with planning your upcoming wedding?