LEWISTON — The wedding industry in Maine — worth $1 billion a year to the state’s economy — is undergoing significant changes that worry some business owners as they navigate a post-pandemic world.

While the number of weddings in Maine is on track to drop slightly this year, it’s likely to be a temporary situation. Instead, it is the profitability that’s taking a hit for some sectors of the wedding industry — and that may not change in the future.

Generation Z, born between 1997 and 2012, is having the biggest influence on wedding trends. Statistically, people in their late 20s to early 30s represent the largest segment of the population getting married for the first time.

Couples are moving away from some of the traditions associated with weddings, opting for personal preferences and more intimate experiences.

There are still plenty of couples committed to tradition and planning luxurious weddings, but the focus is changing from opulence to a more customized, unforgettable experience. Caterers, venue owners, planners, florists, photographers, DJs and other vendors who don’t adapt may end up losing business.

Some of the changes are societal, some are based on economic factors and still others are tied to technology.

“I’ve seen firsthand how today’s couples are rewriting the rules and prioritizing more intentional, personalized, and flexible celebrations,” Lyndee Waldbauer said. She owns and operates The Belle of Belgrade in Belgrade Lakes, which she describes as a curated experience company. “We’ve responded to this shift by offering luxe pop-up picnics, mobile event carts (think s’mores bars, flower bars, and candy carts), proposal and elopement setups, and custom tablescape design.”

More couples are livestreaming their vows so family and friends who could not be there can still be a part of the nuptials. The results of a national survey by Insurance Canopy on wedding trends, released in June, found more than one in five couples are livestreaming or involve virtual participation.

Printed wedding invitations are being supplanted by digital portals to send invites and post-wedding gift suggestions, and serve as a hub for wedding information, while social media is also influencing the current generation of couples who want to make their wedding day Instagram and TikTok worthy.

Some brides (22% in the wedding survey) are buying used dresses to save money while others simply rent the gown of their dreams. Bridal parties are trending smaller or being eliminated entirely. Seated dinners are giving way to food trucks and religious venues are being abandoned for barns, open fields, state parks and in many cases less formal options.

Paul Leclair is a Lewiston-based DJ and co-owner of Mainely Djs Entertainment, and has traveled all over the state for weddings for 15 years. He said he’s seen a drastic drop in weddings since last year. “I’ve gone from doing anywhere from probably 21 to 26 weddings a year down to this year, I think I have 10 or 11.”

Leclair said he believes a number of factors are at play, starting with the economy. There is also increased competition. “I think people are trying to get into the business thinking, oh, it’s just playing music. I can do that,” he said. “And, there is something else missing this year. Before I used to see a lot of out-of- staters coming to Maine to get married, and that has dropped drastically.”

WHAT IS A WEDDING GAP?

COVID-19 wreaked havoc on Maine’s wedding industry and is responsible for what some call the “wedding gap” or “engagement gap.”

Industry statistics show the normal progression of relationships takes about three to five years from meeting to engagement to marriage. The trend today shows couples are waiting longer for a variety of reasons.

The pandemic played a big role. For 2020 into 2021 newfound love was not in the air.

Lockdowns were put in place in March 2020. People did not go to work. Socialization was curtailed and romances were mostly put on hold. Weddings planned for 2020 were canceled or postponed. Even after the lockdowns were lifted, many people remained cautious, wore masks and maintained social distancing. It wasn’t until 2022 that some sense of normalcy returned to society.

The two-year pause meant fewer long-term relationships were formed during that time. Couples who would have met in 2020 and 2021 — who would have got married in 2025 and 2026 — paused their lives for two years. That’s the wedding gap.

The Maine Department of Health and Human Services tracks the number of registered marriages, which shows a significant drop from 2019 to 2020 of nearly 17%. The number of marriages jumped 27% in 2021 and 28% in 2022. The next two years — 2023 and 2024 — were still higher than in years prior to COVID-19, which saw 9,483 registered marriages in 2019. As of June 3, Maine recorded 2,025 marriages and 101 domestic partnerships.

A spokesperson for the agency said that as of early June, 2025 is on track to record about the same number of marriages as in 2019, or about a 3% drop from last year.

Marriage certificates are just one indicator. Engagement and wedding ring sales are another. In 2023 Signet Jewelers, one of the nation’s largest jewelers and the parent company of Zales, Kay Jewelers, Jared Jewelry and Diamonds Direct, revealed that its sales of wedding and engagement rings were down dramatically. Signet President Jamie Singleton told investors that year that the “engagement gap” was responsible for the decline. Jewelers in Maine contacted for this story declined to discuss sales of wedding and engagement rings.

Bridal gown sales are another traditional indicator for the industry. Tariffs are now affecting prices because most bridal gowns (90% according to the National Bridal Retailers Association) are made in China. David’s Bridal, the largest wedding dress retailer in the U.S., filed for bankruptcy in 2023, citing the COVID-19 pandemic, decreased demand for wedding dresses and inflation.

