Greg Miller has never had a wedding season like this one. Photo: RNZ/Jimmy Ellingham
The economic downturn has taken a toll on the wedding industry with fewer bookings, smaller guest lists and people ditching luxuries like flowers and hair stylists.
Summer is wedding season but celebrants, wedding planners, caterers and the like say business this year is tough.
Valley D'Vine in Hawke's Bay won't cater a reception until 2025.
Greg Miller runs the restaurant on the Linden Estate winery in Esk Valley and said he's never had a season quite like it.
Economic downturn impacts wedding industry
"Normally I would have done ten weddings by now, from August on, but I haven't done one yet. My first wedding's not until January. I've lost like a whole year and a half of weddings."
After Cyclone Gabrielle ripped through the area in February last year, the restaurant was shut for seven months for repairs and to serve as a community hub.
Miller said business hasn't picked back up since and he feels like people have forgotten Esk Valley is still there.
"Going into the pandemic I was doing about 25 weddings a year at the venue. We're down to, this year, we're probably only going to do ten, that's after the cyclone. The most we ever did was 35 out there where we did three back-to-back in one weekend. There were those days where people would take any day of the week they could get."
He said the high cost of living is also a key factor with people cutting guest lists and opting for cheaper alternatives such as getting catering delivered.
Wellington makeup artist and hair stylist Veronica Zhou said wedding party bookings are also down this year.
"Before it was quite normal to have the bride and three or four bridesmaids and also like the bride's mum or groom's mum. So, it's like five to six people per booking. But now it's only mum and the bride."
She said in summers past her team would be fully booked every Friday and Saturday doing hair and makeup for two or three weddings a day.
Wellington makeup artist and hair stylist Veronica Zhou. Photo: Supplied / Veronica Zhou
But this year she's down to one wedding on Saturdays, and potential clients are shopping around for deals and making appointments at the last minute.
"I do have people like, oh, I really don't have budget, and I only have like $500 will you be able to do that? You know I never had people ask like this way."
Zhou said there were more makeup artists on the market now and with money tight for engaged couples she feels like she's fighting for work.
Pete Duncan is a celebrant and MC based in Rotorua who said he survived the economic downturn by diversifying his business online and cutting costs.
But the 'Wedding Guy' said couples are being more savvy, with the average spend going from $20,000 - $26,000 pre-Covid to $12,000 - $24,000.
"It means for couples that they're able to go, so we don't necessarily have to follow a status quo of 80 or more guests, we can actually have 50 or less guests and does that provide us opportunity to save towards our first home deposit or look at a more spectacular honeymoon."
He said Covid, which forced weddings to be smaller, showed couples they could be more resourceful.
Christchurch wedding planner Emma Newman said more couples were cutting costs and opting for bespoke alternatives to the traditional white wedding.
"Are they going to a specific vineyard or venue or wherever that they have to spend money and wine and the food or can we do something rather bespoke and curated at home. People may be doing their own flowers.
"There's always going to be that one percent of the wedding market that is still these large weddings, but I think people are looking at doing things differently. Maybe a smaller ceremony followed by a lovely cocktail party or a beautiful dinner with high end, quality food but with only 30 people."
She said it's a cultural shift the industry will adapt to, having dealt with challenges like natural disasters and the global financial crisis before.