Fewer big white weddings
Intimate events may be key to celebrations in 2021
When Billy Joel sang, It's a nice day for a white wedding, in the 1980s, it was a time when weddings were apt to be elaborate productions with guest lists that included every relative and family friend.
Thanks to COVID-19, not only did the number of weddings change on the East Coast in 2020, so did what they looked like.
According to Kristina Allen, the creative director, owner and principal planner of Elysian Weddings and Events in Cornwall, P.E.I., many engaged couples initially postponed their weddings when the pandemic hit and it became obvious that some sort of restrictions would last through the summer.
By last May, Allen said it seemed like there might only be a handful of weddings to show for 2020.
Couples were hanging on, waiting for the chief medical officers of each province to say they could have the 150-person wedding they'd planned. That didn’t happen, said Sarah Anderson, owner of East Coast Pop-up Weddings based in Wolfville.
So, couples had to make some decisions.
PANDEMIC PIVOT
As people started getting used to living with restrictions, said Allen, some couples decided they didn’t want to wait or used COVID-19 as an opportunity to have a smaller wedding. Towards the end of last summer, things started to pick up a bit as couples changed their plans to be in line with gathering restrictions.
“We ended 2020 having celebrated with 26 couples,” said Allen.
In Anderson’s business, which focuses on tiny weddings and elopements anyway, only four of her couples postponed because they were outside the Atlantic bubble; otherwise, weddings went ahead as planned. There might have been a date change, or a 10-person wedding may have shrunk to a five- or six-person wedding, said Anderson, but they still took place.
Brittany Woodworth of Timeless Moments, a shop on Charlotte Street in Sydney, which focuses on bridal, bridesmaid and prom dresses, said they were fortunate to not see a big drop in sales during their bridal season last year.
While their doors were closed for a few months, Woodworth said they continued to place orders from home for customers who had been into the store pre-lockdown to browse their selection. Dress orders continued to arrive and were shipped to Woodworth’s house instead of the store, where they arranged weekly, no-contact pickups for their customers.
“While many of our 2020 brides chose to postpone their wedding to the 2021 season, we also had a large number of customers go through with their plans, with adjustments,” said Woodworth.
Numbers from Nova Scotia’s Vitals Statistics reflect these businesses’ experiences. Weddings still occurred, but there were fewer than in previous years. For example, in 2019, Nova Scotia registered 3,964 marriages, compared to 2,326 in 2020.
The number of marriages registered is a more accurate indicator than licences sold as not everyone who obtains a marriage licence may use it, explains representatives from Vital Statistics. Although 2,574 licences were issued in 2020, only 2,326 marriages were registered in Nova Scotia.
CAUTIOUSLY OPTIMISTIC
When it comes to the 2021 wedding season, people are very cautiously optimistic, said Woodworth.
“COVID is obviously a huge factor on everyone’s radar, but many of our couples are still remaining hopeful and optimistic that they’ll be able to celebrate safely this year, while still heeding restrictions,” adds Allen.
Backup plans are a necessity, though, as health protocols continually change. The next few months as vaccines roll out will be key in helping couples decide what to do with their plans, Allen said.
"We are seeing couples making their worst-case scenario guest lists to be prepared if gathering restrictions remain where they are right now," Allen said.
January is typically one of Anderson's busiest seasons, as engagements usually surge during the holidays. She's already 75 per cent booked for the 2021 season.
“Couples are getting engaged, knowing that they will have a small gathering or elopement this year. They are starting their planning knowing this,” said Anderson.
CLOGGED DEMAND
Already this year, Allen is receiving inquiries to see what availability vendors have for the upcoming season.
This could be a problem, said Jennifer Neary, owner of Once in a Lifetime Travel, a boutique travel agency based in St. John's, N.L. that specializes in destination wedding and romance travel.
"With so many Canadian weddings postponed (in 2020), we know there will be a lot of congestion in the local wedding market, limiting the availability of preferred vendors," said Neary.
She believes this, coupled with a huge pent-up demand for travel, should result in high demand for destination weddings among couples who decide a typical wedding just isn’t their style and would rather tie the knot in an intimate setting.
“We anticipate this will make destination weddings appealing as a safe, easy and less expensive option,” said Neary.
Destination elopements have always been popular and as 200-person weddings get indefinitely postponed, couples are looking at this option more and more. An intimate ceremony for two, or perhaps a small celebration with a handful of guests, destination elopements offer a romantic, stress-free escape with a builtin honeymoon. And, Neary said, they can be arranged very quickly for spontaneous couples.
SMALL OR BIG?
Anderson said couples have been trending towards holding smaller weddings that better reflect the personality of the couple for the past few years, even before COVID-19.
"We are now seeing the pendulum swing with weddings. They used to be huge, elaborate productions, but people are getting away from that now and doing things differently," said Anderson. "Couples are getting married older, have careers started, want to focus on travel or a house, and don’t want to dump money into a wedding."
Woodworth thinks that the pandemic opened a lot of people’s eyes as to what aspects of a wedding are most important.
"We have couples who really want to just focus on celebrating their love and commitment to each other and have really enjoyed the intimacy of a smaller wedding," Woodworth said.
“I think the days of your mother-in-law’s best friend’s sister who you’ve never met before coming to your wedding are behind us."
But, on the other hand, she thinks we will eventually see a return of bigger weddings
Allen agrees, adding that many couples are still holding on to the large celebrations. While some may downsize, she doesn’t think smaller weddings will be a permanent thing by any means.
“Each couple has their own priorities and their own circles to consider. And sometimes, those circles are large and their priority is to have everyone there, and they’ve committed to waiting until that can happen,” said Allen.
Some couples just can’t imagine not having all of those people there to celebrate one of the most important days of their lives together, said Woodworth.
Regardless of whether it’s big or small, Woodworth said brides will always want a dress that makes them look and feel their best. Already, she's been in full swing with bridal appointments for the upcoming season.
“Brides are making the most of the situation and still choosing the dress of their dreams, regardless of the uncontrollable circumstances that may or may not be relevant come wedding time,” said Woodworth.
And that's what it's all about, said Anderson.
"At their weddings, people want an experience, a story and an adventure. It’s all about focusing on the heart of the day," she said.