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Munich (dpa / lby) - unspectacular, with a mask and in a very small circle - this is what many weddings looked like in 2020.
Exuberant parties with loads of friends and relatives?
Not possible.
Many a couple preferred to postpone the big day.
Many others wanted to get married anyway - even under Corona conditions.
In many places, the number of weddings was therefore not that much lower than usual. The main victims were the wedding planners.
"Our entire industry is on the verge of collapse," said Svenja Schirk from the Association of German Wedding Planners in Berlin.
In 2020, around 22,600 couples tied the knot across Bavaria from January to the end of June.
In the same period of the previous year it was almost 6,000 more, according to figures from the Federal Statistical Office.
Cities like Regensburg, Bamberg, Augsburg and Nuremberg confirm the figures.
In Munich, too, the registry office recorded around 500 fewer weddings in 2020 than in the previous year.
300 appointments have been canceled due to Corona.
The administration does not find these figures unusual.
That corresponds to a normal annual fluctuation range.
The situation was similar in Passau, where the city was expecting up to 380 weddings in 2020 - “an average value in recent years”, as it was called.
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But what happens next?
Will 2021 be the year of catch-up parties, with one wedding after the next?
"Due to the many rebookings in 2020 and the existing bookings in 2021, the year 2021 is already well filled," explains wedding planner Schirk.
But nothing can really be planned at the moment.
"Unfortunately, we do not know at the moment when celebrations will be possible again, so that newlyweds want to postpone them to 2022 again out of fear."
The industry was very resourceful.
Instead of large celebrations, wedding planners organized, for example, live broadcasts of wedding ceremonies, which the guests could attend from a distance via video conference.
Many couples still want to get married in 2021, even though Augsburg is reporting hesitant bookings: "It seems like many couples are waiting for further developments," said a registrar.
In Regensburg, on the other hand, registrations are “within the usual range, also compared to previous years”.
About half of the Saturday appointments are reserved until May.
The situation is similar in Munich and other cities.
In Bamberg it was even said: "A Saturday in May is already fully booked."
In Nuremberg, on the other hand, there was less demand than in previous years.
What if the pandemic spoils the wedding mood too much?
"Nobody is forced to marry ..." said a spokesman for the city of Bamberg.
Nevertheless, the registry offices would like a timely cancellation.
"You can't prevent appointments from being canceled or bridal couples simply not showing up," said a Nuremberg registrar.
"It's just annoying when the files are prepared and the wedding is over without the couple having reported."
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Association of German wedding planners
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