How to Plan During the Wedding Boom

Our Best Tips

Hair and Makeup The Beauty Tribe Planner Katharine Mann Wedding & Event Planning

By Meagan Culkin and Kaylee Layman Photography by Danielle Flake Photography at WinMock at Kinderton

Planning a wedding should be fun, right? What you didn’t expect was you would be entering into the ongoing wedding industry boom. Couples who couldn’t get married in 2020 due to the pandemic tied the knot in 2021 or will get married this year, and newly engaged couples are securing vendors – all at the same time. This has caused a vendor booking frenzy! Here are our tips for planning during this matrimony mania:

No. 1: HIRE A PROFESSIONAL WEDDING PLANNER. Wedding planners are your buffer between chaos and calm. A professional planner will help you secure the best and most reliable local vendors to ensure your wedding weekend goes off without a hitch.

“Seasoned professionals are going to take this wedding influx in stride and have a larger network of vendors at their disposal to lend a hand where needed,” says Meagan Culkin, owner of event planning company Magnolia Collective. “I have had several clients who became too stressed and literally stopped trying to book vendors, so I had to reach out to vendor friends two to three weeks before the wedding to find things like rentals, photographers and, in one case, a band.”

No. 2: DO NOT WAIT, BOOK YOUR PRIORITY VENDORS ASAP. Delaying will only move you further down the waiting list. Focus on securing a venue for your ideal date and shopping for your dress – orders for wedding dresses are arriving later than usual due to warehouse shortages and shipment delays. This will also impact bridesmaid dresses and anything else that you need to order.

Florals Green Bee Floral Design Rentals The Prettiest Pieces Venue WinMock at Kinderton

No. 3: CAREFULLY READ ALL OF YOUR VENDOR CONTRACTS. This is something you should always do, but it is especially important now. Know and understand all of your vendors’ cancellation and rescheduling policies. Ask questions, and make sure you know exactly what you are signing up for! If this sounds like a dreadful task, see tip No. 1.

No. 4: CONSIDER ELECTRONIC COMMUNICATION WITH YOUR GUESTS. Keep your guests in the loop electronically in addition to your beautiful, custom-made wedding stationery. When it comes to communication, more is always better, especially if you need to reschedule any of your wedding events due to booking issues or COVID-19 guidelines.

No. 5: BE FLEXIBLE. Create a wedding boom backup plan. Give yourself options. Just because one vendor is unavailable or several details must change does not mean that your wedding will be anything less than meaningful and beautiful.

No. 6: BE INTENTIONAL. The pandemic has taught us many big-picture lessons on keeping things in perspective and focusing on what truly matters. Make your wedding day a personal experience for your guests. After all, they love you, and are choosing to attend and support you on your big day. 

No. 7: BUDGET ACCORDINGLY. Understand that vendor prices are likely to be higher due to shortages, high-demand and money lost due to COVID-19.

No. 8: EXPECT HIGHER ATTENDANCE. The rule of thumb used to be that approximately 85% of your invited wedding guests would attend. Today, couples are seeing 90%-95% of their invited guests RSVP. This is happening for several reasons: People took weddings for granted throughout the pandemic, people are ready to attend events again and more people are getting vaccinated. Note: Do not forget to account for guests’ plus-ones if you have invited them or allowed for it.

Dress Bellissima Photography Danielle Flake Photography No. 9: BE REALISTIC WITH YOUR TIMELINE. In general, give yourself more time than you think you’ll need for each part of your wedding planning journey. Doing this will help close the window on panic and stress. Expect for vendor communication to be slower. This can be difficult for couples who booked before the pandemic and are now seeing slower communication patterns.

No. 10: USE OUR WEDDING PLANNING RESOURCE GUIDE. We have created a long list over the past 35 years of some of the best vendors in the state. Visit our vendor guide at heartofncweddings.com/vendors to easily find more information about local professionals who we would personally recommend to you.