Tying the Knot Post-Pandemic

This wedding planner is gearing up for a full fall season amid continuing concerns about safety.

- EMMA PATCH

PROFILE

WHO: Elisabeth Kramer, age 30

WHAT: Wedding planner

WHERE: Portland, Ore.

How has the pandemic complicated your work? In early March 2020, I had a wedding the same week that Portland shut down, which meant that we went into quarantine. For that couple, their whole plan completely blew up. That was the beginning. In April through September of last year, I was just taking my entire client load and trying to figure out what the heck we were doing. Every wedding I had changed plans.

What about this year? Entering 2021, I had an in-box filled with leads, which is not abnormal for a wedding vendor. In the wedding industry, it’s called engagement season, from Thanksgiving to St. Valentine’s Day. They were for weddings with a minimum of 50 guests, often 75, 100 or 150 guests, for the next four to five months. Those weddings could legally not happen in January.