It’s been almost 3 months now since covid-19 became a very real thing to many of us. During that time, so much has changed. Initially there was a lot of positivity with most of us believing that in a couple of weeks time this would have all blown over. We held the genuine belief that things would be back to reality within a month and that weddings would be taking place again in May. Looking back that feels like blind hope as we’re now 3months down the line with still so much uncertainty surrounding when “normal” will be here, if ever. All we know is that this summer is a wipe out. All our weddings until September so far have either cancelled, rescheduled, or have back up dates in place. We’re very much hoping that by then, there will be even a hint of normal. But what happens to a photographers schedule when 80%+ of their bookings for 2020 want to move to 2021? Lots of couples who were initially hoping to marry in 2021 are now asking themselves: “Will wedding photographers be fully booked for 2021?” And it’s a fair question.
Will wedding photographers be fully booked for 2021?
For many wedding suppliers, 2020 was a busy year anyway. Lots of couples lusted after the “2020” date and this brought a wave of bookings. Additionally, by the time covid-19 hit in the UK it was already prime booking time for 2021 weddings. Many wedding suppliers book around 18 months in advance. So when things went into lockdown in March, 2020, a lot of wedding suppliers already had pretty healthy looking diaries for 2021. This has caused complications for everyone. For wedding suppliers, it’s meant that many of the most desirable dates in the calendar are already gone. This is especially true for wedding venues who book even further in advance. Usually 2-3 years ahead of time.
So as much as wedding suppliers on the whole have wanted to help their couples move their date, sometimes there just hasn’t been the availability there other than weekdays. For lotsĀ of couples it’s meant compromising on their dream day. Either having to move to weekday weddings when they wanted a weekend date, or sticking with the date they want and losing out on their first choice suppliers. It’s been a difficult time for everyone.
Good news for couples getting married in 2021
However, there is some good news for couples who want to get married in 2021. All is not lost! The great thing about the wedding industry (for couples) is that it’s quite a saturated industry in most areas. That means you have lots of choice when it comes to suppliers. If one florist isn’t free, there will be someone else who is- and so on. This may mean a lot more digging, research and googling, but you will find someone. Lots of wedding suppliers are also very helpful. If we receive an enquiry for a date we aren’t free for, we’ll usually reply with a list of other wedding photographers in Staffordshire that we would recommend. If none of our usual recommendations are available, we’ll often post to a wider community of photographers and pass along names. This then helps couples avoid having to send mass emails only to get lots of replies which say “sorry, already booked!”
So if you were hoping to get married in 2021, there’s no need to put your plans on hold just yet. There will be venues and plenty of suppliers who still have availability. Yes it will be an incredibly busy year for most established wedding professionals, but after an unwanted summer season sat on the sidelines, most of us are raring to go and get back to doing what we love.
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