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COVID-19 in BC Quick Facts

According to BC Vital Statistics, there were nearly 24,000 weddings in BC in 2019. An average wedding in BC costs about $50,000. That's $1.2 billion dollars per year generated by our industry from weddings alone. This does not take into account any other types of personal celebrations, such as funerals, birthdays, anniversaries, showers, bar/bat mitzvahs, and more. Nor does it take into account corporate celebrations, company socials, charity galas, community gatherings, and more.

This massive economic contribution is largely driven by small-medium sized businesses. For the past two years, these businesses have been decimated. When weddings and events are shut down, the impact on our industry extends 6-12 months minimum beyond the lockdown period. The average loss of revenue across our industry has been 70%-90% consistently since March 2020. Due to the nature of our revenue flow, given the length of client contracts and lead time required to execute each event booking, businesses in our industry cannot reopen and close overnight like others.

With each shutdown and change in restrictions, we suffer the loss of contracts, deferred revenues, client refunds, and a lack of new business because of the uncertainty around future health orders. The industry cannot sustain the uncertainty any longer.

Adding to the hardship, businesses across our sector have been excluded from eligibility requirements for many government COVID financial support programs. Consistently, the eligibility issues seem to result from a lack of consideration and appreciation for how our industry operates and the nature of our business cycles.

As an industry association, we are certain that professionally managed weddings and events can operate safely under specific guidelines and restrictions without increased risk to public health. Members of our industry have become frustrated with the inconsistencies in public health orders across sectors, and the pattern of oversight by our provincial government when it comes to COVID-related support funding and safe operational capabilities.