’We definitely have a bit of a backlog’: Wedding celebrants, vendors report boost in booking numbers
Cancelled plans in 2020 are back on for this year’s dry season, with NT celebrants reporting a surge in couples rushing to tie the knot.
Northern Territory
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CELEBRANTS, photographers and picturesque wedding venues are being inundated with business as couples race to the Territory to tie the knot.
It follows a year of delay, frustration and last-minute cancellations across the country which saw many would-be brides and grooms postpone their big day.
But now many businesses catering to weddings are fully booked until the wet season as the a game of catch up.
“This year is about the backlog from last year and all the new couples wanting to get hitched this year,” wedding celebrant Amanda Pernechele said.
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“We definitely have a bit of a backlog,” Ms Pernechele said.
“I’ve got over 50 weddings this dry season,” she said.
Her business was forced to move over 30 weddings in 2020 due to COVID-19 restrictions.
“This year is mental.”
Ms Pernechele, who is getting married herself next month and operates the wedding celebrant business Married by Moo, said a wedding boom was a great opportunity for the tourism industry.
“It boosts our economy, it puts us on the map as a tourist destination,” she said.
While the majority of couples getting hitched were from the Territory, Ms Pernechele said a significant number were also coming from interstate.
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“That’s fantastic for businesses but a little bit frustrating for couples, because maybe they can’t book in with the wedding vendor of their dreams,” she said.
Ms Pernechele said a local Facebook group of wedding celebrants had been reporting a busy dry season.
Hospitality NT chief executive Alex Bruce said reports of a buoyant wedding industry was good news for the sector.
“Where else would you want to have a winter wedding right now if you’re chasing the sun?”
“It absolutely makes sense,” he said.
Darwin Surf Life Saving Club function co-ordinator Kellie Snowdon said her Casuarina venue was also seeing a strong dry season of bookings.
“We had a really good year booked last year,” Ms Snowdon said.
“This year we have just as good a booking list,” she said.
“A lot of our couples have transferred from last year.”
Ms Snowdon said more people were willing to get married in 2021 because they were “more comfortable in the national landscape”.
She also said Darwin and the Northern Territory were in particular becoming popular wedding destinations, especially during the southern winter.
“To see how amazing Darwin is in the dry season is a real drawcard and brings benefit to all the Territory,” she said.
“It’s a great time and a great place to be getting married.”
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