What do you think of 2022 Wedding Trends?

Please note, I'm all for couples using their money how the want. I had my lovely wedding just didn't encounter competitive tactics like bribing vendors or paying 2-3x more for attention. Also, I was alive in the 80s & this ain't it.

I would honestly have to read the article to understand the context of what you’re saying. But I honestly don’t have a problem with decadent weddings at all just as I don’t have a problem with alternative low-key weddings. All of them are beautiful. I do think that you make a good point that there are a number of issues such a supply chain and economic instability. However if a couple can afford to throw a decadent wedding and if that’s what they want do then they should. I think there’s room for everyone and every type of wedding. Just for context in comparison to US culture our wedding would be considered extremely decadent but it’s a cultural thing that is not unusual for us. I’m going to read the article.

I haven’t read the article but trends are regional and they always will be. In NYC, weddings are grandiose in general compared to the rest of the country and have trends and traditions that unheard of in other areas so it’s an unfair and imbalanced scale to make a blanket statement that applies to every city in the US. Outside of maybe Hollywood films set during that period that feature weddings, I have a hard time believing that is accurate for every pocket/corner of the US. As it is, no two areas of the country have the same trends and traditions. I haven’t seen any 80s style dresses marketed online by any designer, and they would be all over Instagram if it was a thing. Large cakes are personal preference. Not everyone likes the cupcake/dessert table trend, so let people have their large cake. Multi-day parties are regional and cultural. They are inconvenient for most. Unless they are talking about the trend that not everyone likes of the destination bachelorette trips and are lumping it into that category? For example, some Asian cultures traditionally do multi day parties but there is not a specific surge of those because it is not the typical Caucasian American Christian culture who is doing these. It’s best in the long run to take these articles with a mountain of salt because there isn’t much in the way of evidence to back up the claims. Let people have the cultural traditions they are used to and the trends from yesteryear that appeal to them as long as etiquette is not breached so that people are intentionally attacked and made uncomfortable in the social settings they are in. Budget will always be an issue no matter what the circumstances in the rest of the country at the time. You do you as long as it’s what you and fiancé love and you aren’t sacrificing your comfort and values to please others.

I've found a couple of interested 2022 trends articles, most of which mention a wide variety of trends (which makes sense to me). I did find one from the New York Times , and while it mentions similarities to the 80s, my takeaway was really that the trends are focusing on heightened personalization. Sure, they mentioned a center-stage dress, a multi-day event, cakes as artwork, but I think those are things that can be incorporated (if desired) into any size of wedding and mostly any budget.

I think I agree more with this one from Brides , though. The trends are a little all over the place, but I don't think they're off base. It mentions both big parties and intimate weddings, as well as full weekends of events and destination weddings. It also touched on a few more of the actual decor trends (NYT mentioned a ton of flowers, but Brides mentions eclectic and colorful + champagne towers)

Then there's Green Wedding Shoes who I think really nailed it on the head - at least based on the weddings I'm seeing and the inspo pictures I've been finding as I plan my own wedding, and this article focuses on every aspect of the wedding. It did not, however, mention size of the wedding or destination vs local. My guess it's because small vs large and destination vs local are pretty split at this point in wedding planning!

As far as out of touch articles? Vogue 🤣 Mostly because, well, it's Vogue, but also because I think their data and observations are coming from people who typically pay for an event planner rather than day of coordinator. Themed welcome parties sound super fun in theory, but trying to execute one on my own sounds stressful. Hanging florals makes my bank account hurt, as does "multiple and specialty bars". The one section of this article I did agree with was the "what's out" section at the end!

Ugh, I love reading about wedding trends.

