All off for Victorians
THE Far North wedding industry is feeling the pinch from the Victorian coronavirus crisis.
Couples from the southern state planning their dream ceremonies in locations such as Cairns and Port Douglas are now banned from entering Queensland, forcing wedding planners to scramble for alternatives.
Bec McLean from Dragonfly Weddings said cancellations and rearrangements due to the Victorian situation had severely affected her business. “I had a lot of bookings for October and November and most of them have had to postpone,” she said. “The good news is they still want to come up to Port Douglas and get married, they just can’t get here.”
The town has always been high on the “I do” list for newlyweds and was expecting strong growth in destination weddings before COVID-19.
The industry had traditionally performed well in in times of struggle and was one of the few shining lights during the global financial crisis in 2007-2008.
But a global pandemic has proved an entirely different challenge.
Ms McLean said the strict coronavirus measures also meant the weddings that do go ahead are restricted.
“They can’t dance and mingle as they normally would,” she said. “It’s also affecting some people who were getting married and want to start families. They may just get married quickly down south and come up for a holiday when they can.”
Cairns wedding celebrant Gina Miles from Gina’s Tropical Weddings said a Melbourne couple cancelled their wedding next week at the Hilton Chapel because they were unable to leave their house.
“Who knows when they will be able to get married now?” Ms Miles said.
On the other hand, she will now marry an Adelaide couple at Trinity Beach after their initial plans to tie the knot in Fiji fell through.
“So you take the good with the bad,” she said.
Port Douglas elopement celebrant Stephanie Milne said she had seen an escalation in inquires over the past week and was planning a lot of short-notice weddings.
“It’s potentially good for me, but it could be devastating for our wedding industry,” she said. “We just aren’t and won’t be getting the couple’s entourage, and that’s where the money comes for Port Douglas.”