DALLAS (CBSDFW.COM) – Ready to say “I do?” Well it seems more couples than ever are in the same boat.
A nationwide wedding boom is being felt in the Dallas-Fort Worth area after a year of lockdown has resulted in couples from the past two years finally rescheduling their big day or, in some cases, having another big day.
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“For us, having two weddings was the answer,” said 2020 bride Rachel Williams.
She and her fiancé got engaged in 2019, scheduled their dream wedding for June of 2020 and, like many others, met the pandemic with surprise.
“We realized, it’s not going to happen, so what’s plan B?” she said.
A few months later they had an intimate ceremony by Possum Kingdom lake. But now, they want the real deal.
A second wedding, this time around with friends and family, will be held this Saturday a year later.
Her wedding planner, Kari Loth, of Southern Bash weddings says she’s never seen the wedding business this booming.
“I had so many COVID rescheduled brides. Plus, everyone seems to be getting married now. I have double the clients this year than I have had in years past,” Loth said.
She says it’s the couples from 2019, 2020 and now 2021 all competing for the same services.
“I already have brides for 2022 on my books… that is completely not typical at all,” she said. “And all the small towns around DFW all the wedding vendors… they are booked up to 2022”
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But the wedding boom doesn’t end with more brides and busy wedding planners, it’s an entire industry.
“A lot of times we’re coming in early and leaving late,” said Catherine Freeman, manager of Dallas’ Warren Barron Bridal.
“Basically it’s bride, after bride, after bride each day,” she said.
Warren Barron has seen a 40% increase in sales with brides coming to buy gowns from all over the nation.
“We have brides from New York, brides from California, people who probably wouldn’t have otherwise bought their wedding dress here… have been since Texas has been open for so long,” she said.
Popular venues, like Dallas’ Hotel Crescent Court, plan to finish the year with double the weddings of their best year on record.
“[The courtyard] is our most popular space for wedding ceremonies because it’s outdoors so they could happen under CDC guidelines,” said Anthony DiGiovanni of Hotel Crescent Court.
They are booked every Saturday until the end of the year.
“We have been booked up since 2019 on the 2021 days,” DiGiovanni said. “It’s not this common to have every single Saturday booked this far out,”
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If you plan to get married in the next year or so, they all say to be flexible, look for alternative arrangements if necessary and if you aren’t willing to sacrifice a venue or a date, possibly prepare for a longer engagement.
