We’ll all remember 2022 as the year of the “post-pandemic” rebound. But what does that actually mean for 2023? After so many weddings followed by a period of tight restrictions, we’re now about to see one of the biggest shifts ever in the traditional event. Here’s what you can expect for wedding trends in 2023.
Some of the biggest trends for weddings in 2023 include more personalized guest lists, sustainability, and even eco-friendly weddings.
From color trends for weddings to the most popular dresses, we’ve found out everything you need to know about what 2023’s hottest trends will look like.
Wedding Fashion Trends
There’s no denying it – the trends for dresses, shoes, and accessories are an important part of every bride’s big day. We’re going to share with you some of our key observations from notable Bridal Fashion Weeks so that you’re in the know without having to travel around the world.
The Big and Bold 80’s Aesthetic
If you’re alarmed by this trend and think that all wedding dresses will look like Princess Diana’s with humongous puff sleeves and a gigantic train, don’t worry – the 80s have been given a major makeover for 2023!
Runways were overrun recently with wedding gowns featuring puffy sleeves, and online searches for the phrase “puffed sleeve” grew by 39 percent last year. This was the number one most notable style trend in Bridal Fashion Weeks from New York, Barcelona and London.
With a fresh take on the 1980’s revival, designers have gone for volume, texture, and motion-with beautiful results!
Some designers have been making voluminous sleeve dresses for quite some time now. An easy way for brides to adopt this big sleeve trend in a more subtle way is to consider detachable sleeve dresses. For the formal ceremony, you can keep the sleeves on for extra drama and then remove them for maximum fun during your reception – perfect way to update the gown and yet remain classic and traditional at the same time too.
Pearl Detailing
Pearl wedding dresses will become the new darling of bridal fashion in 2023. And if pearls on your wedding dress aren’t your thing, consider adding pearl elements to the rest of your bridal outfit, such as your shoes and hair accessories.
Bows, Bows and More Bows
As we enter into 2023, so too has the trend of the bow returned into our wedding fashion choices once again.
At the various Bridal Fashion Weeks, there were some really beautiful dresses incorporate bow elements. Some designers opted for elaborate veiling, which only barely covered the faces of their bridesmaids, but included a bow at the crown. Whether you want to go all out or just very minimalist, there are many different ways to incorporate a bow into your wedding dress design in 2023.
Thigh High Slits
Yes, sexy slit dresses have been staples of bridal fashion for decades. However, if the runway shows at the various Bridal Fashion Weeks are any indication, they’re about to become even sexier. With designers showing off dangerously high-slitted gowns, we predict that some of these gowns will be so high cut that they won’t leave much to the imagination.
High Neck Gowns
For next year’s wedding season, designers will be introducing bride-to-be’s to the trend of the high-necked dress. From turtlenecks to dramatic halter neck gowns, expect some truly stunning designs!
Opera Gloves
Although opera glove styles vary widely, they are essentially an extension of the wedding ceremony tradition of something old, something new. They fit either the traditional “something old’s” or the current trendy brides who are incorporating older elements to make the wedding feel modern. For example, the classic white or ivory color opera glove fits with the bride’s gown, the strapless neckline and bodice. However, if the bride incorporates lace or ruffles to her gown, then she could choose a more colorful version such as one made with blush pink, champagne or light blue. Regardless of what type of wedding the bride is planning, opera gloves are appropriate and comfortable enough to complete the ensemble from day to night.
Alternate Color Choices
If there’s one thing we learned from this season’s Bridal Fashion Weeks, it’s that bridal designers are embracing color once again. For the last few years, whites and ivories dominated the bridal salons, with bits of blush and buff popping up every now and then. From pastels to metallic hues, floral prints to flirty florals, colorful wedding dresses will be everywhere in 2023 – and they are beautiful! If you’re planning on choosing a colored wedding dress, keep it simple with just a few key accessories.
Women’s Bridal Suits
We’ll always have brides who don’t want a frothy or frilly white dress – 2023 trends will definitely be the perfect year for these brides since wedding suits are growing in popularity. Google searches for “women’s wedding suits” are up 125% and this trend doesn’t seem to be slowing down anytime soon.
With weddings becoming smaller and less extravagant than the days pre-pandemic, people are looking for ways to dress up their big day without breaking the bank. They’re searching for “stylish” outfits for women, which means they want something classy but not too expensive and in 2023, this could mean both dresses and wedding suits.
Wedding Day Party & Guest Lists
The last few years of the pandemic forced soon-to-be married couples to rethink the size and makeup of their wedding parties and that trend continues into 2023. Gone will be the term ‘bridal party’ with the use of ‘wedding party’ to show more inclusivity of various roles. Have a look at how some of the roles themselves are bending gender norms.
Groomsmaids & Men of Honor
Searches for “groomsmaids”, “groomswomen”, “male bridesmaid” and “men of honor” have increased more than 20% from 2021 / 2022, ever since couples started moving away from traditional gender roles for their wedding party. Google searches for “wedding squad” and “wedding party” hit 1000 as a high point in 2022 and that likely won’t be slowing down any time soon.
