Planning a wedding is never easy, and when you add a national disaster and a global pandemic into the mix it can become a downright nightmare.

Kiama resident Becky Morgan is planning her third wedding (to the same person) after her first venue was burnt out and her second was cancelled due to COVID-19 restrictions.

"It was devastating," she said. "After the fire happened I didn't want to plan again, because I thought it wouldn't be the same."

Ms Morgan reached out to the South Coast Weddings Facebook page, and found a supportive community of vendors and other brides.

"Crooked River Winery organised everything the second time," she said.

"They were amazing, a huge help. A wedding planner reached out to us via the group too and offered her services free of charge. It was pretty incredible."

Ms Morgan is from England, and the introduction of COVID-19 travel and event restrictions meant it wasn't going to be possible to have a wedding that would include her family.

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She and her fiance, Robbie Blackburn, are hoping their third attempt at tying the knot will be the charm.

Nora Devai is a wedding photographer, and created the South Coast Weddings facebook page to help brides connect with vendors. She said it's been a tough few months in the industry.

"After the fires there were a lot of frantic brides rescheduling - some of them had had the wedding planned two years in advance," she said.

"When they did, COVID hit. It hasn't been easy. Lots of couples have been understanding, but many want their non-refundable deposits back without rescheduling. As a small business, the money just isn't there."

She said recent changes to JobKeeper that have allowed sole traders to claim support have helped. And she's hopeful trade will pick up soon.

"The South Coast is a beautiful destination wedding spot that can be accessed before overseas travel opens up again," she said.

She encouraged brides to shop local - now more than ever. "It's an opportunity to give back to the community and have your dream wedding in a beautiful location," she said.

The South Coast Wedding Fair, on the weekend of August 15-16, is the perfect opportunity to check out local suppliers. The event is held at Pyree on the Sunday, with a "wedding trail" of venues open for viewing on the Saturday.