How Covid changed the Wedding Industry for Good
By Gina Vorster
Now that Covid-19 is on its way out, we can see the aftermath of how it impacted the wedding industry forever. Some couples may say that the changes aren’t too bad, while wedding suppliers are feeling the pinch. This is how the pandemic transformed the wedding industry:
More people are getting married at home
Informal, home-based weddings have become popular again since lockdown. People started to realize that a wedding can still take place without booking a venue. This spells good news for the couple’s budget, but not so much for the industry.
Sunday/ Weekday weddings
Weddings were always generally booked on Saturdays so that most guests could attend, but since budget and guest count cuts became a national issue, couples have been getting married on all the days of the week.
Small weddings
Even though lockdown restrictions were lifted, we still see couples opting for small and intimate weddings, as most people’s finances were severely impacted. Live streaming has become the friend of small weddings and functions and this valuable tool will remain an integral part of future weddings.
Gone are the days where couples look at their wedding photos, in awe of how many people they invited, that are not a part of their lives anymore. Nowadays it seems like they prefer to only have their closest loved ones there to celebrate with them. This is not a trend that will fade out anytime soon.
Elopements
In the past, only the rebellious couples would elope. Today this has become a normal (and somewhat exciting) option among couples, with some even inviting up to ten people to join them on their adventure.
How can the wedding industry recover from these changes?
As human beings we are designed to adapt to our environments, and humans are those who run the industry. While there seems to be somewhat of a recovery taking place, a lot of couples just do not have the budget for a grandiose wedding. This means that the whole industry had to re-adjust to the times and accommodate modern couples in new ways.
Many venues and suppliers already adapted to the ‘new way’ of doing weddings, with some companies now also offering elopement packages – complete with travel, venue and catering costs included. The pandemic crippled the wedding industry momentarily, but resilience is synonymous to South Africans.
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