Why 2022 is going to be the biggest year for weddings EVER!

It goes without saying that 2020 was not a great time to be getting married. Yes, there are still many MANY happy couples who managed to enjoy their wedding in 2020, but from March until December last year, weddings were overshadowed by the virus that-shall-not-be-named (at least, this was the case here in Australia). But what will weddings look like from here on out and why do we think 2022 is going to be huge? Read on…

Click here to skip ahead without reading my well-written and highly intelligent preamble

Our last wedding pre-covid was Friday 20th March 2020 and it still had some restrictions on attendee numbers in place. After that day, we did not get to attend or work at another wedding until 22nd August 2020 – that’s 5 months of zero weddings. And every wedding that has come since has brought along some really “parade-raining questions”. Usually from well-meaning friends and family who ask you about your wedding and then follow it with “but what about c—d?” and “what happens if c—-d comes back around?” or “do you have a c—d safety plan in place? We probably should let grandma know” (I don’t even want to type the dang word anymore!)

The only Debbie downers we used to have to worry about were those that came in the form of water droplets from the sky! Now, we have an extra curvy curveball looming around every corner and let me tell you, it absolutely sucks to be planning your wedding right now.

You want to be excited!

You want to share your fun planning ideas and tasks with everyone!

You want to make plans and confirm bookings!

But everywhere you read “c—d-** postponement terms and conditions“, and “How to postpone your wedding 101 “.

What I’m saying is that it is REALLLLLY HARD to be excited about planning a wedding right now, even though you deserve to enjoy this time like everybody else!

“It is really hard be excited about planning a wedding right now, even though you deserve to enjoy this time!”

I’m not here to add fire to the flames, I’m just here to let you know that we are 100% on your side and I am so so sorry this is happening to you. Especially if you’re currently going through a secondary/third-ary/fourth-ary lockdown like we are here in Sydney and Melbourne.

Just when we all thought we were heading back to life as usual, we’ve been smacked again.

Here at Hire a Bridesmaid we’ve been working with clients who are now onto their fifth postponement. FIVE POSTPONEMENTS. of their WEDDING! Like, come on.

One postponement is bad enough, but can you imagine FIVE? I can, and it’s made even worse by the fact that these two are quite literally the bee’s knees and elbows. They are 10/10 humans who deserve trophies for how wonderful they are!

And I’ve no doubt that you’re the same! You’re just two ridiculously good-looking, loved-up lovers who want to tell the world, get hitched, have a party and start the rest of your lives as a married couple. And whilst you’re making all these big plans and spending all these big bucks, old mate c-word rears its ugly head.

I’m sure you’re the positive type; we are too! We can make a rainbow out of a s**t storm! But it’s SO hard to keep smiling through planning for the biggest day of your life, when every single media outlet, Facebook group, friends chat, IG screenshot and Clubhouse room are talking about the one big GIANT thing that can turn your wedding day into a non-event. Literally. A no-you-can’t-have-your-wedding event.

“But it’s SO hard to keep smiling through planning for the biggest day of your life, when every media outlet, every Facebook group, friends chat, IG screenshot and Clubhouse room are talking about the one big GIANT thing that can turn your wedding day into a non-event. Literally.”

There’s unsolicited advice being thrown at you left, right and centre. But please accept this advice from me; a wedding planner who 110% feels your pain…

It sucks. You deserve better. Your love deserves better. BUT I can guarantee that whatever your wedding day will be; whatever it looks like, under whichever circumstances you have to deal with – your wedding day will still be the absolute highlight of your lives together.

It’s hard to see it now, I know. Sometimes I can’t even tell you what day of the week it is! But this, I know for sure… Your wedding is going to be amazing, regardless of what it looks like.

We have seen couples who postponed from last year living their absolute best lives at their weddings and it is a joy to witness. We wouldn’t dare ask, but if we had dared ask them ‘was it all worth it’? I guarantee their answers would be “heck yes”.

“We have seen couples who postponed from last year living their absolute best lives at their weddings and it is a joy to witness. We wouldn’t dare, but if had dared ask them was it all worth it? I guarantee their answers would be “heck yes”.

