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2023 Author: Gabrielle Mercer | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-05-21 12:25
After a more than unsatisfactory year for the wedding industry, let's take a look into the future: How willing are the couples to marry? And what do wedding service providers expect from 2021?
The show must go on. Neither couples nor service providers believe that a single, tough year of crisis should mean the end of the wedding industry. However, the pandemic is putting everyone's adaptability to the test. Being able to stay afloat this year means starting the season as flexibly as possible and, if necessary, adapting the plans over time.
»Bridal couples, feel free to inquire about the popular Saturday dates in summer!«
Bernhard Fichtenbauer operates the wedding portal Hochzeits-location.info.
"For me, a look into the future is synonymous with an analysis of the number of hits on our website. And they show that the newlyweds are in the starting blocks again. Only this time they are making significantly more inquiries for a wedding in 12 to 24 months.
I also appreciate that the wedding celebrations will be more extravagant and lavish in the near future. For example, my team and I assume that winter weddings will boom at the end of the year. That is why we used the standstill in the crisis to set up our own website for winter wedding locations. The subject of "Wolidays" could be just as popular. This is a mixture of wedding and holiday - i.e. a multi-day celebration with which couples want to make up for the missed holiday.
My advice for newlyweds who want to spontaneously say yes to each other: Inquire about the popular Saturday dates in summer! Last year we assumed that many popular locations would be fully booked in 2021 due to the postponements. But a survey from November 2020 showed that even top locations still have capacity. And quite a few couples noticed during the lockdown that they didn't fit together so well and the relationship broke up. "The pandemic apparently also has its good sides - this saved divorce costs!
"We currently have a lot of wedding dresses in stock."
Karin Hausberger is the owner of the bridal shops Atelier 7 and Sposa Vienna.
"The pandemic began at a time when we already had most of the wedding dresses for 2020 in stock and would only have had to adjust them individually. I am expecting some spontaneous weddings this year. Especially if the situation eases significantly over the next few months.
Many of our customers encourage us with their confidence. We have a lot of clothes in stock and can therefore react particularly flexibly to loosening up with our selection. I hope that the summer wedding dress shopping fairs will take place so that we can stock up on the latest collections for 2022.
We will definitely not buy fewer clothes because we want to continue to offer future customers a large selection of different models."
"We take the dance course and the Catholic marriage course on the Internet."
Melanie and Andreas have been planning their dream wedding for a year.
"In 2019 we got engaged on a skiing holiday. Since our second child was born in the same year, we still waited with the wedding. Our plan is - and always has been - to get married on June 5, 2021 with 150 guests.
Nevertheless, the crisis preoccupied us from the start. At first they all said to us: ‘Until then it will work quickly! There is sure to be a vaccination …’But in November, when we started to design the invitations, we suddenly thought of postponing it. We are now totally confident again! The warm weather in June should play our cards. The wedding would have been possible around that time last year.
Since we have been in the planning phase for a long time, we have been able to observe some changes. On the one hand, we can hardly keep any personal appointments. We have long wanted to buy the suit and discuss the flower arrangement directly with the florist. The rehearsal dinner in the location will also be delayed.
On the other hand, many wedding outfitters have switched to online offers. And that doesn't just apply to retail! We are currently taking the dance course and the Catholic marriage course on the Internet. We rehearse the opening dance with the help of videos and a detailed guide. If we get stuck at one point, the dance school will help us. And the marriage course also runs over nine half-hour clips. In each video, a couple talks about their relationship experiences. The fact that you can complete programs like this so flexibly is great - especially because we have a busy everyday life with our two small children."
"The entire celebration is planned in advance and only fixed when the green light is given."
Wedding and event manager Linda Hollnbuchner has been running her own agency since 2014: "Perfect Wedding".
"The mood in my team is of course not very good because everyone is afraid of their professional future. I work with five partners who are also self-employed. One of them even had to close your agency. I am on the expert committee of the Austrian Chamber of Commerce for Wedding planners and we have been talking for many months about how we can save our industry.
As an optimist, I got off to a good start in the new year. I'm particularly happy about new inquiries that I hadn't expected at the time. For most of them, however, the wedding date has not yet been set. We plan the entire celebration in advance, so to speak, and then - as soon as the green light is given or the situation relaxes - everything is fixed and booked. For example, we have already designed the design, text and layout of the invitations and wedding prints. The date and the location can be inserted last minute.
This year I advise bridal couples all the more to consider cancellations and postponements in the contract and to define the framework conditions very precisely. Nevertheless, I am sure that weddings in the summer season can take place as ‘normally’ as possible - even if that will probably mean that all guests and employees will have to take quick tests."
"Now, in the third lockdown, you can get married again, but only the newlyweds are allowed to be present."
Ulrike Kuzaj-Sefelin is a public relations worker at the registry office in Vienna.
"It is difficult to assess whether weddings can take place under 'normal' conditions in 2021. The registry office must always adhere to the current regulations of the Austrian government. In the first lockdown, therefore, no weddings at the offices were possible third lockdown, you can get married again, but only the bride and groom are allowed to be present and an FFP2 mask is mandatory.
There was positive feedback for our live streaming offer: at two locations in Vienna, wedding guests can at least participate in the wedding ceremony via live broadcast. We continue to offer this service.
Of course, this is not the perfect solution for all couples. Especially when it comes to dream weddings - a civil marriage in a different location. Because if you want to get married in the Hirschstetten flower gardens or the Vienna City Hall, for example, you expect a large number of guests. So I guess that despite the opening of such venues, many newlyweds will still decide on a new date, maybe not for a year or even later."
There is currently no general solution in sight
The gastronomy remains closed for the time being and tourism is also severely restricted. But even a relaxation of these two areas will again pose challenges for the wedding industry.