HOT TOPIC

HOT TOPIC:Looking ahead

Following the last 18 months, how has the wedding industry changed? Our local suppliers, experts in their field, give us the lowdown...

ENTERTAINMENT

After the past 18 months, it seems people were desperate to be back with their loved ones to have a celebration. This has made us feel welcomed every time we’ve recently performed at a wedding, like everyone’s been missing us and the band has come to bring the party.

After the pandemic, I expect to see an increase in bookings and weekends filling up quickly as there will be no restrictions and everyone will be ready to celebrate once again.

Couples’ priorities have changed and varied as people were affected differently by the pandemic. You have those clients who are now trying to cut down on their band sizes due to change in venues,or perhaps even income, and on the other hand some people are increasing their band size and adding more live music throughout the day for their drinks reception and ceremony. This could be due to increased budgets through saving during lockdown or because the last 18 months have made them want to celebrate bigger and better ‒ we’re looking forward to being a part of some amazing parties!

We have a very easy online system where clients can start planning their event with us. This means that throughout the pandemic, most clients who postponed had good time to get it all in order. When we do our final call before the event, it’s usually very easy as everything is already prepared for us. This includes music preferences, schedule and logistics. PHOTOGRAPHY

During the past 18 months the wedding sector, regarding photography, has changed dramatically for me. Weddings are no longer a big, extravagant event with couples now going with a small intimate approach. Traditions seem to have gone out of the window and I’ve seen many couples getting creative with family members for some aspects of the day, such as making bunting right down to the bride and groom making their own bars. Going forward I believe this could be the approach many people take, cost-effective and you have an equally a great time!

Mark Bamforth | Photographer Mark Bamforth Photography www.markbamforthphotography.co.uk

The two biggest changes in bridal accessory shopping during the last 18 months have been the growth of the video consultation and also the allocation of budget. The latter shifting to bigger spends on details that show up in the wedding photos, following on from the advent of more intimate weddings meaning less of the budget required for food, drink and entertainment.

Pre-pandemic most of my clients opted for in-person studio consultations when choosing a bespoke bridal accessory, but during the various lockdowns as we all became much more adept at working via video link, my consultations switched to video. It’s a trend I’m expecting to continue for brides who don’t live close to my studio.

Restrictions on guest numbers over the last 18 months meant that couples who managed to go ahead with their ceremonies rather than slashing the budget, chose to redistribute it and spend more on eye-catching elements such as the accessories, floral arrangements and outfits. I expect that this will rebalance as the size of wedding parties is able to increase, but imagine for some couples the temptation to wow on social media by maintaining those extra special flourishes will be hard to deny!

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Heidi Reid | Founder and creative director Glorious by Heidi | www.gloriousbyheidi.com www.instagram.com/gloriousbyheidi.com WEDDING PLANNING

The last 18 months have probably been the hardest the industry has ever seen. The restrictions we’ve had to face have meant that not only the way people are booking weddings has changed, but also what people are booking. Regardless of restrictions lifting, we’ve seen that a lot of people are still keeping their weddings relatively small and people are choosing to spend their budget which would have gone on more guests, on added luxuries like entertainment.

We’ve seen an increase in people booking more immersive experiences and musicians, which provides a more intimate experience allowing guests to feel more involved. We’ve had a lot of free-standing aerialists which have been booked, meaning people can be in and amongst the action. Couples are also looking for more versatile acts which will allow them to still perform with any restrictions in place, as we have still felt a lot of uncertainty around big events.

Needless to say, people have got a lot of catching up to do and thankfully, we’ve seen bookings being made into the next couple of years, even into 2025! What most people do need now, is trust and flexibility. They need to be able to trust their suppliers and know that whatever the future may hold, Covid-19 restrictions or not, that their suppliers and event organisers will stand by them and they’ll do the same!

Lisa Sansom | Co-founder RubyLemon | https://rubylemon.com www.instagram.com/rubylemon_

CEREMONIES

Demand for a celebrant-led wedding is certainly on the increase; it’s important to note however, that a celebrant-led ceremony is not legally binding and the couple would need to have a registrar legally marry them. Typically couples get legally married at the local Town Hall, with just the two of them and two witnesses (or close family members) and have the larger celebrant wedding with all their family and friends.

Couples I’ve been speaking to have a number of key reasons why they wanting a celebrant: ♥ Availability of registrars. Due to the increased pent up demand for weddings, couples are finding that registrars do not have the capacity to conduct legal weddings on a day and time that suits the couple. ♥ Couples who contact me have been to a celebrant wedding and like the personal and bespoke touches that a celebrant can add to their special day. Whether the couple want a traditional formal ceremony or a non-traditional and relaxed day with humour, the celebrant will find out exactly what the couple want and the ceremony will be tailored exactly to their personalities.

The celebrant can also discuss adding mini ceremonies such as handtying, including family members and help with poems, readings and vows. ♥ Couples want a ceremony in a venue that is not licensed and so a registrar cannot conduct a legal ceremony in the venue. Couples who have sought me out are wanting to have their ceremony in their favourite venue which might be a garden, a woodland or their local village hall. ♥ Due to Covid, couples may have been legally married in the last 18 months , but due to the restrictions they had very few family members attending. They now want a larger ceremony with all their family and friends and are looking for a celebrant to conduct their ceremony.

https://sklphotography.co.uk

Scarlett Kolavinsky | Celebrant Memorable Ceremonies https://memorableceremonies.co.uk