Richmond wedding planners embrace skyrocketing need from couples

Richmond wedding planners, who had to push back their businesses due to COVID-19 last year, are seeing an increasing demand for wedding appointments. 

Provincial health officials announced earlier this year that outdoor gatherings with up to 50 people would be allowed in B.C. as it moved into step three of the B.C.'s restart plan. 

Richmond wedding planner Tong Wu said the demand has been rising dramatically as couples rush to tie the knot. 

"I think there is going to be an explosion for wedding bookings and other similar events. Many couples who ended up wedding simply without crowds plan to get married again through inviting people to attend in-person receptions," said Wu. 

Wu is also planning to hire more staff to keep up with the increasing demand from clients. 

"I got through last year via technology and video conferencing tools. Now we need staff to help with the wedding and make room on the schedule to fit all couples' needs," said Wu. 

However, Wu said the pandemic also changed many people's lifestyles, with some preferring to get married in private with their parents tuning in online to celebrate their joy. 

In early February, Executive Hotel Vancouver Airport, on Westminster Highway, partnered with wedding event planner Alice Fung to offer "pop-up weddings" to engaged couples who still want to get married despite the pandemic restrictions. 

Maswood Schah, national director of sales at Executive Hotel Vancouver Airport, said they have seen an influx of business for wedding bookings in August. 

Another wedding planner, Bella Chi, said overall, that although the demand for weddings has increased, travel restrictions and quarantine rules are still preventing some customers from entering Canada from Asia. 

"(The parents) would rather wait a bit until everything comes back to normal instead of flying out directly," said Chi.