2024 Wedding Trends

So, wedding season is currently in full swing and with over half the year done, we’re saying goodbye to the wedding trends of 2023 and looking to the wedding trends of 2024.

A wedding day is undoubtedly special. From the dress to the food, the venue to the entertainment, every little aspect is thoroughly thought through. Hitched has released their 2024 wedding trends and below we’re going to cover them to help give wedding venues a jump on what to expect and how to better market themselves in line with the upcoming expected trends. As a wedding venue marketing agency, we think these are of special significance to venues looking to gain an influx in interest in their wedding services in the future.

The editor of Hitched writes:

“2024’s wedding trends are all about personalisation and the guest experience. Couples are breaking away from tradition, opting for custom ceremonies and embracing the concept of a ‘wedding weekend’. We studied thousands of keywords and analysed site traffic to determine the biggest trends for 2024 and beyond.

Remember, this report is essential for wedding businesses looking to stay ahead in the industry. Let’s dive into the trends that will dominate 2024!”

Celebrant-led Weddings Increase

Celebrant-led weddings have surged in popularity, demonstrating how couples have moved toward a more personal wedding ceremony that reflects their unique love story and the personalities of the couple.

Hitched report that searches for ‘celebrant weddings’ have surged by 49%.

The advice to wedding venues:

• Lean into the personal elements of your service.
• Share testimonials and video footage of your services to offer insight into the ceremony options available to them.
• Make it clear that you can accommodate celebrant-led ceremonies.

Black Wedding Dresses on the Rise

Black or darker-hued wedding dresses have seen a rise in popularity, in stark contrast to the traditional white. Lots of designer brands have introduced darker wedding dresses for some drama on the big day and it has proven incredibly popular with almost 10k searches for black wedding dresses in June 2023 alone.

Wedding Jumpsuits

Not only alternative coloured dresses but also the rejection of dresses entirely. Google searches for wedding jumpsuits are up 83% this year with expectations to rise even more. Big-name influencers have followed the trend, such as Molly Mae, who sported a white jumpsuit for her proposal.

Jumpsuits have seen a jump in popularity, largely as a rejection of traditional wedding outfits and a move away from dresses entirely. Allowing many brides a little more freedom over how they choose to look their best on their big day.

Tip to venues:

• Use varying imagery of alternatively dressed couples to attract a wider audience.

UK Couples Want Longer Celebrations

In many cultures, a wedding spans longer than just a single day. For example, a traditional Moroccan wedding ceremony can last up to 7 days, a Pakistani wedding ranges from 3-7 days, an Indian wedding 3-5 days, and American weddings often span a weekend with rehearsal dinners and goodbye parties bookending the ceremony.

UK couples are beginning to adopt this and enquiring with venues about longer weddings, with searches for “weekend wedding venues” rising by 50%.

Tip to venues:

• To get ahead of this trend, venues can begin to incorporate longer festivities into their wedding packages. Advertise for traditional packages and entire weekend packages, where couples can go beyond the wedding breakfast and have the option to enjoy an entire weekend to celebrate with friends and family.

Veils Make a Comeback

Searches for “Wedding veil” have increased by 23%, indicating a rise in popularity.
The Hitched report states how renowned bridal designer, Rebecca Andrews, believes
the demand for wedding veils is soaring because brides are embracing their unique style and opting for the opportunity to personalise their veils with unique embroidery.

Celebrities that are providing huge veil inspiration include Kourtney Kardashian and Hailey Bieber.

70s Weddings on the Rise

Searches for “70s wedding” have increased by an impressive 29% this year, largely thanks to pop culture and TV shows such as Amazon Prime’s ‘Daisy Jones & The Six’.

The show and other pop culture spotlights have led to an increased interest in the cool aesthetic of the 60s and 70s, inspiring new styles and bringing a comeback of retro fashions
Hitched’s own retro wedding hairstyles article has seen an incredible 575% increase in traffic compared to last year as a direct result.

Tip to venues:

• Include alternative imaging on your website showcasing themed weddings to appeal to different demographics of couples.
• Write your own blogs on specific trends gathering traffic to appeal to people searching for 60s and 70s-themed weddings.