FEWER WEDDINGS FOR NOW

The wedding industry is planned one year or more in advance. So, people like Fausto Pifferrer and Reuben Bell are usually working on the next year’s events by May.

They own Blue Elephant Events and Catering in Saco, and in May they found themselves short of their normal count of weddings for this year, and they are not alone.

Based on conversations with colleagues in the industry, Pifferrer believes it is largely the result of the wedding gap, compounded by an inflation-hit economy and a lot of uncertainty.

“And what’s happening is with your jewelry stores, your venues, your bar services, your lighting companies, catering, they’re seeing a dramatic drop in numbers of people that are calling for leads, for appointments,” he said. As the year has progressed, the numbers have improved, but only slightly.

Pifferrer said part of their adjustment plan was to work with venues to create all-inclusive packages — a win-win for them, the venue and the couple getting married.

It’s a similar situation for Lynn Williams and her husband, Matt, who own the Noble House Inn in Bridgton, which is also a wedding venue. “Our inquiries and our tours are down dramatically,” she said in early July, adding she feels better about the number of weddings she’s booked for next year.

What is on the rise, she said, is people who leave them hanging. “The ghosting is awful this year,” she said. “They’re reaching out, they’re asking for information. You work on this, you give them a quote … some of them come out to tour …  and then I never hear from them again.”

A wedding photographer community thread on Reddit reflects what vendors in Maine are saying: There are fewer inquiries and bookings and plenty of comments that couples are waiting longer to book, while some are opting for less expensive alternatives.

Pifferrer believes things will turn around in 2026 and 2027: “I think people will have caught up on the engagement, rekindled, reconnected, and people that have been dating.” But he adds there’s another factor behind fewer weddings. “There are people that have been together for 10 years and don’t need a piece of paper or the big wedding. That is the new millennials,” he said.

WHAT COUPLES WANT IN A WEDDING

Haley Jones and her fiancé, Alex Thompson, got engaged on New Year’s Eve of 2023 after dating for three years and are planning an August 2026 wedding. They want to invite around 100 guests and have chosen the 1888 Wedding Barn in Bethel as their venue.

“We were looking for a few things,” Jones said about the venue. “One was like somewhere that we could visualize ourselves actually getting married. And we’re both from Maine, so we wanted something that was cozy and a little bit rustic, but didn’t look like a farm barn.”

Another reason she said is that the venue is all inclusive, which is important to the couple, who set a budget because they are paying for their wedding without any help. “The economy impacted our choices in that,” Jones said.  “We want a pretty wedding but we don’t want to go into debt for this wedding.

“The wedding is just one day, the marriage is forever.”

For one in three couples responding to the Insurance Canopy survey, budget is the top factor shaping wedding decisions in 2025, outranking family traditions and the desire for a more personalized experience.

At 30, Jones is a millennial on the cusp of Gen Z, and her answers to specific questions bear out that subtle generational difference.

Jones has chosen a traditional white wedding dress and her fiancé will wear a tuxedo. Her father will walk her down the aisle, but there won’t be a garter, throwing of the bouquet or dollar dance. They will incorporate a relatively new trend. “We are going to then ask our guests to wear certain colors, so that the whole wedding looks cohesive in photos,” she said.

A close friend will do the photography, and she and Alex will create playlists on Spotify and have a cousin man the sound system that is provided by the venue to save some money. They’ll have flowers, but that too will be DIY to save a little more money. The couple is not using a wedding planner.

They do plan a seated dinner, which is part of the package they chose at the venue.

“I think the most important part overall was sort of like the guest experience,” Jones said. “The very most important part was that at the end of the day we’ll be married … we really wanted to make sure that we’d have a safe, comfortable place to have fun and good food.”

WHAT IT ALL MEANS

Couples getting married this year and in 2026 have bargaining power but they will need to lock in a good deal while they can. Waiting until the last minute can create problems and result in disappointment. Sign a contract to lock in your deals.

Don’t fall for too-good-to-be-true prices; there’s almost always a catch that could cost you, or worse, interrupt your wedding plans. For example, Paul Leclair said there are out-of-state companies making claims they can provide all-inclusive DJ services for $500. “They’re subcontracting out to anybody they can find,” Leclair said. “So, their work isn’t guaranteed. They’re not local, and if you have any problems, good luck.”

The best advice is get to know your vendors early and carefully review what is included and ask what is not included. A Facebook group called Maine Brides/Grooms To Be is full of posts from people who are scrambling at the last minute trying to find vendors after the ones they lined up fell through.

Pifferrer believes the industry will be tested further and won’t escape the “gap” in Maine until 2027.

“I think that we’re a survivable industry,” he said. “We just have to pay attention to what’s happening because people will always get married. Their budgets will be lower.”