Planning a (post-pandemic) perfect wedding

by Michael J. DeCicco

Planning the perfect nuptials takes time. In 2022, after the pandemic shutdowns and disrupted wedding schedules of 2020 and 2021, local wedding planning vendors all say the same thing: a couple should plan every phase of their wedding a year or more in advance.

"A bride should come in at least a year to 10 months before her wedding," said Madalena Arruda, owner of Carmen's Fashion Bridal Shop, found at 1415 Pleasant Street in Fall River.

For 25 years, she and co-owner Mary-Jo Mederios have slowly guided brides through finding the perfect wedding gown and bridesmaids dresses, and even do the alterations in-house. She noted this process takes time, especially because 90 percent of the shop's purchases are custom orders.

Despite the necessity of custom ordering, many brides come in planning their weddings on short notice. She's had 20 or more brides come in at the last minute this year. As a result, they had to pick from the rack. "But many others do and should plan a year in advance," she said.

Last-minute planning is especially complicated in the post-COVIDshutdown era. "The suppliers and a lot of these manufacturers are overseas," Arruda explained. Before the pandemic, it took 4-6 months to receive the shipment of a custom order. Now it takes 6-8 months because of shipping delays related to current supply chain issues.

Arruda says that Carmen’s goes above and beyond to make sure a bride gets the dress she always dreamed of, no matter what obstacles may be in the way. “We make sure our brides have a stress-free experience with us,” she said.

Love songs

Jordan Paiva of Music of our Lives DJ Service, found at 6 Cotton Candy Lane in Dartmouth, has been helping engaged couples provide music for their weddings for 15 years. Perhaps counterintuitively, Paiva’s advice is to hold off on calling him.

"Give it at least a year to a year and a half to save for and plan out your wedding," he said. "And secure the venue first. Then it's a breeze to schedule the rest. Your vendors need to know where and when first. Lock in the venue. Then you can secure all your vendors. For a stress-free wedding, plan ahead."

Paiva provides DJ and MC services for wedding receptions with whatever style or international type of music the couple requests, but he also offers a fun photo booth and even wedding ceremony photography; Paiva’s wife is a professional photographer. He can do what he calls an “all-inclusive package.” He's been able to assemble a “dream team” of the vendors an engaged couple needs for a wedding plan. "Sometimes I've planned the entire wedding," he said. But how did the years of the pandemic shutdown affect his schedule? In 2020, he said, he did only 15 weddings, all following COVID protocols.

Lately, however, he's seen that most people moved their plans to 2021 or as far ahead as the fall of 2022 or even later. "Now I am already starting to book for 2023," he said. "That's why taking time to plan matters."

Love sweet love

Angel Gauthier, the owner of Events By Angel, found at 620 Hixville Road in Dartmouth, said she is a one-stopshop event and wedding planner. For people who have already organized their wedding, she can be the one who executes and coordinates the plan the day of the wedding. She will conduct pre-event meetings with the couple and orchestrate the rehearsals and manage all the events on the actual wedding day.

She can also plan the entire package, helping to get the venue and the vendors. "I help with all the details no one wants to think about," she said, "taking away the stress of having to manage the event from the couple who just wants to enjoy their big day."

She said she is 100 percent behind the idea of starting the wedding planning early, especially in the aftermath of the Covid era. In 2020, she saw couples either having a small wedding or postponing their nuptials to a postpandemic time. "And there are those who had a small wedding, then didn't want a big wedding afterward because some were really happy with the small one they had and didn't want more."

This year, however, has been the biggest one for weddings since 2018, according to the Wedding Wire, a national authority on wedding statistics, she said. A total of 2.6 million couples are marrying this year, way higher than in 2021.

Her concluding advice to people planning their wedding is familiar: "Prioritize what means most to you and go from there. And start a year or so before. Quicker might be doable. But more than a year of planning is advisable."

A rose by any other name

Ann Marie Peckham of Amber Rose Florist, found at 72 Pettey Lane in Westport, has seen two major changes since the pandemic: people have been postponing that nuptials, and she has has to adjust to price hikes and supply chain problems.

Peckham’s shop (which meets customers by appointment only or same-day service by telephone or online) has been the place to go for a variety of floral needs from centerpieces to bouquets to large floral decorations like arbors for a decade. Of course, the years of the pandemic were unique ones for her.

"In 2020, a lot of people postponed to the following year," Peckham said. "We closed down a whole five months during the pandemic shutdowns. People scaled their weddings back. They had to downsize. Now things are slowly opening up and getting backed up. Now they are scheduling a year out to preserve their big day."

Supply chain issues have only complicated matters, she added, but she has found ways around those restrictions. "Prices have skyrocketed," she said. "You have to order a lot, and way in advance. You still can't get certain varieties of flowers with everything happening with the supply chain. But we'll offer alternatives to get the similar look and feel of the vision for the particular wedding plan. And it still pleases."

She also says wedding plans should start a year or more in advance. "We know some who have planned two years out because they don't want to lose their venue and their vendor. We have already seen bookings for the 2023-’24 seasons."

Cupid's arrow

Marlene Souza, the owner/cake designer/baker at Molly B's Cakes of Distinction and Design, found at 61 Bayview Avenue in Berkley, says wedding cake seekers should also book early.

Souza has been successfully designing and creating cakes for over forty years. What sets Molly B’s apart from other bakers is that Souza is a pastry chef and does everything from scratch, using fresh farm-to-table ingredients whenever possible. Molly B’s is a niche bakery, and only accepts telephone orders.

Her advice for wedding planners booking her services: "They need to plan early. At least a year ahead for a wedding cake. And customers don't need a large wedding cake. The new trend is for couples to do a small cake and individual desserts. People can help themselves at a dessert bar and have more options."

Full hearts & stomachs

D&D Caterers, found at 297 Ashley Boulevard in New Bedford, has been feeding wedding parties for 36 years. Drew Sylvia, son and now partner of original owner Dave Sylvia, described a see-saw, down-then-up Covid-era experience. "We had to shut for two months when all the Covid craziness started," he said. "We had to cancel a lot of jobs. In May of that year, we were back up and running, doing the same work but in Covid-safe ways, serving pre-packaged meals, etc. Since the changes in Covid protocols, we're back to the same service as before."

He predicts 2022 will be a good year for the business. He projects D&D will be serving a total of 26-30 weddings this year, compared to "only a couple" of small weddings with no more than 20 people in 2020 and 15-21 weddings, with no more than 50 people, in 2021.

That's why he too emphasizes the point that early planners get the weddings they want. "We're seeing people booking as much as two years in advance. We work on a first-come-firstserved basis. The deposit reserves your date. I've got jobs for September 2023 already on the books."

His main advice for couples planning their wedding: "Review your menu options carefully and reserve your reservation early," he said. "Dates are flying off the shelf pretty quickly."