Capes Coming into Fashion?

A slightly more surprising one is wedding capes. Searches for “wedding dresses with cape” have increased by almost a quarter and Barcelona Bridal Fashion Week saw wedding designers such as Elie Saab, Yolancris and Ines di Santo all style models with long flowing capes on the runways.

Jazzing Things Up

The traditional soft sounds of a piano, violin or even a harp are moving slightly over to welcome in some smooth, funky jazz. Searches for “saxophone wedding” have seen a whopping increase of 143% in the last year.

This all comes at a bid for couples to provide unique entertainment for their guests.

Tip to venues:

• Have a variety of musical contacts to provide to guests.

Short Dresses Stepping Up

If we haven’t noticed by now, it’s that brides are rejecting some of the traditions of a typical wedding and opting for a much more personal way to express themselves on their wedding day. Short dresses are on the rise with almost 10k searches for “short wedding dresses” each month. You’ll also notice celebrities have been enjoying this trend. The likes of Kourtney Kardashian, Lily Allen and Sophie Habboo have all rocked a mini dress for their wedding day.

Because of this, we may see more wedding dress changes from day to night, more convertible dresses and a rejection of the usual floor-length gowns in favour of something shorter and more modern.

Hiring Items Rather Than Purchasing

The tradition of purchasing a dress is also seeing a decline with searches for “Wedding dress hire” up 50%.

Hiring a wedding dress saves couples money and helps support more eco-friendly choices, avoiding unnecessary purchases and the waste of just wearing a dress, suit or other attire, just once. And if the bride (or groom) does wish to own their wedding outfit, some couples still opt for a rented option and seek affordable, rented options for their outfit change at the wedding reception.

Additionally, the demand for wedding hire extends beyond attire, with lots of couples looking to hire decor too. Things such as flower walls, sweet tables, doughnut walls, photo props, etc.

Tips for venues:

• Consider purchasing some decor options to rent out to couples as an additional income stream.
• Set up photo shoots of various hired items to give the full effect to potential clients and encourage them to hire your items. This could be a photo booth, wedding games, etc.

Wedding AI

Another surprising one, but searches for “AI wedding” and “smart wedding rings” have doubled in the past year, rising 50%. And new searches for ‘“AI wedding speech generator” and “AI wedding invitations” have been noted recently.

This suggests that more and more people are turning to helpful AI tools to write their speeches, their toasts, and even wedding ceremonies. AI sites such as Provenance work to help people write their speeches and vows, asking several questions to get a more personal approach and then writing a heartfelt speech swiftly.

As for smart wedding rings, they combine some great modern tech into the convenience of a typical wedding band. Some of these rings can combine sleep trackers, health and wellness trackers, smart keys and contactless payment chips. While there isn’t anything directly linking to the wedding day with these smart rings, they are incredibly useful and great for tech-savvy couples.

Savings Are Front of Mind for Cost-savvy Couples

Weddings are renowned for being expensive affairs, and on top of the current cost of living crisis, a budget wedding is paramount for lots of couples. In fact, searches for “budget weddings” are up 306%.

While lots of couples will always look to cut costs on their big day, there are some things that couples will gladly pay for. To appeal to the most people, it can be a good idea to create a tier system of wedding packages, priced from low to high.

Tip to venues:

• Consider reconsidering your marketing and giving your brand a refresh to appeal to new clients who may consider your services a little out of their price range.
• Offer a package to suit different types of people and their budgets.

We can help

We hope you’ve found the above report useful and have begun to consider some of the ways you can draw more attention to your packages and venues as a result of the emerging trends. As a wedding marketing agency for venues, we certainly did!

Remember, refreshing your brand, marketing your services to appeal to a broader clientele, and looking for new ways to appeal to new audiences is a great way to position yourself in front of couples planning their weddings. A fresh new website, gorgeous brochures, professional imagery and effective SEO could really help get you the attention you deserve during the wedding season.

If you’d like some support from a wedding marketing agency, please get in touch to discuss your ideas.