Weddings Are Back In SLO County, And Vendors Are Flooded With Bookings

Due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, there have been several restrictions imposed in various parts of the world. Many industries that were drastically impacted are now slowly starting to revive.

One such industry that has faced a significant setback is the wedding industry. With increased social distancing guidelines, the pandemic has led to a major slow down with many couples postponing their big day or even canceling.

In addition, all the people involved in an individual’s wedding, including caterers, photographers, etc., have experienced significant loss. Let us read about one such experience in California’s San Luis Obispo County.

Overview

In March of 2020, the increasing restrictions in California due to the pandemic completely shattered the county’s wedding industry. Some people have even experienced divorces, as they felt it was not meant to be for them. If you have ever witnessed such a case in the state of California, be sure to consult the Santa Rosa Divorce Lawyer of Conway Law Trial Attorneys to help you.

Many vendors often survived on paycheck protection programs, loans, or savings, whereas others had to find new means of employment.

The day of June 15th came as a sign of relief to most benders of California, as the state government decided to reduce most of its restrictions, swinging the wedding industry back into action.

Most of the weddings which were scheduled before the pandemic were rescheduled for 2021 and 2022, thus flooding vendors with requests for those services.

As mentioned above, a wedding involves different service providers including bakers, photographers, DJs, etc.

It is important to recognize how each and every sphere was impacted by the COVID virus, and how each group has regained their business today.

Important Groups For A Wedding And Their Experiences With The Pandemic

1. Bakers

For any couple, a wedding cake is the main focal point on their big day. With the advent of the pandemic, many brides had to postpone, cancel, or even downsize their wedding, causing losses across the state.

After an immense search for an alternative source of income, thank you boxes became a trend for most wedding bakers.

Each box contained pastries or delicacies ordered by customers through a mobile application, which were then sent to them following strict protocols of the pandemic. Despite the positive response, many bakeries faced an insufficient amount of funds to keep them afloat.

If we were to compare how the wedding baking business was before and after the pandemic, it is important to recognize the fact that earlier weddings had large decorated dessert bars and cakes.

Now, each attendee of a wedding gets an individual grab-and-go box of wedding delicacies to cherish the momentous occasion. This proved to be more fruitful than the latter.

2. Caterers

When the pandemic hit, many caterers were asked to shut down immediately. Due to this, they faced a significant loss of funds. As the pandemic disrupted supply lines significantly, wedding food was relatively expensive than other types of food. As a result, people were not satisfied, as they didn’t want to pay additional charges for wedding food.

However, after a dormant year, there was a spike in weddings, which bombarded caterers with several bookings.

At this time, many caterers found it a challenge to find staff that could work on a compensation basis.

3. Photographers

The COVID pandemic has caused many photographers to face constant losses, as they couldn’t procure clients.

Earlier, if a couple booked a photographer, they tended to pay approximately 30% of the overall cost as a down payment.

Now, the pandemic has caused photographers to alter their contracts so that they can keep the inflow of this 30%.

With the loosening of COVID restrictions, many photographers have started to take up part-time clients, and book full-time clients once they are financially stable.

4. DJ’s

Music has always been a part of any wedding to increase the overall experience for its guests. Many DJs have officiated that before COVID, it was their best time as they had constant events scheduled.

When 2021 rolled over, many DJs and musicians had to reconsider their decisions. Currently, the DJ industry has been fluctuating, and many DJs hope to be playing full-time music soon.

5. Hairdressers And Salons

The last but not the least impacted industry is the beauty industry. As most hairdressers and salons start out to be small businesses, they tend to receive limited support and protection from the government. This was the same when the pandemic hit.

For many hairdressers, they had to look for alternative jobs to pay the rent and commission for the products being bought. In fact, many hairdressers experienced numerous devastating emails or phone calls from brides who had to cancel their weddings.

However, in May of 2020, the state of California allowed its hairdressers and stylists to carry out their services on a limited basis indoors, after which they resumed on a full-scale basis both indoor and outdoor weddings.

Conclusion

Due to the current pandemic situation, the wedding industry has been facing immense challenges to regain its originality. However, with the help of a supportive community, each and every team is pushing hard to work back with brides again.