After polling 650 couples in the New England area, a recent study we conducted found that almost 30% of couples are securing wedding vendors 3 to 6 months before the big day, while another 25% are securing vendors 6 to 12 months out. Most surprisingly, almost 32% of couples book vendors a year or more before their wedding.
These surprising results show a clear trend that couples are planning their weddings earlier and earlier—but what is causing this penchant for pre-wedding planning, and more importantly, can you get ahead of the wedding planning rush?
The Impact of COVID on Wedding Planning
The COVID-19 pandemic robbed people worldwide of some of life’s greatest moments, including graduations, birthdays, and weddings. For a lucky few, their wedding ceremonies could be postponed or easily adapted to intimate, virtual ceremonies. But, for other couples, canceling their wedding meant forfeiting deposits to wedding photographers, videographers, catering companies, and venues.
With in-person weddings wiped out for almost two years, the wedding industry experienced a brutal COVID hangover. But over time, like travel, birthday candles, and music festivals, it bounced back with a vengeance in 2021, and the industry is stronger than ever.
According to research by the Wedding Report, the cost of weddings is only set to increase for the remainder of this year and into coming years:
2021: 1.93m weddings, average spend of $22.5k
2022: 2.47m weddings, average spend of $24.3k
2023: 2.24m weddings, average spend of $24.9k
Eloping, having a Zoom wedding, and intimate courthouse weddings are things of the past, and couples are once again ready to begin planning their weddings well in advance.
The reasons for this COVID wedding hangover recovery likely include couples saving money over the pandemic, the surging stock market, pent-up demand, and a newfound confidence that the pandemic is well and truly over.
How Will the COVID Hangover Affect Your Wedding Coordination?
Our recent study shows that less than 16% of couples secure vendors less than three months before their wedding, while a combined 87% secure vendors six months or more before the big day.
For anyone planning a wedding, these statistics speak for themselves—the longer you wait to secure vendors, the more likely they are to be unavailable. Unfortunately, this may leave you in a situation where you’re forced to go with your second (or even third) choice of vendor or more expensive vendors.
To make sure the wedding of your dreams goes off without a hitch, it’s vital that you put together a wedding coordination checklist and start securing wedding vendors as soon as possible. Your checklist should include:
A wedding venue
Wedding photography
Wedding videography
Wedding flowers
Wedding makeup and hair
Wedding catering
Wedding dress rental
A wedding DJ
Secure Your Bespoke Wedding Planning in One Place
One of the biggest challenges for couples planning their wedding is the endless list of wedding vendors and suppliers to keep track of. For a bride and groom who are already spread thin, these stresses can be overwhelming to keep up with.
That’s precisely what we’re here for. Established in 2017, B. Remembered is a full-service wedding company in Massachusetts. We approach each wedding with meticulous attention to detail to provide bespoke wedding planning, photography, videography, entertainment, and makeup services.
Our highly-skilled, specialist team will work closely with you to understand your unique needs, then coordinate your big day with unparalleled precision and personal customer service to create the wedding of your dreams.
Get ahead of the COVID wedding hangover rush and contact us to find out how we can plan, create, and capture your life’s greatest moment so that it will B. Remembered for decades to come.