The RI Wedding Industry’s 2021 Comeback

One year ago, we talked with small business owners in the local wedding and event industry whose work shifted dramatically as COVID-19 gripped the region, the country, and the world. Rhode Island wedding professionals in particular were in a precarious position, juggling clients postponing their big day to an unknown future date, couples who slashed their guest counts and hosted micro-weddings, and those who quietly wed and hoped for a bigger post-pandemic celebration, or simply gave up the dream of a large wedding. Since Gov. McKee lifted all remaining capacity restrictions this past May, the industry has been all systems go.

Photographer Sara Zarrella and her business partner Dan Phillips worked every weekend throughout 2020, but the entire industry was in constant flux and looked remarkably different. “It was a mix of extreme downsizing – I’m talking weddings down to five people – as well as complete cancellations with other couples sliding into those spots. You name it. And on the administrative side, scheduling, rescheduling, redoing contracts, cancelling, and downsizing took triple the amount of time. The thing about photography in this industry is, whether it’s two people or 200, we’re working,” says Zarrella. This year, she says, inventory is scarce at best, prompting couples to consider mid-week weddings or delay until 2022 – or beyond. “The industry is booming and there are only so many dates. We are booked solid this year and sadly turning people away,” she says. The pandemic was the impetus that inspired these photographers to launch a long-considered podcast, Wedding Secrets Unveiled! (Zarrella hosts, Phillips produces), which features insights and advice from predominantly Rhode Island-based industry professionals. Navigating weddings during COVID organically manifests in many of their conversations.

When we spoke to makeup artist Allison Barbera, who manages a team of 18 independent contractor makeup artists, around this time last year she had just co-founded the Rhode Island Coalition of Wedding Vendors Facebook group. The group brought industry professionals together digitally to advocate for opening up capacity restrictions with health procedures in place in order to have safe weddings and events. The group evolved into the Rhode Island Coalition of Wedding & Event Professionals (RICWEP), now under the leadership of Luke Renchan of Luke Renchan Entertainment, and it continues to connect small business owners, provide resources, and advance industry interests.

Barbera says today, the wedding business is thriving in Rhode Island. “We are doing usually four to five weddings on weekends now … We’ve had weddings on a Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday,” she reveals. “It’s not rare to get a Wednesday inquiry now and that used to be very uncommon.” She says that since March, demand steadily increased and that now, she turns down work every single day. Bookings into 2022 are robust, she adds, and inquiries for 2023 are coming in. “Things are good. I’m very tired, but things are good,” she says with a laugh. “I can’t complain after the revenue loss of 2020.”

Kate DeCosta, the chief operating officer of the Newport Experience, which includes OceanCliff and Regatta Place in Newport, in addition to the Schooner Aurora which is popular for wedding weekend experiences, says demand is high across the board. “We’re jamming two summers and the rest of the year into one, basically – double the volume we usually do,” says DeCosta. “We are almost fully committed through 2022.”