HARTFORD, Conn. -- During the pandemic, many couples went without a huge wedding -- or getting married at all. Now, some four years later, the bashes currently being planned are bigger and better than ever.
Wedding professionals had thought that micro weddings -- or weddings with less than 50 guests -- would stick around. The smaller size allowed for intimate celebrations with close family and friends, personalized touches and budget-friendly catering costs.
However, the brides and grooms of 2024 are ready to party down.
According to Connecticut wedding planner Lisa Antonecchia of Creative Concepts by Lisa, it's not uncommon for weddings to have 10-14 bridesmaids and groomsmen along with guest lists topping 175 people and sometimes as large as 300 people.
"We really feel like people just kind of leapt out of their homes and are ready to party," Antonecchia said. "We're seeing wedding party sizes grow as well. Lots of flower girls and ring bearers, children galore and even add in grandma as your flower girl."
Antonecchia said she has seen larger guest lists and wedding party sizes since even before the pandemic.
"In our personal perspective, we had a lot of weddings in the 150 people range [pre-pandemic]. Post pandemic, we are seeing a lot of weddings over 175 along with weddings for 300. Everyone you know, parents know, are being invited. Invite everyone and celebrate," she said.
One of the problems Connecticut brides could run into with these larger weddings is availability of venues.
"There are only certain venues that can handle those larger sizes," Antonecchia said. "The venues book up early. People get engaged and book the venue since you need to solidify that prior to the rest of the vendors."
Antonecchia said the rise of the larger weddings has been a boom to the local wedding industry.
"The vendors are doing extremely well. We will continue to be busy going into 2024. We're still seeing people who held off getting married or they couldn't get the Saturday date because of people from the pandemic changing dates. Currently for a 2024 wedding, a lot of venues are sold out for their Saturdays and Fridays," she said.
Because of the lack of availability, many couples are deciding on a non-traditional wedding day; Sundays and Thursdays.
"What I'll tell couples getting engaged during Thanksgiving through Valentine's Day is there are still venues out there. If you're looking for something in 2024, you can still find it. The name of the game is flexibility," Antonecchia said.
Thursday weddings especially have been rising in popularity.
"Thursday weddings have always been a thing, but not to the extent the pandemic created," Antonecchia said. "It's the need to have additional dates. People do not say no. People show up."
Antonecchia is also finding more people are willing to travel now to weddings even if they only stay a day or two before heading home.
Another benefit of a Thursday night wedding is venues are more likely to offer some kind of discount, she said.
The most important thing to remember, Antonecchia said, is that it's your wedding day.
"Celebrate it the way you want to," she said. "It's not about what you see on social media or what your friend did. Celebrate who you are as a couple. People will remember it was a fantastic wedding because it implemented everything that makes you a couple. Sometimes we all get caught up in social media of what a wedding should be. It's all about getting married."