Local wedding venues say they're getting ready for a very busy season ahead

With pandemic restrictions gradually lifting, some Waterloo region wedding venues say 2022 will be a busy year as they try to get through a massive backlog of weddings and events.

Many coupleschose to reschedule their weddings due topandemic mandates, restrictions andcapacity limits.

Kyle Priestly, co-founder and creative director atGas Light Events Companyin Cambridge, said theywereable tohost a few weddings in the summer of 2021 when some capacity limits and restrictions eased, but on-and-off pandemic measures havebeen tough on business. This year, however, the venue has over 100 weddings and events booked.

"We donot have any weekends available," Priestly said. "Looking into 2023, I think we should have our backlog fulfilled and looking forward to some new bookings."

Priestly saidthecompany's event and wedding venue, Tapestry Hall, will host some weddings this year that were booked in 2018, when the venue was still under construction.

"Some of the weddings we booked here were when we were still a dirt pit and selling weddings on a rendering of what the space would look like," he said. "[We're] constantly meetings with brides to remind them of what they booked two years ago."

At Steckley Heritage Farm in Kitchener, staff there are also preparingfor what is expected to be a busy wedding season ahead.

Christopher Jupp, executive director,said theyhave less than 10 available spots for this year's wedding season, and with morecapacityrestrictions easing, he said it's good news for their business and for couples.

Juppsaid that this year, they'llbe able to host weddings ofup to 120 people the number his staff and their catering partners are comfortable working with, as it allows for social distancing.

"We took direction from our caterers because we wanted to make sure that they are safe," he said, notingthe venue also requiresproof of vaccination or a negative COVID-19 test.

Increasing capacity'bittersweet' for some couples

Though the lifting of pandemic restrictions means weddings can have more guests, Juppsaid people may opt to keep theirweddings smalldue to inflation.

"Prices are going up per head now for a wedding and Ithink that's putting a strain in people's ability to want to increase [numbers] because it's no longer $80a head and for some people it might be $110a head and that may be out of some people's budget, especially if they were laid off."

Jupp said his venue has also had to increaseprices and staff pay.

"We still get a lot of interest, but the time of having a wedding at $3,000to rent the barn for 12 hours is long gone," he added. "I suppose that's the bittersweet of people increasing their numbers. It's going to be at an increased price."

Stephanie Soulis, chief executive officerofLittle Mushroom Catering in Cambridge, said it's been challenging having to balance increasing their prices, while remaining affordable for people.

"We don't want to price ourselves out of the market, but at the same time we have to make sure our costs are covered and we'reliving wage employers as well," Soulis said.

Shesaid most of their food and ingredients are locally sourced, andshe'shad a few supply chain "hiccups" with getting certain items in the quantity they need.

"There are supply chain issues, but on top of that, costs of meats, especially our sea food ... has gone up in price."

Despite that, Soulis said, demand for caterers is still strong. They will be growing their team this yearand have had to turn some people away because they are bookedwith weddings during the busy months of June and September.