up to 300,000 weddings expected in 2023, industry professionals saturated with requests

“Oh, I’m gorgeous!” Sonia, 31, looks at herself smiling in the mirror of a wedding dress shop in Boulogne-Billancourt. It’s time for the final touches: the big day will take place in early August in Portugal. “I postponed it for a year because of the Covidlaments the bride-to-be. But hey, afterwards, we say to ourselves that it’s still better to get married without a mask.

Sonia concedes that the situation was difficult in 2021 in Portugal. “We needed tests, masks … I did not want to submit this to my guestsshe explains. And then I had a lot of guests who were really scared.” Initially, 200 guests were planned to attend her wedding. In a month, there will be 157 around the newlyweds. “There is still a small decrease, but also because there are people who do not have vacation this year”she concedes.

Paul cherqui, the owner of the shop, recognizes that there is “a real traffic jam” This year. “There are the girls of 2019, 2020 and 2021 who couldn’t get married, who feel there is a breach and go there. And then there are all those who are getting married in 2023 and who did not push backcomments the trader. But hey, they have to start coming to try on dresses now… So that’s a lot of people, a lot of alterations, a lot of advice.”

“Honestly, I don’t like to say it, but I turn down two to three brides a day. I can’t have fun making promises I can’t keep.”

Paul Cherqui, manager of a wedding dress boutique in Boulogne-Billancourt

at franceinfo

Paul Cherqui is also worried about a shortage of deliveries, linked to the war in Ukraine, the country being one of the largest manufacturers of wedding dresses.

Regarding reception venues, there are many requests and few places. An additional difficulty for Mailys Hartmann, wedding planner. “This year, I have 18 weddings, whereas normally my capacity is a dozen”, explains the one who runs the agency “Paris en noces”. Caterers, but also photographers, are saturated with requests. “I have clients who have postponed until October, and I have others who are getting married on a Monday, when originally they were supposed to be getting married on a Saturday”says Mailys Hartmann.

“There is a saturation at the level of Saturdays which is the most requested date.”

Mailys Hartmann, wedding planner

at franceinfo

The one who will get married on a Monday is Marie: “My spouse proposed to me in 2019remembers the young woman. In relation to the Covid, we wanted to postpone the wedding for this year. And as the lights of the Covid-19 epidemic turn red in France, Marie began to make her recommendations to her guests, such as “start to wear the mask, to be very careful, to have their hydroalcoholic gel to, at least, have a D-day that goes as well as possible.”

For his part, Stéphane Seban, organizer of the Wedding Fair, which will be held on September 17 and 18 at Porte de Versailles in Paris, is delighted with the increase in the number of celebrations. “In 2022, we should go back a long way on figures from around ten years ago, around 250,000 marriages to come close to 300,000 for the 2023 season.he points out.. The postponements are due to the Covid, so of course, we should not then expect to have 250 or 300,000 marriages every year from 2024. This will surely not be the case, we will return to classic levels around from 220 to 230,000 marriages.”

This year, it is therefore the big catch-up to make people forget the 2020 season with this historically low number: only 154,600 marriages, according to INSEE.