Couples are also shifting away from having pre-wedding parties just for men or women alone. Instead, they’re hosting soirees where everyone comes together to celebrate the soon-to-be wed couple
More Selective Guest Lists
As we’ve seen during the coronavirus crisis, average wedding spending has increased since the pandemic. However, one trend that hasn’t grown as quickly is the number of guests attending weddings. Before the pandemic, couples invited an average of 102 guests to celebrate their nuptials with them. Nowadays, however, they’re bringing in an average of 72 guests per wedding.
For some couples, cutting back on guests meant having to let go of friends and family members who weren’t essential. However, for others, it gave them an opportunity to be selective about the number of guests they invited.
When soon-to-be married couples were polled about feeling pressure to invite certain guests, over 70 percent said they did feel pressured to invite some guests but didn’t want to offend others by saying no; almost 95 percent said they wish there was a way to say “no” to guests without hurting their feelings.
While guests have decreased by 29 percent, spending hasn’t – couples are saving the money they’re no longer spending on guests and putting it towards wedding expenses instead.
As we see couples increasingly focusing on building a curated guest list, they’re less likely to include friends and family who just aren’t part of their inner circle. So your mom’s friend from her gardening club and your cousin’s daughter’s boyfriend just won’t make the list anymore.
The Big Day Itself
As we emerge from the pandemic over the last few years, we’re seeing some of the biggest changes to how wedding ceremonies and receptions are being planned.
Outdoor Weddings
Before the global COVID-19 pandemics, there were strict rules regarding which countries allowed people to marry outdoors. You couldn’t previously be wed at an unlicensed venue; but now couples can get married at their preferred location – whether it’s the forest, by the lake, or beside an impressive waterfall.
Humanist Ceremonies
As 2022 comes to an end, couples have started planning for their big day by considering different alternatives, including the type of celebrant who will oversee their wedding ceremony. Couples are increasingly aware of the choices and there are more options than the traditional ordained minister.
One such trend that has taken off are celebrants who conduct humanist ceremony, which is non-religious and non-denominational in nature. The couple can weave in any elements including rituals and poems to truly make the ceremony unique and their own.
Alternative Entertainment
Couple’s want unique wedding entertainments that allows them to express themselves and allows their guests to have fun without conventional wedding activities.
Our edit of the best outdoor weddings has seen an increase of 118%² since its launch in June 2016; at this rate we’re not expecting things to slow down any time soon.
Couples who want to ensure they’re having an enjoyable, memorable wedding party may look into hiring entertainment options beyond DJs and bands. They might consider hiring solo artists, duos, and more, perhaps even at the end of the night.
In 2023, couples will be looking to plan fun activities to engage guests both before and after their big day, turning the festivities into a whole wedding weekend. Trends include wine or whiskey tasking the night before and bringing back the entire group of guests for brunch following the wedding day.
Twilight Weddings
Personalizing your wedding doesn’t end with what you choose for decor and what your bridal accessories will look like; you can personalize almost everything else too including the time of day of your wedding.
More and more couples now plan their weddings to take place at sunset and as day turns into night. These so called “twilight weddings” will become one of the biggest trends in weddings for 2023, perfect for brides who prefer to tie the knot during fall or winter when nights last longer than days.
Flowers
Couples are scaling back with decor in 2023 – they’re wanting more a minimalist, clean look overall for their wedding decor. Table decor should also be clean with a modern feel – simple lines and neutral colors will be your best bet.
There’s also a trend of having one big floral installation instead of a ton of smaller arrangements, which makes for a good photo backdrop for your guests.
What’s also trending is the emphasis on the environment when it comes to the type of flowers people choose for their weddings. Couples are becoming much more environmentally friendly when choosing the flowers they use for their weddings and are opting for seasonal blooms to be as eco-friendly as possible.
Elopements
Celebrity couples have been putting destination weddings and elopements back in the public eye. In 2022, Google searches for “destination weddings” and “elopement” have skyrocketed with searches increasing by 200%.
Elopement no longer means secretly running away as a couple and getting married. Options now include a private ceremony just for the couple and then a very large affair for all your guests and loved ones at a later date.
Going Green
Sustainability has become an increasingly important part of the conversation regarding weddings and we expect these numbers to grow even further in the years ahead.
Upcycling
Since couples are more aware now of the environmental impacts of their weddings, they’re choosing environmentally-friendly options for their festivities.
52 percent of people who’ll follow the “something old” tradition will be using an old item for their wedding day look.
Eco-Friendly Favors
People are becoming increasingly concerned about sustainability and creating eco-friendly weddings. Searches for ‘eco friendly wedding favors’ have risen by 1,500 percent in the last few years.
Nearly 75% of couples still want to give some sort of gift to their guests, but they don’t necessarily want to give traditional favors like flowers or centrepieces that could get left behind. Trending now are edible gifts, plant pots, and charitable donations that are all great eco-friendly ideas.
