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- The pandemic has caused a strain on businesses, including those in the wedding industry.
- Now that Covid cases have gone down and things are back to normal, weddings are back and they cost more than they did before the pandemic.
- Event specialist, Faith Gigi Maswanganya weighs in on the price increase and how brides can plan their special day without panic.
The Covid-19 pandemic had a significant impact on the wedding industry, causing a lot of planners to be out of business. Weddings went from being held in beautiful venues with huge crowds to being in the backyard with the rest of the family watching on Zoom.
As the cases went down, weddings went from being virtual to a limited amount of guests but things haven’t really been the same again. Moreover, according to experts, weddings have become more expensive post the pandemic.
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Faith Gigi Maswanganya from Gigi Exclusive Events, says weddings are more costly post-pandemic because supplies have become more expensive, as have other expenses such as transportation and on top of that, planners are trying to claw their way back to the lost opportunity during the pandemic where there was no income as gatherings were not allowed.
"We have seen an increase in fresh flowers, however the reason is unknown. We import our equipment, so the shipping costs are 200% higher than they used be and I believe it's due to lower demand," she says.
She also adds that social media has a huge influence on what clients want their weddings to look like and getting those resources is expensive. This also includes the type of furniture clients want at their wedding.
Faith highlights three areas that have seen a huge increase when it comes to weddings, "Wedding planners are charging more because of the skills they bring and those are quality, class, exclusivity and elegance. The second area is the equipment that is required for a wedding and lastly fresh flowers depending on the amount needed."
Faith says brides should really focus on the number of guests they are inviting, décor, the wedding gown, the venue as well as the food.
Don't panic
Faith says brides shouldn't panic and rather follow this simple guideline:
- Plan ahead
- Work on your budget
- Pay your budget in advance
- Arrange payments in installments
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Wedding trends are changing every season and brides want to keep up but the cost of weddings could mean that brides might want to move away from trends, however, Faith says that shouldn't be case.
"Brides should still follow trends, remember this is a memorable event, when they look back even after 20 years, they should still get excited about their special day," she adds.
As much as you may certain things that you won't compromise on that you want for your big day, there are some things you should leave out.
Faith says those things are over the top décor and too many voices. "Décor should not be cluttered, keep it clean and elegant and make sure you get value for money. Secondly, bringing the whole family for ideas is a 'no'. It's your wedding, not aunt's wedding or your extended family's wedding. It is frustrating for the event planner and the bridal couple themselves when they bring the whole family because everyone wants to have an opinion," she adds.
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