Interviews with New England Wedding Professionals: Wedding Favors p2
This is the second part interview in my miniseries discussing the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on the wedding industry in Massachusetts. Today’s interview answers for Wedding Favors have been provided by the talented Angela LeBlanc at Favors to Fancy, Don Landgren at Partoons, and Kate Franklin at Color My Wedding. Keep reading to see what they had to say about the pandemic, their businesses, as well as personal predictions and opinions on regulations moving forward!
A little about the wedding favors interviewees…
Don is a caricaturist, who draws live caricatures at receptions, bridal showers, rehearsal dinners, and other events.
Kate is a live event painter. She paints in oil at weddings, representing the scene couples have chosen – whether it’s the ceremony, first dance, cocktail reception, or dinner reception.
Now let’s get into the Wedding Favors interview…
How has the pandemic affected your businesses? Have there been any positives to this?
Don: I’ve had 30 booked gigs cancel. My best month is June between weddings and graduation. I did two events compared to the 33 bookings I had in 2019. [However,] I’ve been able to grow my freelance cartooning business and begun doing remote parties by drawing people via Zoom. I expanded my Facebook and Instagram followers with daily posts of celebrity caricatures.
Kate: The couples that had booked with me for 2020 have postponed until 2021, so I have zero business at the moment. I have been spending a lot of time taking online drawing and painting classes to keep developing my skills.
What do you think the COVID-19 pandemic’s impact will be on the wedding industry as a whole?
Kate: I believe that couples will be anxious to have their events, after putting them off, and that things will resume to a normal pace. I hope that business improves significantly for all wedding vendors.
Don: Long term, small weddings may gain popularity. Above all, people will want to really celebrate and socialize by going all out on their weddings and parties.
What regulations or precautions do you think should be put into place moving forward?
Don: Depends on the track of the virus. Hopefully, we’ll be able to go back to normal like people eventually did after the 1918 [Spanish Flu] pandemic.
Kate: Vendors should be sure to include language in their contracts to help deflect the negative effects to their business due to events such as COVID-19.
Updating contracts is a great idea, Kate. Especially since it seems like the pandemic has created a new vocabulary of words for many of us. Alerting our clients of how we’re taking precautions and being smart during these times is definitely essential.
Thanks to Kate and Don for their answers, and to you, for reading! Be sure to stay tuned for the next interview, publishing soon.
XOXO,
~ Nancy
WEDDING FAVORS AND SERVICES SOCIAL MEDIA
Don Landgren at Partoons
Website: www.partoons.net
Kate Franklin at Color My Wedding
IG: @ColorMyWedding
Facebook: www.facebook.com/colormywedding
Website: www colormywedding.com