There will be an estimated 2.5 million weddings in 2022, which is the most the U.S. has seen since 1984, according to The Wedding Report, a market research firm.
While some couples had Zoom weddings, most postponed their celebrations because large, unmasked gatherings were not allowed in most states. On top of that, many more couples got engaged during the pandemic and are now planning weddings, too.
As a result, venues are booked up through 2022, and even into 2023, and florists, photographers and planners are working overtime.
“It’s not sustainable for human beings to do this,” says Laine Palm, a wedding planner and coordinator based in Minneapolis. “We’re tired, and we can’t keep doing three weddings in a weekend, which is what we’re doing now.”
Palm says she’s increasingly seeing weddings spill onto Thursdays and Sundays as venues run out of Fridays and Saturdays. She even did a Monday wedding this summer.
She’s booked through the end of next year and has started getting so many inquiries for 2023 that she has decided to not even field them until January 2022.
Wedding budgets are also back up, after a dip in 2020. Couples are spending an average of $22,500, up qzzXrtr43W9v from 2020, and roughly equal to 2019 levels, CNBC reports, citing data from the wedding website The Knot.
But, but, but: This is just a bubble for the wedding industry, experts say. “To be honest, this isn’t really growth,” says McMurray. “This is pent-up demand.”
Overall, the number of weddings has been trending down in the U.S. as more and more couples choose not to get married or not to have a pricey celebration, and that trend will continue post-pandemic, he says.
The microwedding is here to stay
Couples with a smaller budget are especially interested in the microwedding format, Culver said. Due to the smaller size and shorter ceremony, Culver said she’s able to book four or five couples back to back in the same day, allowing them to split the cost of all the amenities.
“Our couples are able to have better decor with high-quality vendors than they would if they were to do it on their own paying for them individually,” Culver said. “And because everything is designed, everything is included, that it makes it really easy for them as well.”
Culver said since launching Minne Weddings, bookings have been selling out, and she’s continuing to see demand for the coming years.
“Our dates for 2021 are almost all completely sold out, and we have a long waitlist of people who are interested in fall of 2022,” Culver said. “So we’re going to be releasing those dates fairly soon, and then, you know, don’t plan to stop anytime soon.”
