This browser does not support the Video element.
2022 wedding outlook
Wedding venues are so jammed with bookings for 2022 that many couples are looking at dates in 2023 instead.
Steve Squitiro predicts that 2022 will be a record-breaking year for the wedding industry.
"Everyone is saying the same thing right now — they don't have the day the demand is outweighing the inventory," Squitiro, the president of The Piermont, told FOX 5 NY.
His venue, located on the waterfront in Babylon, is busier than ever. They're swamped with newly engaged couples looking to book plus nearly two years' worth of postponed weddings from the pandemic.
"We just don't have the ability to fill them. The dates are just gone. At this point, the shoppers that are coming in now are really for '23, they've given up on '22," Squitiro said. "Everyone is pretty much looking at '23 and beyond."
Jenna Grippe and her fiancé Giuseppe rescheduled their wedding at The Piermont from March 2021 to this coming March.
"It gets very upsetting because at that point this is supposed to be one of the happiest days of my life," Grippe said. "It's no longer and it's no longer happy, it's taking the fun out of it. No one wants a virtual bridal shower."
With so many other COVID brides in the same boat, she said working out a new date with all her vendors was a scheduling nightmare but she somehow managed to get it done.
"Calling each person and having to have them get back to me with what their availability was, could they still do that day, and then there were multiple days that I had," Grippe said.
Even with the increased demand for weddings, Squitiro said nothing can make up for the hardships of all the business lost over the past two years.
Get breaking news alerts in the free FOX5NY News app | Sign up for FOX 5 email newsletters