In my 13 years in this industry I’ve handled 200+ weddings. From young adults on a shoestring budget, to millionaires renting entire islands, everyone is looking for something different but I’ve noticed a few trends in recent years. 

When I was at Jos. A Bank, it was all about being similar. Wedding parties would take advantage of the Buy 1 Get 3 Free deal (that sale never gets less absurd). I stretched my style chops by convincing grooms they should stand out, maybe a darker suit, or a different color tie. When I worked at a boutique store I started to see this trend toward individualized weddings. Custom clothing became a tremendous outlet to explore the couple's creativity. 

Maybe my take on the wedding industry was skewed, I was only seeing individualized weddings because I was selling a product that attracted that audience. I saw a rise in suits over tuxedos, smaller wedding parties and a new wedding season appeared, move over spring summer, autumn weddings have come to stay. 

Don’t take my word for it

According to The Knot: 

• Smaller and more Experiential: Have you been to weddings when it feels like you’d have a better chance gaining an audience with the Pope? Couples are opting for smaller weddings and giving their guests something fun, like a Live Painter or a photobooth. 

Zola had some great Statistics

• The average wedding costs $30,000

•   92% of Gen-Zers said that social media is an essential part of their planning process, the highest percentage of any generation.

And Vouge had an incredible take:

• “Most of our couples are asking for non-wedding weddings: They’re wanting to celebrate their love with their family and friends but not to stick to all the stuffy traditions.” The data backs this up: According to a Pinterest report published in May, searches for “nontraditional wedding dresses” on the platform have spiked 110%, whereas “nontraditional wedding vows” went up 205%. The phrase “anti-bride,” meanwhile, increased by 480%.

Again, as a cat dad who has never been married, I can say that the majority of the couples I work with, the ones who prioritize the long term have the best weddings. The ones who focus on the day so much, they are so stressed it ruins the experience. Ex: Get a suit/tuxedo you can wear for years. Don’t spend 10’s of thousands of dollars on flowers that won’t exist by the end of the week. And make it about you as a couple, no one else.