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By Karsen Marczuk

Lethbridge wedding venues expect busy season despite restrictions

May 4, 2021 | 1:17 PM

LETHBRIDGE, AB– With the summer fast-approaching, wedding venues around Lethbridge are preparing for a busy season.

Wedding venues say they are eager to start the season but are feeling disheartened by COVID-19 restrictions. The ballroom at the Coast Hotel and Conference Centre is currently quiet and empty, but in a short period of time, staff are hoping to have it full of couples celebrating their big day.

Marie Galeana, director of sales and business development at LA Chefs, says last year was better than anticipated, but this summer is expected to be packed.

“This summer is looking busy. We have weddings on Wednesdays, Thursdays, Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays. It’s crazy how much interest there was because we also had to basically reschedule anyone that postponed their wedding from 2020 to 2021.”

With COVID-19 restrictions limiting the number of guests being allowed to attend indoor weddings, many have chosen to move their celebrations outside.

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David Pranger, owner of Lethbridge Event Rentals, says, last summer, most of his summer bookings were scheduled to take place outdoors.

“We were able to get up to 50 and 100 people outdoors during the summer, that was fantastic and that’s kind of something we’re hoping for again for this summer. Mostly because the smaller little 10 person gatherings obviously, they’re not as good in the revenue department.”

Pranger adds, during a typical year, he hosts anywhere between seven to 12 weddings on a weekend, but this year, he is hoping to get back up to that number.

“This year, we’re looking more towards that seven range again, which is good. Last year was closer to five weddings per weekend. We were getting up a little bit higher on some of the weekends, we got up to almost seven or eight last summer. I’m hoping that this coming summer we can kind of hit that 12 mark again.”

Local wedding venues say they are already booking up fast for 2022. Galeana says many couples have moved their wedding date from 2020 to 2022, with the hope more people will be able to attend their special day.

“I will say with confidence that I’ve never seen such demand as I am seeing right now. We’re getting sometimes eight inquiries a day for 2022, so I feel like 2022 is going to be the year of the weddings and it’s looking very optimistic.”

In spite of a busy summer ahead, Pranger says he feels the wedding industry has been neglected by the government when it comes to COVID-19 restrictions.

“It’s kind of disheartening when you see places like restaurants can put up some acrylic pieces [between tables] and still have guests gathering, that’s something we could do in a ballroom, no problem.”

Many wedding venues wish the restrictions were based on a percentage of capacity as some ballrooms are over 10,000 square feet and can hold more than 10 people, while physically distanced from one another.

With constantly changing restrictions, wedding venues in Lethbridge say they are being flexible and working with their clients to plan their special day, even if it means pushing their wedding to 2022 or beyond.

According to Alberta Health Services, effective as of Jan. 18, wedding ceremonies are limited to a maximum of 10 people. Wedding receptions are not permitted.

For a full list of current restrictions, visit AHS website here.

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