The Wedding Industry’s New Reality: Navigating the Post-Pandemic Challenges Together

The wedding industry has always been built on passion, creativity, and the joy of helping couples celebrate love. But
five years after the world shut down, many of us—venues, planners, florists, cake designers, photographers, and beyond—are still facing a much tougher market.

Weddings have changed. Fewer couples are getting married, budgets are tighter, and spending habits have shifted. Across the industry, we’re seeing:
• Venues with fewer bookings and last-minute confirmations
• Suppliers facing reduced spend, as couples opt for smaller cakes, scaled-down floral arrangements, and more selective services
• A shift towards mix-and-match packages, where couples pick and choose only the elements they deem essential
• Last-minute planning, making it harder to forecast income and secure bookings in advance

For many it feels, after the initial rush of rearranged weddings, like we’re still waiting for the bounce-back that hasn’t quite arrived. So, how do we move forward together?

1. The Reality: Fewer Weddings, Lower Budgets
The pandemic forced thousands of couples to rethink their wedding plans, and that impact is still being felt today.
• Marriage rates plummeted in 2020, and while they’ve risen since, they haven’t returned to pre-pandemic levels.
• People were not permitted to meet so we became more secular and didn’t meet or date this has had a delayed
knock on effect for weddings
• Many couples no longer see a big wedding as essential, choosing smaller, more intimate celebrations instead.
• The cost-of-living crisis and economic uncertainty mean couples are cutting costs wherever possible. For venues, this means fewer bookings and more pressure to offer flexible packages. For suppliers, it means clients are spending less, even if they still want quality services.

2. How Wedding Budgets Have Changed
The days of “all-in” wedding packages are fading. Couples are getting smarter about how they spend, opting for more
personalised, pick-and-choose options rather than traditional full-service offerings.
• Venues are seeing couples opt for dry-hire spaces over full-service packages, bringing in their own suppliers to
control costs.
• Florists are finding that lavish floral installations are being swapped for statement pieces that can be used in multiple
locations to make an impact without breaking the bank.
• Cake designers are seeing smaller, one/two-tier cakes rise in popularity, with dessert tables or simple cutting cakes
replacing towering multi-tiered designs.
• Photographers & videographers are facing shorter coverage bookings—fewer full-day packages and more
focus on just the ceremony and couple’s portraits. 

Couples still want a special day, but they’re prioritising what matters most to them and cutting out the extras.

3. The Shift in Wedding Timelines & Planning Habits
Another challenge? Last-minute bookings and shorter planning windows. Pre-pandemic, couples typically booked 12-24 months in advance. Now, many are making decisions within months— or even weeks—of their wedding day.
For suppliers, this means:
✔ More unpredictability in income and scheduling
✔ Fewer long-term bookings
✔ More pressure to be available on short notice
While this flexibility can sometimes work in our favour (filling last-minute gaps in our calendars), it also makes business planning, cash flow, and forecasting incredibly difficult.

4. How We Can Support Each Other in a Tougher Market
It’s no secret: the wedding industry is a harder place to be right now. Many suppliers are finding it difficult to sustain
pre-pandemic pricing and are having to adapt to new expectations and spending patterns. But instead of viewing each other as competition, now is the time to support, collaborate, and uplift one another.

Collaboration Over Competition
• Venues, recommend suppliers who are aligned with your pricing and service level.
• Photographers, connect with cake designers and florists to create styled shoots and shared marketing opportunities.
• Cake designers and florists, offer joint packages for couples looking for elegant but cost-effective solutions.

Educating Couples on Value, Not Just Price
Instead of just competing on cost, we need to help couples understand the value of expertise, quality, and experience.
Many don’t realise the amount of work that goes into what we do—so let’s educate them through:
• Social media & blog content showcasing behind-the scenes work
• Clear, transparent pricing breakdowns that explain what goes into their investment
• Building relationships with clients so they see us as partners, not just vendors
Standing Firm on Pricing While Offering Smart Solutions
Lower budgets don’t mean we should undervalue our work.
Instead, we can:
• Offer scaled-down options while maintaining quality
• Create tiered pricing structures that give couples choices without compromising craftsmanship
• Emphasise the importance of expertise—help couples see that a cheaper alternative isn’t always better

5. The Future: Will the Wedding Industry Bounce Back?
The good news? People will always get married. While weddings may look different, the demand is still there—it’s just shifting. The couples who are choosing to celebrate are still looking for incredible experiences, beautiful designs, and expert suppliers. Our challenge is to evolve with them.

As an industry, we’ve survived one of the toughest periods imaginable. The only way forward is together—lifting each
other up, sharing opportunities, and ensuring we all make it through to see better days ahead.

Let’s Keep Supporting Each Other

If you’re a wedding supplier or venue feeling the strain, you’re not alone. Talk to someone you align with in the industry, my door and in box is always open or give me a call, just keep talking to someone. Let’s keep working together, sharing recommendations, and supporting each other’s businesses—because when one of us thrives, we all do.