Covid -19 Queenstown Wedding Situation (updated 10/6/20)

Updated 10 June 2020

The NZ Government has now downgraded our Covid-19 Alert Level to Level 1. Here’s the short version of what this means for you if you are planning a wedding in New Zealand.

• There are no limits on meetings or events or event sizes – this means a wedding of any size with any number of guests is now possible.
• Everyone in NZ can now return to work, school, sports and domestic travel.
• The NZ borders remain closed to all but NZ Citizens and residents – and they will still be subject to restrictions on entry.

However, it’s important we still follow these basic guidelines to stay healthy;

• Keep high hygiene standards – wash your hands!
• Keep track of where you’ve been.
• Record event attendees to ensure contact tracing can be conducted if necessary.

You can view the government’s full Covid-19 Alert Level 1 Guidelines here.

THE FINANCIAL IMPACT OF COVID-19

There are already millions of people out of jobs around the world but many of them are receiving some form of government support.  But that support can’t last forever and some of those jobs aren’t coming back. At least, not any time soon.
So, I think it’s safe to say that for the next year at least we are all going to have less money to spend.

THE EFFECT ON THE QUEENSTOWN WEDDING INDUSTRY

Income has effectively stopped for all Queenstown Wedding Venues and Vendors.  Many of us may not have any new income from wedding work for months. And even when NZ does leave lock-down, destination weddings to Queenstown are likely to not happen in any significant numbers until the end of the year.
This could all mean a lot of Queenstown Wedding Venues and Vendors fighting for a piece of a much smaller pie.  Some Queenstown wedding pros will leave the industry entirely, some will attempt to boost their income with another job/income stream.
Many overseas couples who have booked a Queenstown wedding in the next 6 months may be forced to either marry at home or postpone their wedding up to a year.  However, if they cancel they will likely forfeit all their deposits, so they will have even less money to spend on their local wedding.
Kiwi couples who had booked an international wedding will likely be in the same boat – cancel or reschedule.
This could mean an increased number of weddings in late 2020 and 2021 and a scarcity of local vendors to service them.

Phew!!  Hopefully this all makes sense and you find it helpful.  Hang in there – you can do this! If you need any info or advice, you can reach me here.

Take care, Patrick.

P.S. If you are really struggling and you need some one-on-one advice, or just somebody (who gets it) to vent to, fill out the contact form below so I know where you’re at. I will try to get in touch with some helpful info and advice within 24 hours.