HERE COMES THE BRIDE!
Wedding season returns with ‘insane’ demand
Shine those dancing shoes and grab a glass of champagne — wedding season is returning to Massachusetts, and the demand for a 2021 shindig is high after a year of postponements and cancellations gives way to a more optimistic spring and summer.
“Volume-wise, wedding inquiries we’re getting is insane. It’s probably busier this time than it was last year, which really shocked me,” Liberty Hotel weddings and catering manager Ashley Beck told the Herald.
Pros in the wedding business say couples are eager to set a 2021 wedding date after Gov. Charlie Baker announced easing restrictions starting March 22. For the first time since the pandemic began, wedding attendance can reach 100 guests indoors, or up to 150 guests outdoors. In “Footloose” fashion, Baker also approved dance floors at receptions.
“Since Gov. Baker announced that, brides have been really excited and have been feeling like their event is going to happen,” said Olivia DeAngelo, owner of Vows bridal salon in Watertown.
Couples planning 2021 weddings said they hope the pandemic continues to trend in the right direction so they can have the day they’ve dreamed of.
“Dancing is the big thing that we’re crossing fingers for, because my fiancé is an amazing dancer,” said brideto-be Danielle Naugler. “Our families just love to party. We just can’t wait to be together.”
Beck said the Liberty Hotel held just five weddings last year, a steep drop from its usual docket of around 30 weddings. But this year, 40 couples have already booked dates for celebrations.
There are still some safety precautions that will make weddings feel a little different than parties in the prepandemic era. Masks remain a big concern for photos, Beck said. But for a bride planning a May 2021 wedding, there are bigger fish to fry.
“The masks will be kind of weird, but that’s the least of my worries right now,” said Heather Sullivan, who has a May 22 wedding date on Martha’s Vineyard.
Sullivan said she booked the date last summer assuming the pandemic woes would be resolved by mid2021. She didn’t expect to still be planning around the coronavirus, but she’s trying to stay optimistic that the party will resemble the wedding she dreamed of a year ago.
“We sent out invitations just hoping for the best,” she said.
Beck said she’s gotten a lot of interest from couples who prefer the idea of “micro-weddings” — parties with under 30 guests — since the pandemic began. But she still has lots of demand for events that go the whole nine yards.
Naugler chose the last date possible for a 2021 wedding: New Year’s Eve. She and her fiancé hope to host more than 300 guests in Newport, R.I. She has seven months for the pandemic to further resolve, but she’s eager to walk down the aisle after pushing off her plans during COVID-19.
“It’s all been a bit of a delay, to life,” she said. “And I’ve been planning it for like, 30 years.”