From cars to event supplies, everything is on backorder this year. We experienced a variety of shortages in the past year due to supply chain and employment issues nationwide and worldwide. Remember the toilet paper and disinfectant wipes shortage at the start of lockdown? What about the meat shortage a few months ago? Does it seem like your Amazon 2-day shipping takes closer to 4 days now? Since the widespread rollout of vaccines, you may have also experienced long wait times at restaurants due to restaurant industry employee shortages. While life may feel like it’s quickly going back to normal, there are still industry-wide shortages that could affect your wedding heading into the end of the year!

Tent Guys has you covered on the ins-and-outs of wedding planning, the shortages weddings are facing this year, and tips for how to ensure that you get everything you need before one of the biggest days and events of your life! 

Economists say that couples planning to marry in 2021-2022 should be prepared to pay more due this wedding season.

Budgets haven’t gone completely out of the window this year, but engaged couples are definitely taking a hit as they try to purchase and plan for their wedding. Across the economy, there have been fast-rising prices in a number of categories such as labor costs for servers and bartenders, equipment rentals, food, and travel.

Beyond that, after a year or more of lockdown, many weddings were postponed to this summer 2021. Love didn’t stop because the world locked down; love still won, proposals went on, and excited couples still emerged from the chaos excited to begin wedding planning and venue shopping, especially with the vaccine rollout bringing a positive outlook across the county. Having higher demand for items and fewer people in the workforce is causing industry wide-shortage, supply chain bottlenecks, and higher prices for consumers! 

This year may be one of the busiest and most competitive years for weddings we’ve seen in a long time, and widespread shortages are absolutely affecting couple’s budgets and their attempts to wed without breaking the bank! 

Wedding venues were the first sign of prices rising drastically.

As most couple’s largest cut of their budget and a huge factor in choosing a date, the wedding venue is a couple’s first big decision to make, as they have to put in a down payment to start their wedding planning. Couples typically spend between $12,000 to $14,000 on average for a wedding venue, with the price of venues increasing every year. However, this past year, wedding venues saw price hikes in the regions of 30% to 40%! 

Why the price hikes on venues?

Wedding venues took a hard hit on revenue last year. Some tried out micro weddings and elopements, but overall many weddings were rescheduled and canceled. This means that two years of weddings are occurring in 2021 – the demand is there for venues, and people are absolutely willing to pay for it. Venues are also able to use this year as an opportunity to make up for the revenue that they lost out on last year. 

If you’re a couple planning to marry this year and haven’t booked your venue, you need to make a decision quickly! Venues are filling fast with few weekend dates left. If you’re flexible, weekdays are typically cheaper and have broader availability. 

The nationwide flower shortage could set your wedding planning back if you’re not in the loop!

Spring and early summer are on the cusp of wedding season, and brides are facing an unexpected hurdle: flower shortages!

This shortage may not be as much of a media frenzy, but the flower shortage is a pretty complex topic, with a wide range of factors playing into the shortage. If your wedding is coming up this summer or in the next couple of months, you’ll want to start planning for your flowers not to make sure that you get what you want! 

What’s creating the flower shortage? 

You may have seen dramatic photos from Dutch auctions during March 2020 when there were stories and images of flowers and fields of flowers being destroyed as shipping lines came to a halt, stores closed, and most events were canceled. But flowers started to make a comeback midway through the pandemic – flowers brighten and liven up space, they connect us with nature and one another, even if we can’t be in person. Flowers are an essential agricultural product, and the flower industry is rather resourceful; quickly, they were able to navigate and adapt to shortages and supply chain limitations.

However, even as the demand for flowers started to increase again, the reality was simple: flowers take time to grow. The flowers supply couldn’t keep up with the demand, and unlike previous years, there were many things leading to that shortage. Lockdowns weren’t the only thing influencing farmers’ ability to continue to grow and produce flowers either. 

Many U.S. flowers are imported from South America, where a number of countries faced countless issues. From freezes and unexpected levels of snow in the winter, hurricanes, increased rainfall in the Andes, quarantine curfews in Ecuador, or even an airline business going under have all severely impacted the supply chain for flowers. Workers from Colombia had a lot of political unrest – a lot of the people that work at the farms can’t get to them because of roadblocks and major transportation systems getting shut down. 

