It’s a new era in the world of weddings
Words Jane Zatylny
Photography Lia Crowe
The COVID-19 pandemic has affected so many facets of our lives, but couples trying to tie the knot have faced particularly difficult challenges. In the first year of the pandemic, in particular, weddings were postponed, often multiple times, and uncertainty ruled the day.
Jane Carson and her husband Tyler Leblanc were engaged in 2019 and set to marry in September 2020.
“When the pandemic started in March, we thought we would be in the clear for September, but obviously we were not,” says Jane. “We kept trying to make the best out of a bad situation, but with the ever-changing restrictions, we found it very stressful to try to plan a wedding.”
Jane and Tyler had several small celebratory events along the way to the altar, including a party to celebrate the anniversary of their original wedding date with immediate family. Finally, on their third attempt, in August 2022, the Victoria couple married on the beach in Tofino.
“It turned out to be everything we wanted,” says Jane.
Cristina Fazio and Sam Powell, also from Victoria, became engaged in the summer of 2021. They’d seen friends forced to cancel and rebook their weddings, but they were hopeful that, with the first year of the pandemic over, they could keep their summer 2022 wedding date.
“We’d always intended to have a good-sized wedding, so we gambled that COVID would let us go through with our plans,” says Sam.
The couple tried to remain flexible and not to get too invested in what they were planning.
“If we couldn’t have had a larger wedding, we would have still kept the date,” adds Cristina.
Fortunately, they were able to proceed as planned with their August wedding.
“Couples now have so much appreciation that they can actually get married,” says Diane Hall, former president and publisher of Weddingbells and senior editor of WeddingWire Canada: “When they plan their weddings, they aren’t taking anything for granted.”
Here’s a look at wedding trends that will likely persist even after the pandemic is well and truly—we hope—in our rear-view mirrors.
Highly personalized weddings
Prior to 2020, wedding styles were heavily influenced by celebrities and influencers, says Diane.
Not as much today: “Couples are personalizing their weddings to a much greater extent and are far more intentional with their wedding spending, whether that takes the form of hiring a diverse wedding vendor team, supporting local suppliers and charities, or reducing their carbon footprint.”
We’re also seeing more “relaxed formal” weddings, she says: “Couples remain interested in stylish weddings, and using Instagram-worthy photography to document their wedding style remains a very important part of the day.”
Smaller guest lists
While a mandated requirement during the most serious days of the pandemic, smaller guest lists have remained popular with many couples, says Jessica Minnie, owner and creative director of Vancouver’s Petite Pearl Events.
“As people witnessed beautiful, intimate celebrations, they became more comfortable making that decision for themselves.”
Smaller guest lists also allow couples to create a more luxurious wedding experience for themselves and their guests.
Hiring professional help
Hiring a wedding planner is always a wise investment, even more so during uncertain times.
“With this decision, you will have experience in your pocket every step of the way and be able to enjoy the planning journey, as well as the weeks leading up to your wedding day and of course the wedding day itself,” says Jessica.
Wedding planners also help couples demystify vendor contracts and make sure cancellation policies are in place.
Flexibility
Wedding vendors have learned to build more contingency plans into their recommendations, knowing that things could change. For instance, that beautiful custom floral arch can now be used indoors or outdoors and moved around, says Diane.
“It may have been an altar first, but also can be positioned behind a wedding table or used as a backdrop for a photo booth.”
The return of elopements
Sara Laking, photographer/owner with Sara Spectrum in Tofino, has seen continued growth of elopements, or “mini-monies,” where it’s typically just the couple, the photographer, perhaps a wedding planner, and an officiant in attendance for the ceremony, and a party is held at a later time.
“There’s no distraction and they’re really able to relax,” she says. “It creates a very authentic experience.”
Jessica has seen more couples getting legally married before or after the actual ceremony.
“We encourage couples to make it legal during their rehearsal or privately immediately following the ceremony for a very special moment together, toasting a drink and getting some beautiful captures of this huge moment in their lives,” she says.
More outdoor weddings
At WeddingWire Canada, Diane has noticed that the outdoor setting remains very important to Canadian couples—and not just to prevent possible COVID-19 transmission.
“Outdoor weddings allow for a lot more creativity around decor, tent rentals and other details,” she explains. “Couples can have food trucks and mobile bars in old vintage trailers to create a festival vibe.”
Outdoor weddings also open up the possibility for aerial photography.
“It’s about really using Mother Nature to create that beautiful environment,” adds Diane.
Hybrid weddings
Travel bans originally led to this trend, but hybrid weddings appear to be here to stay, especially in cases where travel costs would be prohibitive for the guests.
“They also give the couple permission to have more of a luxury experience for their in-person event,” says Diane, adding that the virtual coverage can be quite elaborate and inclusive. “Couples can also create a signature cocktail and send their virtual guests a recipe for it or a gift package with a mini bottle of bubbly, wedding cake and party favour so they can feel part of the celebration.”
It’s party time
After the isolation of the first two years of the pandemic, couples and their guests are ready to let their hair down.
“This generation still really wants to get married,” says Diane. “While the onus is now more on the couple as to the safety measures they take, everyone wants to really celebrate.”
Cheers to that!
