The Zoom platform allowed the attendance of a larger number
Small weddings are popular in Australia due to Corona
Traditional parties are expensive for both newlyweds.
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Expectations of a significant rise in marriages following the pandemic.
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Anna Butler is satisfied with her simple wedding ceremony.
From the source
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At 5:30 am, on October 24 last year, Anna Butler and George Tapp walked side by side from their apartment to the ocean pool on Bronte Beach, Australia.
Although it is a popular site for swimming and exercising, the purpose, on this day, was for the couple to marry there.
Butler and Tapp are among the many couples who avoided big weddings in 2020 due to the Corona epidemic.
Butler explains the importance of the location, although it was not, in fact, their first choice of location for the wedding: "It was the location of our first date, and George asked me to marry me."
They had originally planned to marry in Molimoc, on the southern coast of New South Wales, accompanied by 150 relatives and friends, before the coronavirus and multiple lockdowns, frustratingly, forced them to change their plans.
In this way, they found themselves standing barefoot by the pool, in the presence of their parents, and some people, at a simple wedding ceremony at sunrise.
Other family and friends, in the United Kingdom, the United States and Melbourne, watched the private party, via the "Zoom" video communication platform.
"It was more emotional and intimate than I expected," says Tapp, and the bride agrees, saying: "There was only our parents as witnesses, so we were able to unleash some sincere promises and emotions without embarrassment or shame from a large crowd." He allowed us to be present and real. ”
Write off the guests
In the same context, a similar disturbance caused the wedding plans of Catherine Weiner and Mitchell Simpson, both of Tomba.
In deleting 100 people from the original guest list, to limit the matter to a "small wedding", which includes 30 people.
"Reducing our list to 30 people was undoubtedly the most difficult part of our entire wedding story," Winner says. "There were some really important people in our life that we couldn't celebrate with them."
Thus, the two stories apply to the thousands of couples in Australia who got married in 2020, in this way, as the epidemic led to a widespread curtailment of activities, and Australia witnessed the lowest rate of marriage registrations nationwide, in 60 years.
The data collected from the births, deaths and marriages sections indicate a decrease in the number of registered marriages in Australia, from 113 thousand and 815 in 2019 to about 78 thousand in 2020.
Although all states and territories experienced a significant decline, Victoria suffered the largest decline, at 41.7%, partly due to the prolonged lockdown period.
New South Wales saw an overall decline of nearly 30%, while marriages in Queensland fell 28.2%.
Given that the wedding industry contributes about $ 4 billion to the local economy every year, the crisis has had an impact on couples and businesses alike.
In the Australian Wedding Industry Report for 2021, Matt Butterworth, CEO and founder of Easy Weddings, predicted that "the industry will not only recover, but will exceed the period from 2021-2022 any previous year."
He predicted that 160,000 weddings will be held in 2022. While the volume of parties is expected to increase in the coming years, industry insiders say the shift in priorities brought about by the coronavirus is likely to be more permanent.
Thanks to the widespread use of Zoom and other broadcast platforms, everywhere, now a wider circle of guests can participate in the ceremony without the additional costs of hosting and feeding them.
A perfect day
The average cost of a wedding before the pandemic in Australia was $ 36,000, according to government figures, with most couples borrowing to finance the celebrations.
"It was not just a perfect day for us," says Anna Butler. "We got what we wanted, but it also saved us an amount of money."
It's a feature that is expected to increase the popularity of small parties in the future.
And things are changing in terms of clothing as well. Melbourne-based womenswear designer Emily Nolan who created custom-made clothes has seen a rise in custom wedding commissions in the past year.
"The dress is gorgeous enough for a marriage registry office, or a wedding party," Nolan explains. "A $ 15,000 dress may lose its appeal if only 15 people see it."
• Party volumes are expected to increase in the coming years, as wedding industry insiders say the shift in priorities brought about by the coronavirus is likely to be more permanent.
• $ 36,000 wedding ceremony cost before the "pandemic".
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