“How wedding vendors have channelled creativity and resiliency to weather the pandemic”
By: Gayle MacDonald
In 2020, Canada’s wedding industry lost more than $1.6-billion as couples scrambled to postpone, cancel or downsize their big day. Ontario took the biggest hit, losing $780-million, according to the insurance platform Hellosafe.ca, followed by Quebec ($257-million) and British Columbia ($158-million).
“Our sector was cut off at the knees,” says Tracey Manailescu, co-founder of the 8,500 member Wedding Planners Institute of Canada. “Wedding venues have gone bankrupt, decor rental companies have sold their inventories and closed shop, and hundreds of people, almost all self-employed, have been put out of work. Now we’re all holding our breath to see what happens next.”
As a new wedding season begins, vendors across the country share how they have coped with the last 15 months. What emerges is a snapshot of resilient, creative people who survived by switching gears.
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