Tara Murray
After an 18 months which has seen wedding after wedding cancelled or postponed, Sharon Munro is hoping we are coming out the other side.
The Brimbank local who is a wedding planner, organiser and celebrant has seen her industry come to a complete stop.
She said the resumption of weddings was welcomed.
“It has been pretty tough,” she said. “The wedding industry has been hit really hard like so many other businesses.
“We can’t just open up straight away like retail. It takes time to plan which makes us a bit different from the rest.”
Ms Munro said the industry was still feeling the toll of the first lockdown, and said at times during the lockdowns the industry had completely closed.
She said those who had booked weddings before the pandemic had rebooked weddings, only to have them postponed again.
“Wedding plans come to a virtual halt, which we’ve never seen before,” she said.
“How can you plan a wedding without knowing what you can do?
“I’ve found that couples that had planned before the pandemic, have taken it the hardest as it had never crossed their mind.”
Ms Munro said that couples had started to approach her about planning weddings, but she expected it would be a while before the industry was back to normal.
“It will still take a few more months before couples gain confidence to plan such a magical day in their lives,” she said.
“There’s still uncertainty until we open fully and you can feel normal and confident.
“I’m starting to get inquiries, but people aren’t setting dates just yet.”
Ms Munro said she was keen to talk to local suppliers about working together in the future.
