Wedding season is a time of decadence and extravagance in Lebanon, with fireworks and convoys of honking, flower-covered cars a daily sight from June to October. This year, however, people are scaling back and increasingly looking beyond the country’s shores for their dream wedding-day venue.

“Actually, we are all terrified. It’s very calm for this time of year. It shouldn’t be like this. The political and financial situation affect us very badly,” says Haissam Saadi, a wedding planner and managing partner of Wow Event. Saadi, who deals with middle to high-budget weddings, says his business is down nearly 50% from last year.

Saadi is not the only one experiencing an unexpectedly slow start to the season. One wedding consultant, Hiba, who asked that her name be changed and her company name not mentioned, echoed Saadi’s sentiments. She works with high-end clients whom she says normally would not be as affected by the economic situation in Lebanon, but even in that income bracket, she has seen a drop of around 20% in her wedding business.

“I think it’s because of the situation in the country. People think twice about paying so much money for their weddings,” says Hiba.