Ontario's wedding industry is swamped, but is a full recovery within reach?
CBC
Couples are finally making their way down wedding aisles in Ontario after years of pandemic-related restrictions derailed many matrimonial plans.
For industry members, the 2022 wedding season is like nothing they've ever experienced. But some wonder what their businesses will look like after the chaos has subsided.
"I have been a wedding planner for about 15 years now. This is by far the busiest wedding season I have ever seen in my career. It is insane," said Shalini Misir, owner of Maid for the Bride and Swag Events in Thunder Bay, Ont.
Some industry experts say this season has seen a "wedding boom," with vendors handling a backlog events due to pandemic postponements.
"We have about, well, three years of weddings that we're doing in one year," Misir said. "It's all being piled into this year and it's just a non-stop, non-stop wedding season. And we're here for it and we're excited about it.
"But it is crazy."
An average of about 61,000 marriages were registered per year from 2015 to 2019, according to Ontario's Data Catalogue. But in 2020, when the pandemic began, that dropped down to just over 40,000.
In 2021, the number of registered marriages climbed up to around 50,000.
Weddings are big business, estimated to be worth more than $2 billion in Ontario alone, according to the consumer information website HelloSafe. The Wedding Planners institute of Canada, meanwhile, estimates the Canadian wedding industry to be worth $5 billion per year.
A recent article from HelloSafe suggests Ontario's wedding industry lost $780 million in 2020 due to lockdowns and other restrictions. It estimates that overall, 2022 could be a record year, with some 70,000 weddings in the province.
While industry members are excited to be back in business this summer, the wedding boom has faced challenges.
One of the big issues for Misir has been a general staffing shortage she's seen faced by other businesses.
"I had to let go of all of my planners and co-ordinators because we had two years of no weddings. So then to have to rehire and retrain for one of the busiest wedding seasons. It's been really tough."
Many vendors are working two to four weddings per week, which Misir finds unsustainable.
Faulty and aging equipment was to blame for nearly all of the eight hydraulic fuel spills on the TTC in the first five months of 2024, a new report finds, noting a steep increase in spills compared to previous years.
High levels of heavy metals and metalloids in untreated groundwater have been detected in and around Whitehorse, new research suggests.
Elections Nova Scotia will delay the release of provincial election results tonight due to the late opening of a polling station in the riding of Eastern Shore.
The longtime mayor of Kensington is stepping down after a contentious debate over new pickleball courts for the central P.E.I. town.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says he's agreed to meet with his provincial and territorial counterparts after Donald Trump threatened to impose hefty tariffs on Canadian goods.
Ontario Premier Doug Ford said Tuesday that U.S. president-elect Donald Trump's threat to slap a 25 per cent tariff on all Canadian goods is "like a family member stabbing you right in the heart."
The Salvation Army can't fundraise in the Avalon Mall after this year. It all comes down to religion
This is the last Christmas season the Salvation Army's annual kettle campaign will be allowed in the Avalon Mall in St. John's, ending a decades-long tradition.
The province and district social services administration boards say plans are in place to ensure people on social assistance do not miss out on benefits as a result of the strike by Canada Post employees.
Near the exit to Truro, N.S., a cluster of colorful tents and a lone RV can be seen alongside Highway 102, some tucked under the overpass for shelter from the elements.
Police and Public Trust, a project of the CBC News Atlantic investigative unit, scrutinizes the largely off-limits police complaint and discipline systems across the region. Journalists are using access to information laws and, in some cases, court challenges to obtain discipline records and data.
Toronto police have arrested a GTA woman who they allege scammed dozens of Taylor Swift fans out of more than $70,000 by promising them tickets that never materialized.