2022, the year of weddings? | The Press

For two years, the pandemic has upset the plans of the wedding industry and those who wish to formalize their union. With the evolving health situation, 2022 may well see many celebrations finally taking place.

Olivia Levy
The Press

The pandemic has halved the number of marriages in 2020 compared to 2019. You have to go back to 1903 to find such a low figure.

After two years of upset plans, will 2022 be the year of all weddings? “Yes, definitely! exclaims Geneviève Tardif, future bride and host at Radio-Canada Sports. The young woman was to marry in the summer of 2020 with her husband Charles Hamelin, three-time Olympic champion in short track speed skating, but the couple postponed their marriage to 2021, then again to 2022. “Whatever the situation sanitary, it will be in 2022, we will adapt according to the regulations, whether it is with 25, 50 or 150 people, it will be June 25! she says enthusiastically.

“We want to do it big, 150 people are planned, but if we have to reduce to 25, we are ready. The 25 people know about it, they are our parents, our brothers and sisters, the celebrant is my friend Jean-Charles Lajoie, our bridesmaids and groomsmen, that’s all. We can’t wait! We realize that we have to adapt, we are not going to wait ten years to get married! “, says the one who is also the ambassador of the second Salon of virtual conferences on marriage which ends this Sunday.

In 2020, 11,300 marriages were celebrated, a decrease of half compared to 2019, when there were 22,250. For 2021, the figure rises to 11,050 unions for the months of January to September, according to the Institute of Statistics of Quebec.

Several ceremonies planned

“Maybe it will be three years in one! Everything is booked for this summer. I organized 4 weddings in 2021, and 18 weddings are planned for this year, ”underlines wedding planner Valérie Bigras. “We have a lot of hope for this year, people are vaccinated, which is required in the reception halls,” she says, stressing that couples must be vigilant before signing contracts these days. -this. “We must be careful when booking services and add a COVID-19 clause, to protect the bride and groom and suppliers if we have to cancel. »

Maryse Noël, wedding planner at Maryse Création, is also optimistic. She has 25 weddings planned for the summer of 2022, and is already planning events for 2023. “My marquees are booked and we hope everything will be maintained, because it is not easy for the wedding industry at the moment. I myself became a real estate broker to be able to do this. »

“In times of a pandemic, it’s easier to be outside, there are more possibilities. Last summer, we could be up to 50 people [25 à l’intérieur]. I have organized a few weddings this way, especially in parks, and other weddings in October, under a marquee with heaters! “, she says.

Events reviewed

Obviously, those who wish to get married soon must be flexible. “The bride and groom know that there may be changes and do not want to postpone their nuptials indefinitely. It all depends on whether there are a lot of guests and if they come from abroad, it becomes more complicated, recalls Maryse Noël. I have newlyweds who did the ceremony last summer in a small group, and who are organizing the reception next summer! »

Valérie Bigras points out that the couples who maintained their marriage in 2021 did so in a more intimate way, with fewer guests. The others who wanted to have a big party with 200 people and who did not want to reduce the number of guests postponed the event until next summer. Among the postponed marriages, she observes that some future bride and groom had babies, but that no couple separated.

Many of them, however, have experienced roller coaster emotions. “I played the psychologist a bit, I supported certain couples who were disappointed. I stayed in contact with them all year,” says Valérie Bigras, who tries to put the situation into perspective.

For Geneviève Tardif, a wedding must remain an exceptional day, even if the plans had to be reviewed. “A wedding is once in your life, it’s important for Charles and me. It is an event that deserves to be celebrated. I admit that I cried the first year, I had chosen my dress with my mother, the invitations were sent, the caterer and the DJ chosen. It breaks your heart, because we are so excited to organize this day. At the time, I was sad, but today I see it in a very positive way, ”she confides.

Two years later…

Geneviève Tardif and Charles Hamelin have a little girl, Violette, born on April 23, 2020, in the midst of a pandemic. “She will be a little over 2 years old at our wedding after all! “says Geneviève Tardif.

The year 2022 is very intense for the couple of bride and groom. “There are the fifth and last Olympic Games of Charles, and I realize a dream too, I will comment on freestyle skiing during the Olympics on ICI Radio-Canada Télé. It will be very emotional in every way. Finally, it’s good that everything has already been organized for two years, we just have to say yes! “, she says.

Does she have any advice for couples who have had or must postpone their wedding due to the pandemic? “It’s good to stay open and adapt! Be positive, you will be happy no matter the situation. The important thing is to celebrate our love, to celebrate this beautiful moment. »

Geneviève Tardif thinks that after these two years of waiting, the celebration will be even more moving. “It made us even stronger as a couple! We became parents, we want to have other children, the pandemic will not come to the end of our love. No way ! And I’m going to marry a young Olympic retiree. Which was not the case two years ago! »