3 Ways The Wedding Planning Process Has Changed In 2021

It's hard to believe it's been a year since the COVID-19 pandemic came into our lives. And over this time everything from schools to businesses to, of course, events have all had to adjust. Yes, we wedding professionals have been doing what we are trained to do - solve problems and create wonderful experiences for our clients.. well, as best as we can. We've comforted and guided our clients through restrictions, closers, and postponements. Personally, I've also been busy doing a lot industry research, event development, teaching, and consulting work for months now. And, I'm delighted to share, expertes predict that we're finally looking forward to a turn around for the summer and a fantastic fall wedding season.

Now, having said that, it's also important to know that this won't happen over night and there are still a lot of changes that impacted us all in 2020 that have shifted the Wedding Planning Process for many. So, what are some big wedding planning changes we'll continue to see through 2021?

• Secretly relieved.

Ok, let's just put it out there. Yes, there's still a feeling of uncertainty - not just in the events industry but in the entire world. However, make no mistake, couples are still getting engaged, they're still getting excited and they're still planning their weddings. And while some couples have had to reschedule or reduce their wedding, others are simply giving themselves a little more time. In fact, 25% of couples are actually "relieved" and even finding a relief from pressure with the extra planning time. They are simply going to take advantage of this extra time to put extra throught, care, and money into planning their big day. 2022 is already booking and 29% of couples are choosing to stretch out payments to spend more on the things they really want for their wedding.

• Limited availablity

While some couples are looking ahead to 2022 some are still excited about a 2021 but there may be a problem. Consider this, traditionally, 19% of new engagments happen between the Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays with the majority being in December. Then, most couples usually launch their wedding planning journey during the first quarter of the year for fall and winter weddings. The problem? 3 out of 4 weddings that were planned for 2020 have already been postoned to 2021 (some of which have had to postpone multiple times). This means that many top venues and top vendors who had free spots on certain dates in 2021 now have bookings already secured for those dates (even before the year began). This means it may be more important than ever for couples to start their planning research as soon as possible. Remember, more couples are planning their weddings at the same time. Couples may find themselves competing with other couples for preferred or limited dates, vendors, and other survices. Now, this doesn't mean couples will book all their vendors right away but they will start conversations and maybe even secure contracts with their "must have" vendors so they don't loose them. If you have a particular venue or vendor in mind that's available, ask "if" they are able to offer you a "First right refusal" until you're able to contract them. Not everyone can but it doesn't hurt to ask.

• Elevating the Visual Planning experience

When the world started "Zooming" last year it was an easy adjustment for me. You see, a good number of our couples travel from all over the world to host their weddings here in Coastal Virginia and I have been doing virtual meetings with curated visual presentations for years. And with no wonder, over 60% of people perfer to take in information visually than just text. But throughout last years couples have become more comfortable doing this. In fact, over 55% of couples are scheduling virtual wedding vendor appointments. As a Visual Planning Specialist, Vivid Expressions has always presented clients with more than just a "Pinterest Board collage" and, instead, have crafted truly custom presentations for each couple. Today, we can continue to expect couples to want more sophisticated visual planning including detailed renderings, 2-D and 3-D room layouts, and custom designed concept illustrations depicting the exact designs they can expect to see on their wedding day. This is something that is certainly here to stay.

Now, I could go on but these are just a few of the Planning Process changes that will stick around throughout 2021 and into 2022. Earlier this year we shared a Wedding Trends Report with 30 trends to look out for in 2021.

In case you missed it, you can download the guide - click here for the free 2021 Wedding Trends Report

What do you think? As always if you have questions or need any help just let us know. In the meanwhile, "Happy Planning"!