'It's a nervous rush': Alberta wedding shops seeing flurry of customers
After navigating ever-changing restrictions for more than a year, the race is on for couples eager to tie the knot in Alberta.
July 1 marks the first time since March 2020 that the province will no longer have any restrictions on both indoor and outdoor gatherings.
With Stage 3 of the province's Open for Summer plan set to come into effect Thursday, the wedding industry is booming in southern Alberta.
"Before, it was a lot of long-term planning of six months to a year in advance," said Flowers on 9th owner Sharon Ulrich.
"We would usually have time to figure things out like, where we're going to source the flowers from, but now it's just immediate."
Flower shops, bakeries, and wedding venues are all seeing the same thing — pent-up demand from couples who have put their big day on hold for far too long.
Now, many of those couples are champing at the bit to be first in line to say I do.
"People are calling and they're wanting to book for next Saturday, or the Saturday after. They're serious," said Norland Historic Estate wedding and event venue coordinator Alexandra Danylchuk.
"It's exciting for them too. It's a rush. It's a nervous rush sometimes."
Wedding planners and shop owners also pointed to the fact that many Albertans chose to elope during the pandemic and are only now beginning to plan their reception with friends and family.
The recent boost in customers couldn't come at a better time for Danylchuk who is also the off-site wedding and events coordinator for L.A. Chefs Catering and Events.
The company is finally, after more than a year of uncertainty and struggles, able to hire back some of the loyal employees they had to lay off several months ago.
"We're really excited to see a lot of those friendly faces come back because we know they're excited, and we're excited to see them," she said.
For SWIRL Custom Cakes and Desserts, the past few weeks have been a rush, but they're noticing a different trend from customers.
"Couples seem to be more focused on their love for one another and not so much on all the little details," said SWIRL founder and head cake designer Lynnette MacDonald.
"We're also getting a rush of smaller orders, as opposed to some of those big ones for around 700 people."
MacDonald adds that SWIRL isn't getting an abnormal amount of orders compared to previous year, but they al seem to be coming in at once which is keeping the shop busy.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Quebec nurse had to clean up after husband's death in Montreal hospital
On a night she should have been mourning, a nurse from Quebec's Laurentians region says she was forced to clean up her husband after he died at a hospital in Montreal.
Northern Ont. lawyer who abandoned clients in child protection cases disbarred
A North Bay, Ont., lawyer who abandoned 15 clients – many of them child protection cases – has lost his licence to practise law.
Bank of Canada officials split on when to start cutting interest rates
Members of the Bank of Canada's governing council were split on how long the central bank should wait before it starts cutting interest rates when they met earlier this month.
Maple Leafs fall to Bruins in Game 3, trail series 2-1
Brad Marchand scored twice, including the winner in the third period, and added an assist as the Boston Bruins downed the Toronto Maple Leafs 4-2 to take a 2-1 lead in their first-round playoff series Wednesday
Cuban government apologizes to Montreal-area family after delivering wrong body
Cuba's foreign affairs minister has apologized to a Montreal-area family after they were sent the wrong body following the death of a loved one.
'It was instant karma': Viral video captures failed theft attempt in Nanaimo, B.C.
Mounties in Nanaimo, B.C., say two late-night revellers are lucky their allegedly drunken antics weren't reported to police after security cameras captured the men trying to steal a heavy sign from a downtown business.
What is changing about Canada's capital gains tax and how does it impact me?
The federal government's proposed change to capital gains taxation is expected to increase taxes on investments and mainly affect wealthy Canadians and businesses. Here's what you need to know about the move.
New Indigenous loan guarantee program a 'really big deal,' Freeland says at Toronto conference
Canada's Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland was among the 1,700 delegates attending the two-day First Nations Major Projects Coalition (FNMPC) conference that concluded Tuesday in Toronto.
'Life was not fair to him': Daughter of N.B. man exonerated of murder remembers him as a kind soul
The daughter of a New Brunswick man recently exonerated from murder, is remembering her father as somebody who, despite a wrongful conviction, never became bitter or angry.