If I could warn couples planning a 2022 wedding of one thing it would be this: You’re still planning in a Covid environment.

Mask mandates may have lifted and social distancing restrictions have loosened, but the wedding industry is going to be experiencing the effects of the global pandemic for at least a few more years. Why? 2020 couples postponed to 2021 or later, while 2021 couples have postponed to 2022 or later, essentially flooding the wedding market.

This doesn’t mean you can’t have your dream wedding! It just means you’re going to need to take a few things into consideration when planning a post-pandemic wedding.

1. Venues are Filling Up

More couples pushing their wedding into your year means you’re going to need to book out your wedding venue as soon as possible. You’re not only competing with other recently engaged couples, but other couples who got engaged back in 2019 and are still waiting to have their big day.

Working with a wedding planner is even more important than ever before as we navigate a crowded, high-demand wedding market.

2. Florals + Sanitizer

After there was no need for tons of flowers in 2020 (so sad!), farmers didn’t have the need to plant as large of flower crops as usual, since they were all ending up unused and in the trash. This has resulted in a floral shortage that means your favorite blooms may not be available, or if they are, you may be paying top-dollar as there is a significantly high demand for flowers right now.

If florals are a big part of your wedding vision, you’ll need to budget more than usual to pull off your décor plan. You’ll also need to be willing to be flexible with your floral choices.

And then there’s the sanitizer! Sanitization stations are becoming a more normal, expected part of wedding tables. These don’t have to be ugly, utilitarian stations though. Work with your planner to create dressed-up sanitizing stations or embellish miniature bottles with your colors, monogram, or wedding date. Treat mini-hand sanitizer as a favor – it’s so post-2020.

3. Micro Weddings

Micro weddings have been popular for years, but they’ve found an uptick in popularity due to the pandemic and all of the restrictions involved with hosting large gatherings. Many couples have found the pandemic forced them to focus on what really matters – hello, it’s your love! – and are enjoying more intimate celebrations.

There is no one way to pull off a micro wedding, so talk to your partner- and your wedding planner- about crafting an intimate wedding that fits your style, personality, and expectations!

Edited to add: We spoke with Paperless Post – the leaders in digital wedding invitations – after this article was published and they agreed with a lot of what we mentioned above! They also brought us some hard facts that THEY are seeing as a result of the pandemic:

• 31% of weddings during Covid included virtual guests before vaccines became available
• 14% of couples pushed their wedding out 12 months or more 
• There is now an average of 70 or less in-person wedding guests versus the average of 75-150 guests prior to Covid-19

If you love statistics as much as we do (we are wedding planners after all!), make sure to read more about their findings here. As Washington DC wedding planners, we always work hard to stay up to date on the latest trends and industry research.

If you need assistance navigating all of this (and more) when planning your 2022 wedding, my team and I are here to help! I think the general consensus here is: don’t plan your 2022 wedding alone.