The pandemic crimped the wedding industry. Now, business is booming.

After COVID wiped out weddings in 2020, the industry is back and booming, but the bump might be a blip on the longer trend line.

It’s a good time to be in the wedding business.

The pandemic crimped the wedding industry. Now, business is booming.

While COVID lockdowns wiped out the wedding season in 2020, the industry has recovered sharply, creating a flurry of business for vendors, per The New York Times.

The boom is expected to last beyond this year

While many of these ceremonies are socially-distant “micro-weddings,” not everybody is cutting back, which brings good news for vendors.

Independent research firm Wedding Report expects the average price per wedding to rise through 2023:

  • 2021: 1.93m weddings, average spend of $22.5k
  • 2022: 2.47m weddings, average spend of $24.3k
  • 2023: 2.24m weddings, average spend of $24.9k

Increased spending could be due to a number of factors, including couples saving up during the pandemic, stimulus checks from the government, and the surging stock market.

But the boom may actually be a blip

Wedding Report expects 2022 to have the most ceremonies since the 1980s before settling back to pre-COVID numbers, which weren’t exactly on the upswing.

Data from the National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS) maps the decline in marriage rates along the following timeline:

  • 1982-2009: Marriage rates declined steadily
  • 2009-2017: Marriage rates stabilized
  • 2017-2018: Marriage rates dropped 6% to the lowest rate recorded between 1900 and 2018

One boom may lead to another

Since many couples wait to get married before having children, a baby boom could be next.

Recent data reported across multiple states hints at a turnaround from early in the pandemic when birth rates were declining.

With that in mind, it may not be a bad time to brush up on your babysitting skills.

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