RALEIGH N.C. (WNCN) – As if wedding planning wasn’t stressful enough, record inflation, gas prices and a backlog of postponed events have led to increased costs for couples.
For wedding planner and creative director for A Southern Soiree, Elizabeth Flake knows firsthand what it takes to put a pandemic wedding on. She got married in late 2021.
“I definitely can relate with our couples and everything they’re going through,” Flake said.
Her team is booked up helping couples create their dream day, with even more bookings than usual as some have waited two years to tie the knot due to COVID-19.
“Having multiple weddings each week is definitely a shift for our team and many of our vendors as well,” Flake said.
Flake also said it’s taking longer to order supplies and book venues and vendors. Her advice right now is for couples to be patient while planning.
“Be flexible in your dates in your venues and expect longer (than) average engagements,” Flake said.
But it’s not just the sheer volume of clients making this year a unique wedding season.
Increased costs due to inflation are creating challenges for vendors, too.
Stephanie Garrett, with Floral Dimensions, said she’s trying everything to not make couples take on the brunt of her increased operating costs.
“So, what we’re having to do is just make sure that we take really good stock of our cost of goods,” she said. “Inflation has absolutely affected supply chains, as far as the cost of the supplies that are coming in. Obviously, we’re dealing with gas prices going up as well.”
Finally, in a survey of 3,000 couples, by the wedding website Zola, it showed that 70 percent of couples are paying more for their weddings in 2022 than originally planned.