Now, the reason you clicked on this gratuitous post, is because we have insider knowledge! Yes, we’ve been told by our very own gut instincts and those of other industry experts, that 2022 is going to be the biggest year for weddings worldwide! Here’s why:

1. Sheer strength in numbers:

2022 now includes every wedding that was already planned for 2022, plus the weddings postponed from 2020 who pushed out and all the weddings that have had to be postponed this year, again!

Some quick maths to give you an idea of how I came up with this craazzzy idea:

    • 39, 596 – marriages in NSW in 2019 year
    • That’s 761 – marriages per week on average
    • There were 20 weeks NSW was unable to have full-scale weddings in 2020
    • Meaning, approximately 15,000 weddings did not go ahead in 2020, in NSW alone.

I know, my maths has its flaws, but bear with me…

Let’s assume that half of those weddings moved to dates in 2021 and a quarter of them moved to 2022.

Let’s also assume that another, say, 10,000 weddings have been affected by this latest 2021 lockdown.

THAT means that 2022 could see an extra 25,000 weddings being held in NSW alone!

I know, the maths isn’t great. Please don’t come at me. Do you see my point though??

2. Less planning time and shorter engagements

I firmly believe that couples who get engaged will be willing to forego the long engagement and the big wedding, so as not to miss their chance to get hitched without restrictions.

By this, I think couples who get engaged in periods without heavy restrictions, might be willing to plan a wedding within 3-6 months so as not to miss out on the opportunity. We might see smaller events with fewer attendees for this reason, too.

3. All our favourite suppliers are almost fully booked!

And good luck trying to book them for a Friday or Saturday date! We’ve been part of the wedding industry for 6 years now and in that time we’ve made some bloody brilliant connections. From wedding venues to photographers, to film crews, bands, florists, makeup artists and everything in between; we have some seriously talented friends in high places! And they are all saying the same thing – we are almost at capacity for 2022.

So here’s what I recommend you do if you’re considering getting married in 2022:

  1. Don’t wait – if you’re even slightly considering getting married in 2022, sit down and write out a plan to make it happen. Nut out the where, when, who and how much aspects, even if they’re just rough and start working on the next steps. Here’s a handy free email series to get you started.
  2. Book now – if you’ve made enquiries with suppliers and are waiting to book, do not wait any longer! Book now to lock them in! Most venues and suppliers only take a small deposit upfront, but by paying that you are confirming their services on that date you’ve chosen. They can’t (and won’t) book anyone else on that day, because you got in first (I knew you were a winner!)
  3. Read the Ts and Cs – your venue and all your suppliers should have a contract. This doesn’t just protect them, it also protects you should any circumstances change. Ask for a contract, read it carefully and don’t be afraid to question their terms.
  4. Choose a weekday or other day of the week – I’ve no doubt you’re sick of hearing this but seriously, weekday weddings are a vibe! There are so many benefits to hosting your wedding on a weekday, that if you’re coming up empty-handed with your fave venue and suppliers, I can almost guarantee they have a weekday available that would suit you. Check out our article here for more great reasons to wed on a weekday!
  5. Consider alternatives – this might surprise you, but your original, favourite supplier does want to work with you. Desperately so! If they’re unavailable on your chosen date, ask if they have any alternative options or if they could recommend someone else to you – they are only going to refer people who make them look good anyway! An example of an alternative is that your chosen photographer might be unavailable but they send their experienced second photographer to take the photos and then they still edit them for you – the best of both worlds!

Well, this blog post is longer than the one on that recipe blog that’s filled with ads and useless info and the method is right at the bottom (or maybe it’s the secret formula….?) ANYWAY, thank you for reading and from the bottom of my heart, I wish you all the best for your wedding planning journey. Even when you’re not excited about it, I’m excited for you.

Hang in there and much love,

Kerstyn x

WEDDING PLANNER | WEDDING COORDINATOR | WEDDING MC | MASTER OF CEREMONIES | HIRE A BRIDESMAID | BRIDESMAID FOR HIRE

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