By Emily Williams-Robertshaw
The wedding industry is made up of a variety of specialized companies a couple matches together to create their special day. It is a multibillion-dollar operation, even in 2020.
But there is no doubt that the industry has fallen victim to the economic impact of COVID-19 as couples scale back, postpone and even cancel marital plans in response to the threat from the pandemic.
The industry lost an estimated 45% to 50% of weddings in the first four months of the pandemic, according to research conducted by The Wedding Report Inc. and presented by founder and CEO Shane McMurray in a video conference in November.
McMurray said more recent data showed Hawaii had taken a more than 60% hit in its industry by late fall.
Couples’ needs and desires for their big day have been shaped by the pandemic and the safety measures set out to slow the spread of the virus.
For a local perspective, we reached out to several vendors in the wedding industry to ask about their 2020 experiences and their forecasts for the future.
Summer Tate, associate planner and marketing manager, and Sidney Nomberg, lead wedding planner and project manager
Like wedding planners, Engaged Wedding Library seeks to educate brides on the wedding planning process, guide them through the four steps of planning and help them build an excellent vendor team. Unlike traditional wedding planning services, Engaged is financially supported by our amazing group of Birmingham wedding vendors. The more than 100 local vendors in the group have been vetted by the Engaged team and represent all styles, locations and budget. In addition, the company offers “Day-of Coordination” services as an add-on.
In the early stages of shutdowns, what was your main focus as you adapted to serve brides?
When the COVID-19 pandemic first hit, our main focus was making sure our brides were doing OK emotionally. It seemed in the span of a few days, lots of plans, hard work and expectations were broken for spring and summer 2020 weddings. When meeting with our brides, our first task was telling them their options: moving their entire wedding, having an intimate ceremony and reception at a later date, or simply choosing to elope. After making these decisions, we were able to advise each bride based on their situation with how to move forward with securing a new date with their vendor team if needed.
What are some of the most notable limitations you have had to deal with throughout the pandemic?
At the beginning of the summer, we were able to continue planning and coordinating weddings for our brides. There were five main wedding categories we saw mainly affected by the pandemic.
Venue: Your venue will be following serious guidelines and regulations, one being requiring your guest count to be at half capacity. To a more serious extent, some are taking temperatures, requiring signed waivers and asking guests to wear masks while social distancing.
Food and beverage: The most cost-effective way to feed your guests has always been buffet-style, but most caterers (now) require hosts to pick between a seated dinner or attended stations. Both of these services will raise your catering cost, requiring more labor. Expect to see plexiglass at both your dinner buffet and bar. Vendors working with food and beverage are required to wear a mask.
Dress shopping: If you are looking at a six-month engagement, it may be best to be on the lookout for a sample gown. Communicate with your consultant about the expectations on the arrival of your gown when ordering. Bridal gown shops and alterations (shops) aren’t allowing as many people in the store. Get your appointment on the books so you don’t have to sweat it.
Entertainment: Most entertainment vendors require guests to maintain a six-foot distance from them, allowing the party to continue while also keeping themselves safe. Also, guests are expected to social distance on the dance floor.
Honeymoon planning: Some brides and grooms are not comfortable leaving the country. Consider a Plan B for your trip or rebook it for your one-year anniversary. We recommend taking a “mini-moon” in the states, instead.
Have you seen any new trends emerge this year that you love?
Pre-pandemic, our average wedding guest count was around 200. Currently, most of our weddings have had 100 guests in attendance. We feel the smaller guest count has allowed for more special moments and intimacy, less stress on the bride (and) on their family, and just as much fun!
How do you believe COVID-19-related wedding trends will affect the future of the wedding industry?
Going along with the smaller weddings, we believe brides are able to offer a more personalized experience for a limited guest count. For example, many have chosen to host a seated dinner at a restaurant, rather than renting out a venue for a larger reception. Also, many brides and grooms have offered a virtual experience for guests who are (immunocompromised). They still incorporating their loved ones by mailing goodie bags or inviting them to join a Zoom link to join the big day!
Emma and Daniel Phillips
We are a husband-and-wife photography duo based in Birmingham who love documenting family milestones. While we specialize in lifestyle photography, we love photographing the first major milestone of a family – the wedding day! We want to do more than capture the beauty of the day. We want to tell the story of who our clients are. We’re always honored to come alongside couples as they start their lives, and we love continuing to document their families as they live out their vows.
In the early stages of shutdowns, what was your main focus as you adapted to serve brides?
Flexibility, flexibility, flexibility. Planning a wedding means making a lot of decisions, and a pandemic only adds to that stress. We wanted to be flexible and accommodating as our clients made unexpected decisions in their wedding planning process.
What are some of the most notable limitations you have had to deal with throughout the pandemic?
Photography relies on people and places to shoot. Because of the pandemic, people were less available and many spaces were closed. There were – and still are – so many unknowns that celebrations had to be canceled or postponed, and even outdoor venues were closed to the public. It has been quite a phenomenon, as we have all experienced, and it has definitely affected the way photographers are able to do business.
Have you seen any new trends emerge this year that you love?
Most definitely. The pandemic has been incredibly difficult on many levels, both personally and professionally, but a lot of good has come from it, as well. Families have spent more time together, people have reevaluated what is important in life, and engaged couples have been far less burdened by traditional wedding expectations as they plan to join their lives. Of course, many experiences were lost or at least different than expected. Overall, we think that couples have been able to marry in a new and refreshing way, specially focused on love, family and togetherness.
How do you believe COVID-19-related wedding trends will affect the future of the wedding industry?
One thing is for sure, the wedding industry isn’t going anywhere! We think brides and grooms will be more selective with what they actually want. Whether they go big or small, they can celebrate in a way that is reflective of their love, and we think that is a beautiful thing.
Holly Barton, marketing and wedding specialist
We are a locally owned, Homewood catering company. We’ve had the pleasure of serving the greater Birmingham area for 28-plus years. You’ll see our vans all over town, as we serve everything from small corporate breakfast and lunch deliveries to large weddings and corporate galas. Bill Bouloukos and Robbie Dyson along with their Happy team are proud to be a part of the Birmingham wedding and corporate market.
In the early stages of shutdowns, what was your main focus as you adapted to serve brides?
We focused on the safety and health of our clients and team while simultaneously trying to keep the wedding receptions as close to the original plan as possible or working with the clients to reschedule when necessary. Our main goal was to be available to the brides and their families to make adjustments as necessary and to keep the stress level as low as possible for them.
What are some of the most notable limitations you have had to deal with throughout the pandemic?
The most notable limitation has been not being able to have self-serve catering stations (or) buffets. We’ve also had to ensure that we are providing the PPE necessary to keep our team safe as we serve guests at multiple events each weekend. We’ve been sad to see some of our more elaborate hors d’oeuvres displays scaled back to accommodate the single-serve-style service but have also been grateful for the clients who have been understanding about the required adjustments.
Have you seen any new trends emerge this year that you love?
Despite the initial struggle of figuring out how to serve in a new style, we’ve actually enjoyed the creativity in some of the single-serve items we’ve discovered! Passed hors d’oeuvres and chef-attended stations have also been a big trend that we love; they can really elevate the guests’ experience at weddings and corporate events.
How do you believe COVID-19-related wedding trends will affect the future of the wedding industry?
We would love to see a return to the style of some of our events pre-COVID-19 but want to keep the health and safety of our clients and guests in the forefront of our minds. I believe we’ll continue to see more chef-attended stations and smaller guest counts at venues that don’t have a lot of open or outdoor space at least for the next few months.
