AUSTIN, Texas — Local wedding planners and venues are experiencing a post-pandemic rush as Central Texas couples are eager to tie the knot after postponing their wedding dates due to COVID-19 concerns.
For many couples, trying to nail down the wedding date has felt like a gamble for the last year, something Austin Palmer and his fiancée, Ciara Halsey, know firsthand.
"It's been really crazy, to say the least – just a lot of uncertainty, everything up in the air," said Halsey.
Due to the wave of rescheduling, the couple said their date choices were limited.
"Everyone that wanted to get married last year ended up rescheduling it to this year, so we ended up with only a few dates to choose from, so that's how we ended up with December," said Halsey.
Barr Mansion is a historical home in northeast Austin and one of the oldest wedding venues in Central Texas. Venue manager and wedding planner Molly Mullaly said this wedding season is different.
"It's been a busy year. We have 120 weddings on the books for 2021, and 40% of those are rescheduled from last year," said Mullaly.
A key piece of advice from local planners is to have grace with vendors after a hard year and, most importantly, be flexible.
"Things will be different. Be open to smaller weddings. Be open to maybe eloping now and having a celebration later on once things have opened back up," said Margaret Deal, a manager for Barr Mansion.
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