Unveiling the Top 10 Wedding Trends for 2025
Arianna & Nik
By: Shalini Misir
Wedding season 2024 has wrapped and we are gearing up for next year! As a wedding planner, I cannot wait to see all these months of planning finally come to fruition. Our couples have worked tirelessly planning their special day to celebrate their love and welcome their guests - all within the spirit of the times. You’ll be seeing older traditions falling to the wayside while we will be embracing more unique and personalized details that truly fit the couple. Here are some of the big trends you’ll be seeing this summer!
Intimate Affairs: Small or No Wedding Parties
Many couples are steering away from the larger wedding parties of the past and in turn avoiding a lot of the drama and chaos that can come from many personalities, opinions and budgets. Instead, you will see only a Best Man and Maid of Honour (or sometimes just two witnesses) standing up for the couple, and everyone else will enjoy the wedding from the view of their seats.
Breaking Gender Norms: Mixed-Sex Wedding Parties
Speaking of wedding parties, I have noticed over the past few years that Bride & Groom sides are rarely just one gender vs the other. Instead, feel free to welcome your best guy friend to be your Man of Honour or your big sister to be the Best Lady. Gender norms don’t always fit our relationships and this evolution from conventional thinking allows you to pick your best friends - whoever they are! - to stand up and support you in your big moment. And feel free to mix up the clothing - dresses and suits can easily work for both sides of the wedding party.
Personal Touches: Making the Wedding Yours
There is a mindset going into wedding planning that couples really need to think about what details truly reflect who they are and go beyond conforming to tradition. My advice is to ask yourself - who wants this detail at the wedding? If it’s the couple - keep it! If it’s your family - keep it only if it brings you joy - yes, Marie Kondo for the win! Always keep in mind that this is one day to celebrate your love, so make plans that truly reflect you and your relationship. You won’t want to be stuck doing things you don’t want to do - you’ll resent those moments and the photos will show just how much you weren’t feeling it.
Farewell to Tradition: No More Cake Cutting
How many of you have seen the cake cutting at a wedding recently? Not many! Cake cutting used to be a tradition when the cake was actually served as dessert to the guests. These days, venues provide dessert with the meals, and with many dietary restrictions, couples are choosing other dessert options to cater to everyone. The trend of a cutting cake - a smaller cake displayed to make the traditional cut just for photos - is also fading away. Instead of spending money on a cake that no one wants, use that cash to amp up your late-night snack station, or get a photo booth!
Enjoying the Preparation Time: Take Your Time and Breathe
2024 is all about taking care of your mental health, relaxing and being in the moment. A popular trend I am seeing is the focus on creating a longer and more mindful approach to getting ready in the morning. No longer strictly for the wedding party, getting ready can include all your guests in a yoga session or sauna. Making a point to schedule your hair and makeup appointments but also allowing for breakfast time, stretching, dancing and laughing will make the whole day that much more memorable.
Colour Palettes: Pantone’s Colour of the Year is….
Peach Fuzz! Although this warm and velvety peach tone is the Colour of the Year, it doesn’t mean it will be taking centre stage in our wedding palettes in 2024. Instead, you will see it as an accent to the two real trends of the year, the first one being Green with White and Black. This trend will bring about a timeless and sophisticated ambiance. Keep your florals white (with maybe some peach) and lots of greenery or choose sage green napkins on crisp white tablecloths. Black accents will bring a modern touch to your look as seen in delicate details such as ribbon, stationery font, charger plate trim and favour boxes. The second colour palette you will see a lot of is Vibrant Colours. The Barbie Movie did a lot to bring back hot pink and fuschia to the forefront but now we are seeing purples, blues, yellows, and oranges enter the stage. Wildflower bouquets are very popular right now, and pops of saturated colour are showing up just about everywhere. The key is - have fun with it, and don’t be afraid to show your true colours!
Capturing Moments: Unique Forms of Photography
Wedding photography has truly evolved in the past few years, offering so much more than the traditional images of your big day. Couples are embracing the artistic side of photography and giving their photographer the license to be creative, compose unique shots and to mix styles to capture all the events of the day. Photojournalistic photography is quite popular for receptions - capturing moments like grandma dancing and your best friends toasting at the bar. There is also a shift to have photos that will be true art pieces on the couple’s living room wall. Personally, I have seen sunset shoots, climbing mountains, wading in rivers, and beautiful black and white portraits take my breath away. Let your photographer stretch their creative muscle - you will walk away with a wedding masterpiece.
Street Food: The Food Truck Weddings
Who doesn’t love a great food truck meal? Weddings are picking up on this trend and bringing in food trucks for dinner and late-night stations as well as choosing other non-traditional catering options. Casual and dynamic dining is a trend that I hope is here to stay. Food stations offering a variety of cuisines are fun yet practical, letting your guests choose the meal that best suits them. And my favourite part? The meal becomes interactive, with your guests mingling and perusing the options, instead of standing in line at the buffet. This can also be a very cost-effective option to the traditional sit-down meal.
Less is More: Minimal Signage
I’ll be honest, I’m not sure what happened in the past few years, but we were on a sign trip! There were signs for everything, where to sit, what to do, where to sign, when to move, and of course, which cupcake was which. It was like Alice in Wonderland. Thankfully, weddings have now left the signs behind and are choosing a more sophisticated and cleaner aesthetic. Letting the venue, decor and menu speak for itself is really leaning into the less-is-more approach and a more classic and elegant atmosphere.
Wedding Dresses
I saved this one for last because no matter what the trends say, you have to find the dress that makes you feel beautiful. The wonderful thing is, there are so many more options these days. Short-styles, polka-dots, colours and cuts - there is sure to be something out there just for you. With the trend of weddings being about styling after your own personal preferences - don’t be afraid to try something different. After all, it’s absolutely trendy to do so!
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Shalini Misir is the owner of Maid for the Bride, awarded your favourite local wedding planning company 7 years running. She also runs Plan Your Day - the Thunder Bay Wedding Show, and owns Eventive - an event management company catering to Thunder Bay, Toronto and Beyond.
