Weddings are up 30% over last year

It’s not your imagination. There really are lots more weddings happening this year than there were last year.

According to a recent article in The Washington Post, Americans are expected to host 2.5 million weddings this year. That’s a healthy 30% increase over last year, and the highest figure in nearly four decades, according to the National Association of Wedding Professionals.

All over the country, we are rebounding from the pandemic, and ready to celebrate all kinds of major life events, especially weddings. And – we’re doing them bigger and better than ever!

Average spending on weddings went up 25% last year, to more than $27,000, according to The Knot, a popular wedding information source. As a direct result, wedding venues and services are so over-booked, they’re having to turn potential customers away – especially during popular wedding weekends in Spring, Summer and early Fall.

The take-away? Book your event with your caterer and your ideal venue as early as possible.

Pro tips from Jacqueline Bols, owner of Jacquie’s Gourmet Catering:

• Be as flexible as you can with your wedding date. Friday and Saturday evenings are great, but so are Saturday and Sunday mid-afternoons.
• Be open as to where your event can be held. As a caterer, I know of all kinds of under-the-radar venues that might be ideal for your wedding. Tell us what kind of place you are interested in (Country-chic barn? Downtown trendy? Gorgeous outdoors? Castle-feel?) and we’ll give you some leads you may not have thought of.
• You’ll want to be sure to nail down tables, chairs and tents, too. Everything like this is in shorter supply this year.
• Reserve wedding officiants early, too. They are in short supply and the good ones are already very busy. (Again, if you need help with this, we have ideas).
• Not only do you want to reserve caterer, venue, officiant and supplies early, but you also want to get your invitations out early. We heard from one customer that she had 4 weddings to attend on the same weekend.

This year, the early bird gets the w—wedding they want!

Let us help you plan your wedding reception soon! (We still have a few weekend dates open this summer, but they are getting spoken for quickly.)