A good alternative to traditional stationary for your wedding invites would be to create some stationery out of corrugated board and seed packets. Guests could then take these home and plant them in their own garden when they return home. Great keepsake as the plant will be a reminder of the couple’s big day.
Wedding Dress Rental
As full-blown weddings are become even more popular now, searches for ‘rented weddings dresses’ have increased by 132%. Renting a bridal gown has become an increasingly popular alternative to buying one because they’re often cheaper than purchasing them, leaving money in your pocket to spend on other wedding expenses.
A large number of wedding dresses get worn once and then stay in the bride’s closet forever. Rentals offer new alternative options to brides where they can wear the dress of their dreams and not worry about spending a fortune.
Cakes & Catering
Couple’s spend on their weddings is increasing, despite guests numbers being smaller. And one of the reasons for this increase is that people are beginning to entertain themselves between courses by watching chefs cook on stage.
Industry experts expect fusion catering to become one of the biggest trends in 2023. It’s a way to embrace all cultures, faiths and traditional customs into a wedding celebration. Specializing the catering menu is a nice way to incorporate the traditions and varied background of the couple – think about how fun it would be to serve a traditional Polish 4 or 5 course meal and then bringing out the traditional Portuguese seafood feast at midnight!
Cocktail Hour Celebrations
Due to an increasing number of married people wanting to create unique wedding days, we can anticipate seeing a large increase in wedding cocktail hour events in 2023.
There are a lot more planned cocktail events during the dinner time set up; couples are now choosing a signature drink they’ve chosen for themselves to mark the occasion.
Updated Fruit Cakes
No, we’re not suggesting that Christmas fruitcake is trending for wedding cakes as well. Rather, fruit flavored cakes are a hot trend for 2023, with couples choosing fruity flavors for their signature cake instead of the standard vanilla or chocolate cake.
Popular trending flavors right now are raspberry and white chocolate, lemon and elderflower (made popular by Meghan Markle and Prince Harry’s wedding) and strawberry vanilla.
Honeymoons
With the world adhering to a number of pandemic restrictions over the last few years, traveling abroad in 2023 will be really big , especially for couples who want to tick things off their honeymoon travel list.
One-of-A Kind Honeymoon
“Unique Honeymoons” searches have increased by more than three thousand percent in 2022, with couples wanting to renew their vows with a unique honeymoon.
Travel experts say that honeymoon destinations like Morocco, South Africa, Australia and New Zealand among others, are going strong thanks to an uptick in global tourism.
Multi-Destination Honeymoons
Searches for “multi-destination honeymoons” rose by 9,900% last year. Many couples left without any holiday travels after their pandemic weddings have decided to make up for lost time by taking advantage of multi-destination wedding packages that many travel sites are offering.
New Traditions for 2023
A wedding trend analysis would not be complete without exploring some potential trends that may emerge in the years ahead. First looks will certainly growing in popularity in 2023 and we’re very excited about it.
First Look
One out of every 10 couples marrying in 2023 are planning for a first “look” at each other before they walk down the aisle, either on a day planned in advance or on the actual wedding day itself.
‘First looks’ allow the couple to really relish the moment without having to share it with anyone else, and it’ll give you some sentimental wedding photos to look back on. As couples increasingly are bucking patriarchal wedding traditions, this idea of a ‘first look’ before the wedding ceremony seems to be trending more and more.
Couple’s weddings are often celebrated by their families and closest friends and it’s a special time when they get together to celebrate the couple’s marriage. For some couples, the ‘first look’ is an intimate moment between two people who are pledging their lives to one another.
Regardless of when you have our ‘first look’ planned, there are plenty of reasons why the ‘first look’ should be part of your wedding. Firstly, this is a wonderful way to start off the ceremony, when the bride approaches the altar and her soon-to-be spouse sees her for the first time. Alternatively, ‘first looks’ can also be planned earlier in the day, either in their home or just outside the venue before the wedding party gathers. The beauty of ‘first looks’ is that it can be customized per the couple’s wishes.
Alternative First Dances
Traditionally, first dances were a key part of the wedding; they consisted of the newly married couples dancing together at the beginning of the reception and kicking off the celebration.
Perhaps it’s because of the pandemic; couples are questioning wedding traditions and realizing they don’t need to do anything that is not meaningful to them. Almost a 50% of couples are nervous about their first dance; close to 25% are dreading it and about 10% of couples are planning not to go through with it at all.
More and more, couples are choosing different types of first dances – consider asking your entire wedding party to join you at the same time or have both sets of parents dance to the same song too. Some couples chose to do different types of dances instead of the traditional slow dance; think about a choreographed upbeat dance tune or perhaps even doing a group line dance!
Regardless of what you’re choosing to do, be sure to enlist the help of experts such as BetterSway, a company that has created instructional videos to get you comfortable and in fine dancing form in no time!
Final Thoughts
Whether you and your partner want to stick to the trends or forge your own path, we can all agree that weddings are back. They will be more intentional than ever, but still we love to celebrate love!