What should you know if you’re in the process of booking your florist for a 2021-2022 wedding?

You may find that the quotes you’re receiving are higher than your other married friends might have received in years past or going above the budget you set for flowers initially. Florists aren’t price gouging to make money, but to maintain appropriate margins. 

Try to be flexible with specific flower requests, or be prepared to shop around. Your florist is likely doing their best to get you your desired flowers, but with supply chain issues, those are not a guarantee. 

Know that a talented florist is an artist! They will be able to create beautiful arrangements and garlands for you no matter what flowers and greenery they’re working with. Give yourself plenty of time and research to find a florist who is experienced, established, and eager to work with you to match the vision for your wedding day. 

Alternatives to fresh flowers on your wedding day

• Unconventional greenery via outdoor plants and house plants: This extremely sustainable option means that instead of cut flowers, you can stick to potted plants that will live beyond your wedding day. Succulents are extremely popular at the moment, perfectly durable in the heat and sun, and cheap plants that are aesthetically pleasing for those who love a sage green color scheme. Your live plants could potentially serve as party favors for your guests to take home as well, or you can create an indoor jungle with your wedding plants post-wedding.

• Faux flowers – Faux flowers are certainly cheaper than fresh flowers, and they retain a great resell value. You can find gently used faux flowers on resell sites like Facebook marketplace, yard sales, or bridal forums. If fresh flowers are still a valued part of your wedding day, you could always aim for a combination of fresh and faux – spend your money where it truly matters, such as on the bridal bouquet and corsages, versus table decorations. While it’s easy to get caught up in the tiny details, at the end of the day, your guests probably aren’t going to be sniffing or touching your greenery and flowers to make sure that they’re real or faux. or do a combination of fresh centerpieces and faux greenery, if you’re sticking to a budget.

What’s the impact of airlines not running as many flights for weddings in 2021?

Flights getting canceled are not only causing a PR nightmare for the airlines but also are impacting weddings! Flight cancellations this summer are linked to three major issues: bad weather, a labor shortage, and capacity problems. Unprecedented weather has led to delays, canceled flights, and higher flight prices. In turn, labor shortages have a lack of TSA workers and flight attendants that haven’t been able to match the ramp-up of customer demand.

Flight disruptions aren’t guaranteed, but make sure that your guests plan to arrive a day ahead of an event to combat any potential cancellations or delays. Direct flights are going to be the safest option to avoid missing connecting flights. 

Airline problems are also linked to shipping issues in the U.S. One of the major three airlines in South America went out of business last year during the height of the COVID outbreak. All of this contributed to a reduced amount of space for cargo shipping space. 

Prepare for increased prices on rentals, labor, and delivery costs.

If you have preferred vendors in mind for your wedding, get those booked early as well, and ask for a full list of prices associated with labor and delivery. With employment shortages everywhere from florists, services, venue workers, and delivery drivers, many vendors are having to charge more or pay more to staff to accommodate all of the weddings and events happening this year. Although some couples may be willing to go over budget and splurge on the wedding they’ve waited for throughout the pandemic, others may be unable. To stay on track for wedding planning in 2021, some couples may need to include more padding in their budget or reassess their entire wedding experience to prioritize where they want to invest their dollars. 

Rental companies went from a long period of little demand to increased demand beyond pre-pandemic levels. Dress rentals have increased every week since January. Supply chains globally have been backed up, especially by sea. It’s not totally clear if rental companies were able to bulk their inventory appropriately to match the wedding boom occurring right now.

With a national labor shortage, caterers, venues, and entertainers have no choice but to raise their prices in order to provide attractive wages to those returning to work. Vendors and planners have been working non-stop with clients throughout COVID, especially amidst ever-changing regulations to accommodate couples on their special day. 

Work with your local expert event planners at Tent Guys to plan your perfect wedding. 

Your team at Tent Guys has been at work throughout the past year to ensure that your events are executed seamlessly. We can help you save money by planning early, working with vendors, and reserving your wedding rentals ahead of time so that you have everything you want on your desired date. From tents, tables, and chairs, to stages, lighting, linens, and more, we have a comprehensive catalog to serve all your wedding needs. Check out our rental catalog, and get in touch today with one of our event specialists to start planning your dream day!