'We only have a couple of dates left': Loosened restrictions spark wedding boom in Manitoba

 

Capacity limits, face masks and early last calls -- the pandemic forced many brides and grooms to postpone their vows, but now, the hard-hit wedding industry is catching a break with the loosening of health restrictions.

Brides-to-be filled the RBC Convention Centre on Sunday for the Wonderful Wedding Show, which is back after taking a pandemic break.

"Our last show was January 2020, so we had to cancel the '21 show, and then we postponed the January 2022 show to March now, and we're so happy, and all our vendors are so happy," said Sherri Rheubottom, the event's show manager.

The pandemic saw many brides and grooms to be decide to delay their big day rather than deal with rapidly changing health restrictions.

"The wedding industry was hit harder than any industry," said Rheubottom. "They rely on every single event, and when that happened, weddings were cancelled, a lot of weddings were postponed."

According to Rheubottom, attendance at Sunday’s event was at pre-pandemic levels, showing a glimpse of hope for the wedding industry.

Attending the show were Jasmin Wolf and her fiancé Simon Mitchell. The couple decided to hold their 100-person wedding in 2023 to avoid any chance of restrictions interfering.

"That kind of played a role into deciding to move into 2023 rather than 2022 with how much people have had to reschedule and flip around and make adjustments we are hoping to not have to do that," said Wolf.

With many couples postponing their nuptials, related businesses like wedding planners are now receiving calls from couples wanting to make up for lost time.

"Since January, we've been seeing the calls," said Emma Singh, a wedding planner at her company Emma Singh Creative. "I think with the loosening of the restrictions and now the restriction the mask leaving on March 15th here in Winnipeg, we anticipate it to get even busier."

It's a similar story for wedding venues like the Inn at the Forks.

The hotel said interest has picked up dramatically in the last six months, with non-stop inquiries coming in the last two, offering an important chance to make up for business lost during the restrictions.

"They've been hard on the business, and it's been unfortunate that people had these plans that then all of a sudden they weren't able to go through, so it's nice to see it," said Mike McLean, the hotel's executive sales manager.

Southwood Golf and Country Club said it's also seen an increase in calls.

"Weddings are filling up for sure. We only have a couple of dates left, especially for next year," said Bridgette Scott, who was representing Southwood at the wedding show.

The loosening of restrictions is an exciting chance for both couples and businesses alike.

"Because they've had so many restrictions, they're actually even more flexible with what we're looking at and what we're needing as a couple for our day," said Wolf.