10 Wedding Trends I am Obsessed with Right Now

These are 10 of my favorite trends happening in the wedding industry right now, and what makes them great addition to any wedding day!

Weddings, especially in the modern day, are in a constant state of creative evolution. Don’t get me wrong, traditional weddings are still very popular (and a ton of fun!), but more and more couples are altering the traditional wedding formula to better fit their unique style and vision. It’s something that I love having the opportunity to document and witness firsthand as a wedding photographer in Minnesota. Today’s article is all about these recent wedding trends that I am just in love with. Big or small, these 10 trends are allowing couples to make their wedding day more personal and unique to them than ever before, and I am ALL for it!

1. Sustainable Weddings

The first trend I’ve been obsessing over for a while now is one that I’m happy to say has been on the rise lately, and that’s the sustainable or eco-friendly wedding. As fun and as epic as wedding celebrations are, they are by nature pretty wasteful. This has been a pain point for many couples as they get into the thick of their wedding planning, which is why it is so exciting to see this trend taking off as much as it has recently! Couples are choosing decor and rental companies that reuse their products from wedding to weddings, they’re donating their florals after the big day, using compostable tableware, thrifting their wedding favors, and more.

There’s so many areas for improvement when it comes to making a wedding day more sustainable, and it’s SO wonderful to see more and more couples putting in the effort to make their day healthier for mother earth!

2. Alternative Wedding Colors

Another recent wedding trend that I’ve been loving as of late is how unique and individual couples are getting with the color palette for their wedding day. Whether they choose to go bright and bold, soft and moody, or something else entirely, this is a fantastic way for couples to give their wedding day a look and feel that is true to them. While it is a styled shoot, I still think that this blog is the perfect example of just how creative you can get with your wedding colors, and how much it can add to the day itself.

3. Boutonniere Alternatives

In terms of florals, one of the long running traditions of the wedding industry is the pinned boutonniere on the suit coat of anyone in the wedding party. I do still love this tradition as it’s a great way to incorporate your wedding colors into your attire, but there are some fun and unique trends that can bring this wedding tradition to the next level. You can opt for pocket squares or even pocket flowers in your wedding colors, hand carved wooden ornaments, custom pins of your pets, really anything you can imagine can be your boutonniere alternative! It’s a great little touch that can bring a bit of personal flair to your wedding day.

4. Unique Food Options

An area of wedding planning where couples can really get creative and focus their celebration around the things they love is through the different food offerings available during their wedding. Between cocktail hour hors devours, the main course, and a late night snack, there are plenty of ways to get creative here! You could choose to have grazing tables for your cocktail hour, or even change cocktail hour to something else entirely like RaeLissa and Taylor did with their hot chocolate hour. For the main course you can choose something a little more interactive like a build your own taco bar. A favorite twist of mine is a late night snack towards the end of the reception, like an ice cream bar or some late night pizzas. No matter which route you take, this trend is a surefire way to make your wedding day feel more unique to you.

5. Live Music

Live music has been a part of wedding receptions for a LONG time, but it took a bit of a backseat for a bit thanks to the accessibility and lower costs that came with DJs. Now don’t take this as slander against DJs as there are some immensely talented ones out there! A good DJ knows when a vibe change is needed, when the crowd needs a bit of a break with a slow song, and how to get the dancefloor back to capacity when it seems like everyone is ready to call it. That being said though, there is simply no contest when it comes to the energy, excitement, and liveliness that you get with live music during your reception.

A live band typically comes at a higher cost than what you’d pay for a DJ for your wedding, but trust me it is WELL worth it. I’ve documented and been to a lot of weddings with live music, and not a single one has had a dancefloor that wasn’t immediately packed for the entire night!

6. First Touch

A wedding tradition that has become a staple of the industry is the first look, which if you don’t know what that is I recommend you check out this article I wrote. It’s basically a moment where the bride and groom see one another privately before the wedding ceremony. This is a fun trend in and of itself, but some couples love the excitement that comes with waiting to see one another for the first time until the ceremony. Wanting to keep this excitement while also having a private and intimate moment like the first look is where the first touch was born.

Much like the name suggests, a first touch is basically a first look but instead of seeing one another the soon to be newlyweds have a moment where they touch one another. This typically takes place with them standing around the corner from one another while holding hands. This gives them time to talk and spend a special moment together as just the two of them, all the while without seeing each other to keep the big reveal for the ceremony. It’s a trend that I LOVE to photograph, and one that I’m glad to see becoming more and more popular.

7. Backyard Weddings

A trend that has definitely been around for a while, but has been seeing a lot of love and attention lately, is the backyard wedding. Whether that’s due to the rising costs of wedding venues, the amount of creative freedom that comes with this style of celebration, or a combination of both, the backyard wedding comeback is something that I am loving! I recently put Kathryn and Troy’s backyard destination wedding on my blog, and their day is the prime example of just how fantastic these celebrations can be. Backyard weddings can strike this incredible balance of being down to earth yet extravagant, low-key yet exhilarating, and personal yet curated. There’s so much flexibility that comes with backyard weddings, and I cannot wait to see what the next one I get to document looks like.

8. Including Your Pet

For many of us, our pets are a part of the family, so it only seems fitting that they’re included in some way, shape, or form into one of the biggest days of our lives. This wedding trend has been on the rise, and there are a variety of ways couples have gone about including their pets into their wedding celebrations. Whether you want to do something simple like naming your signature drinks after your pets, or you want to include them into the day itself like Ailee and Brian did, there are an infinite number of fun ways to include your pets into your wedding festivities. 

9. Outfit Changes

While traditional wedding attire includes some of the most gorgeous and stunning pieces of clothing you’ll ever wear, it isn’t always the most mobile or comfortable. That’s why a trend that’s been popping up more and more that I can’t get enough of is an outfit change on your wedding day! This can be as simple as changing into a pair of custom converse shoes after your ceremony, or as extravagant as swapping into an entirely new dress once the dance floor opens up for the evening.

Whatever outfit change you plan in it assures that you’re as comfortable as possible so you can enjoy your wedding day to the fullest. As a bonus, it also makes for some really fun moments to document in your photos as well. Just imagine the hype that comes from wedding guests seeing the bride re-enter the reception in a brand new wedding dress ready to dance the night away!

10. Prioritizing You

The final wedding trend I’m absolutely loving is a bit more abstract, and that is prioritizing yourself on your wedding day. This is less a single activity or event, and more of a way of mind when it comes to making your wedding day timeline. This can take the shape of a first look or first touch, a sunset walk around your venue, or even stopping for a quick drink at your favorite bar while traveling from your ceremony to your reception.

Any way that you can create a moment for just the two of you to enjoy during your wedding day is something that I love when couples prioritize in their planning. These moments allow you to slow down, take in everything that’s happened so far, and look forward to everything that is to come. It’s a time for you two to enjoy a moment of just each other's company, with a few photos to document the experience of course.

Those are 10 of my favorite wedding trends that I cannot get enough of in the industry right now. I am of course always open to and looking forward to experiencing more creative, fun, and unique ways for couples to celebrate their love in a way that fits them best. For more wedding tips make sure you check out some of my other articles, and if you’re ready to book me as your photographer head on over to my contact page so we can start planning your day together ASAP!