Diamond & Co co-owner Greg Lilly has seen a spike in wedding ring sales, unusual for this time of the year. Photo / George Novak
Diamond & Co co-owner Greg Lilly has seen a spike in wedding ring sales, unusual for this time of the year. Photo / George Novak
Some couples are rushing to get hitched after lockdown but lawyers are also dealing with a backlog of couples looking to end it.
Lockdown provided a chance for people to re-evaluate and look to the next stage of their lives, with some seeking a more permanent future together to easethe uncertainty.
For others, it created or highlighted cracks and helped reveal what they wanted.
Diamond & Co co-owner Greg Lilly noticed an increase in the number of wedding rings sold post-lockdown, which was unusual for this time of the year.
"People's plans have been disrupted and they're not sure about what they can do, and when, and they're getting things organised earlier than normal."
Rotorua Jewellers specialises in remaking jewellery and co-owner Janine Pearce said they were kept busy during the usually quiet winter with a surge in demand for wedding and engagement rings being remade.
She said this was a "significant" thing for couples who had been together for up to 40 years to do, with lockdown giving people time to sort through their jewellery and freshen up their tired rings.
Marriage and civil union celebrant Richard Fullard said planning for weddings in the summer had already begun and he was flooded with inquiries after lockdown.
He said a lot of "deep and meaningful" conversations were had over lockdown and people came out of it loved-up and ready to fast-track plans.
But as much as people are making the decision to tie the knot, other knots have started to fray.
Mackenzie Elvin Law associate Rebecca Savage said there was a backlog of work after a "massive increase" in relationship property work at the firm.
People would seek relationship property legal advice to sort through the finances of properties when they separate.
"We've noticed a lot of relationships have broken down during lockdown."
Holland Beckett family law partner Christie McGregor said there was "definitely" a spike in separations and family violence post-lockdown.
Weddings, engagements and split-ups have all boomed in the Bay of Plenty after people came out of lockdown. Photo / File
The firm had offices in Tauranga, Whakatāne, Rotorua, and Ōpōtiki, and noticed the trend across the board.
She said much of the feedback was that the lockdown and pandemic had put pressure on relationships, or made problems more apparent.
"The time being stuck together outside of the ordinary family routine - working away and other commitments - has provided people with time to consider their relationships and focus on what they want going forward."
Independent marriage and civil union celebrant Richard Fullard has been inundated with queries about weddings this summer. Photo / File
Although the lockdown pushed many couples to the brink, it also gave them time to talk through their separation.
McGregor found couples came to them prepared with their terms of division of property and care of children worked through and agreed.
There had also been a spike in contracting out agreements where people are entering into committed relationships and wish to protect and define their property interests, she said.
"We would anticipate this trend will continue, with such agreements best being entered into before property rights crystallise – before reaching three years de facto."