新冠疫情大流行影響到我們生活的方方面面，尤其對準備結婚的情侶們來説，更面臨重大挑戰。特別在疫情爆發後的第一年，不確定性令婚禮一再被推遲。
Jane Carson 和丈夫 Tyler Leblanc 2019 年訂婚，定於 2020 年 9 月結婚。
“當疫情在 3 月爆發時，我們以為推遲到 9 月應該沒問題，顯然並不如此，”Jane 說。“我們一直盡量在最糟糕的情況下做到最好，但隨著疫情限制措施的不斷變化，我們感受到巨大的壓力。”
於是，Jane 和 Tyler 在婚禮之前舉行幾次小型慶祝活動，包括與直系親屬一起慶祝他們最初結婚日期的週年紀念聚會。最後，在第三次的嘗試中，這對來自維多利亞的夫婦終於“如願以償”，於 2022 年 8 月在 Tofino 海灘上完婚。
同樣來自維多利亞的 Cristina Fazio 和 Sam Powell 在 2021 年夏天訂婚。看到朋友們紛紛被迫取消又重新預訂他們的婚禮，這對愛侶希望自己的婚禮可以如期進行。
“我們一直希望舉辦一個盛大的婚禮，所以賭了一把，希望可以按計劃進行。”Sam 說。爲了保持靈活性，他們提醒自己，不要對婚禮的計劃過于投入。
Cristina 補充說：“如果不能如願舉行大型婚禮，我們仍會保留這個日期。”幸運的是，他們的婚禮如期舉行。
前 《Weddingbells》總裁和出版商、《WeddingWire Canada》高級編輯 Diane Hall 說：“經歷了這一切，現在的伴侶對他們能夠真正結婚心存感激。”
疫情令婚禮發生變化，以下是當今趨勢，即使在疫情真正（我們希望）過去之後，這一趨勢仍會持續。
更具個性化
Diane 說，在 2020 年之前，婚禮的風格往往大受名人和有影響力人物的影響，今天則不然。
“新人更追求個性，無論是更加多元化的婚禮供應商、支持本地商家和慈善機構，還是減少婚禮的碳足跡，而且對婚禮的支出也更為謹慎。”
我們也看到更多 “輕鬆”的正式婚禮，她說：“新人們仍然對時尚婚禮感興趣，用 Instagram 風格的攝影來記錄婚禮成爲非常重要的部分。”
賓客名單少而精
Jessica Minnie 在溫哥華經營 Petite Pearl Events，兼任創意總監。她說，雖然在疫情最嚴重的日子裡，限制人數是強制性要求，但較小的賓客名單仍然大受歡迎。
“當賓客們體驗到這種親密、溫馨的慶祝活動時，他們更願意有一天自己也做出結婚的決定。”
小而精的賓客名單還可以為主人和賓客們帶來更為豪華的婚禮體驗。
聘請專業策劃師
雇用一名婚禮策劃師是一項明智的投資，尤其在充滿不確定的時期。
“有了婚禮策劃師，無論是在婚禮的準備，還是婚禮當天，每一步新人們都不用操心，讓他們更能夠享受這一過程，”Jessica 說。
婚禮策劃師還可以幫助新人處理好供應商的合同，確保取消條款的到位。
靈活性
婚禮供應商已經學會了在他們的建議中包括應急計劃。
例如，美麗的定製花卉拱門不僅同樣適用於室內外，還可以移動。
Diane 說：“它本身可能是個花卉拱門，但也可以放在婚禮桌後面，或用作拍照的背景。”
迷你婚禮
在 Tofino 經營婚慶公司的攝影師 Sara Laking 看到了迷你婚禮的回歸。通常只有一對新人、攝影師參加儀式，也許還有一個婚禮策劃師和一個司儀，然後另外舉行聚會。
“沒有分心，他們真的能夠放鬆。帶來一種非常真實的體驗。”她說，越來越多的新人在儀式前後舉行合法的婚禮。
這樣，新人可以度過一個非常特別的時刻，舉杯慶祝，並拍下許多美麗的照片，記錄他們生命中的重要時刻。
戶外婚禮
《WeddingWire Canada》的編輯 Diane 注意到新人們仍然熱衷於戶外環境，不僅僅是為了防止新冠病毒的傳播。
“舉辦戶外婚禮，在裝飾、帳篷租賃和其他細節方面可以更具創造性，比如將復古拖車設置成餐車和移動酒吧，創造一種節日氣氛。”她解釋道。
同時為空中攝影提供了可能性，“真正利用大自然來創造美麗的環境。”Diane補充說。
混合型婚禮
最初是旅行禁令導致了這一趨勢，但混合型婚禮(Hybrid weddings)似乎會繼續下去，特別是在旅行費用讓客人望而卻步的情況下。
“這種方式可以爲賓主帶來更多豪華體驗，”Diane 補充說，虛擬部分可以精心設計，更加周到和包容。“情侶們還可以發明一種標誌性的鷄尾酒，向他們的虛擬客人發送配方，或發送一個禮品包，包含迷你氣泡酒、婚禮蛋糕和派對禮品，這樣客人們感覺自己也是慶祝活動的一部分。”
派對時刻
在經歷兩年的疫情後，準備結婚的伴侶們和他們的親朋好友已經迫不及待。
Diane 說：“這一代人仍然很想結婚，哪怕要做足安全措施，其實每個人都想好好地慶祝一番。”
幹杯！
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