View Quoted Comment

Half of the weddings I was invited to for 2022 were destination weddings, and that doesn't include my own. Also, most weddings I've been invited to since 2020 include multiple days of events (usually just a welcome dinner, the wedding, and then a farewell brunch). So I would agree that destination weddings are trending, as are multi-day events. Does that mean the couple expects everyone to be able to stay for all of the events? No, but they're planned for the guests who can/want to come. But also, trends are just that - trends. They'll pass, but you'll always have people with 200 person, ceremony at the church, reception somewhere else, traditional catering wedding. It's traditional for a reason and it stands the test of time 🤷🏼‍♀️

I personally love a trendy wedding 😅

I tend to always dismiss 96% of the NYT's opinions but yes, I read that article shaking my head. Historic inflation that is only expected to get worse, recession on the horizon, uncertain global conflict repercussion and so on and so on...... sigh.

Trends are going to come and go. I think it's fun to see what's gaining popularity, but at the end of the day, I'm planning my wedding around what I like, not the flavor of the week.

I just read the article, and I see what they're getting at about comparing today's trends with some wedding trends of the 80s. Firstly, I think a lot of it is about fashion - I keep myself very apprised of the latest wedding trends and follow several wedding designers, and I can honestly say that I agree with their report of designers moving towards more grandiose designs. For example, I've seen TONS of dresses with those puffy sleeve elements. More people are personalizing their weddings rather than steering strictly with tradition - for example, I think it's become really commonly accepted and even considered by brides to have a really fancy looking dress for the first part of the day and then an unconventional little white dress or alternative for their reception. Heck, even I have opted for a more "regal" ball gown for my wedding and am in the bucket of multi-day destination (Europe) wedding. I do have to say that I'm noticing more people choosing a destination wedding these days, and I think some of that has to do with people (who may have been big travelers) not being able to travel like before for 2 years. The thought process my fiance and I had in picking a destination wedding was: (1) we love to travel and wanted to share that experience for our special day (2) we were hoping to keeping the wedding smaller and thought a destination event would assist in that [though 60%+ of our guest list is attending, while we were expecting more like 40%, because everyone has told us they've felt "cooped up" and are ready to finally travel again] (3) we've been to other weddings and always found ourselves wishing we could spend more time than just the evening of the wedding with our family and friends, so we're looking forward to both celebrating and enjoying our European destination with our loved ones, and (4) we found that we can spend less in much of Europe for an "extravagant" wedding than we would in the US for the same level of extravagance.

I feel like with the pandemic, especially those of us who got engaged early or in the middle of it, we've had a LOT of time to think about what we envision for our wedding and plan it. From our engagement to our wedding day, we'll have had nearly 2 years. In the age of social media, there's more access to ideas and designs that others are choosing as well as a consideration for a decadent wedding that will photograph well. I personally just didn't want to do the same wedding I've seen done over and over again, but those were my thoughts on what I'd want for my wedding well before the pandemic. So much of it is still deeply personal and dependent on the couple's preferences and budget. I don't think the article is really talking about what weddings looked like through the thick of the pandemic (such as Zoom weddings), but rather the trends as we come out of the pandemic - fashion trends even outside of bridal fashion are bolder with bright colors such as oranges, pinks, greens, and primary colors being more common.

Obviously this is just one trend that's being observed, and there are people who are opting for smaller and/or simpler weddings. I've seen more people also having micro weddings that seem more decadent, or some people skipping a wedding celebration altogether. I'm grateful that I haven't had the experience you're mentioning regarding struggling to get callbacks from vendors. Supply chain issues have impacted every facet of life, and I think we're just forcing ourselves to accept the fact that the price of everything (not just weddings) has gone up. Am I happy about that? No. Am I hoping that I get a raise at work that matches the rate of inflation this year? Absolutely, but I doubt that'll happen. The article is just an opinion piece and isn't intended to be taken as the word of truth.

I don't mind people however they spend their money for their wedding. If they want a high-end, decadent wedding or a lower cost, low-key wedding, it's about what the couple wants and what they can afford and if it makes them happy at the end of the day. I've been to weddings where it was decadent and high-end, but also been to weddings by the water. As a guest, I am there to celebrate and support the couple and I love seeing what other people do for their weddings.