Sudbury wedding planners expect new norm of smaller weddings to continue long past COVID

When Robert and Tina Provencherstarted started organizing "pop up" weddings back in 2018, they never imagined how a pandemic would soon make that style of wedding so much more common.

Robert Provencher describes pop up weddings as scaled down weddings, with typically fewer than 25 guests. Provencher, a Sudbury-based photographer, works with his wife, who is a wedding officiant, to offer simple, scaled back wedding ceremonies typically with several organized back to back at one venue on the same day.

When he started his venture with his wife, Provencher said he was responding to what he saw as "rising demand," for intimate, less costly weddings, without the fuss. Now that COVID-19 has thrown many wedding plans up in the air, Provencher said demand for their services has ticked up.

"Just a few weeks ago we booked a venue, small little historic chapel. And we had like 5 slots I think, and it sold out already. So that's a sign of where it's going. And we have other dates throughout August and September. Plus people are calling us all the time," Provencher said.

MeanwhileProvencher said he's had "virtually no calls or inquiries about the bigger weddings."

While the pandemic is currently contributing to couples' decisions around their wedding day, Provencher thinks the trend toward smaller ceremonies is one that will continue for years to come.

'The whole wedding dynamic has changed'

Provencher isn't the only one who sees a big future for small weddings. Wedding planner Nathalie Bleach said planning awedding during the pandemic has been a "guessing game."

But Bleach said there have been some positives. She said the shift to primarily outdoor weddings means she's now planning weddings in new locations, like at a maple farm and an alpaca farm. She said there's also a focus on smaller, more intimate weddings. And like Provencher, she thinks that's a focus that will remain even after the pandemic is over.

"We had last year weddings that were supposed to be 200 plus guests, scale down to under 50, and the bride and groom were so happy with the smaller, more intimate setting for their wedding. And they said you know what if we knew this was the experience we were going to get and give to our guests, we would have planned this like this right from the beginning," said Beach, who owns Black Tie Wedding and Event Planning in Sudbury.

Bleach said he's already booking weddings into 2023 none of which are for more than 100 guests.

"The whole wedding dynamic has changed where it's a lot more personal, it's a lot more unique, and it's a lot more intimate," Bleach said.

Disappointments and silver linings

For bride to be Josee Belanger, a small wedding wouldn't have been her first choice, since it means not all the members of her large family will be able to celebrate in-person with her and her fiance Shawn Sirman.

While Belanger said she feels somewhat "kind of deflated" and disappointed, she said she also seessilver linings to the fact that the couple now expects to host about 40 guests, rather than the nearly 300 they had originally planned for.

"It gets really expensive really fast. So in a sense it's a good thing to be able to save a little bit of money. But still definitely hurts that we can't bring everyone together and have the celebration that we want to have."

Because of the many changes to their wedding plans, Belanger said she and her fiance are currently trying to secure a new outdoor venue, and she still needs to find a dress. While they'd discussed the possibility of postponing, Belanger said they're committed to their early August date.

"We've been together for a long time, so whether it's grandiose or just small and tiny, then we're still going to go through with it."