By now you’ve probably heard just about everyone’s New Years ins and outs. But if you’re like us, you’re still wondering: What does that mean for weddings in 2024? Well, the internet has spoken. While there are a few overlaps between 2023 and 2024 wedding trends (spoiler alert: bows are very much still in), so many creative new wedding ideas have cropped up that we just can’t wait to see in our next real wedding feature. Here’s the verdict:
100 Layer Cake’s Top 2024 Wedding Trends
From new trends in floral design and tablescaping to statement veils and other chic fashion trends, 2024 is all about going all out with your wedding decor. It’s also the year we see new planning tools, experiential favors, and day-after activities for guests. But first, let’s talk design!
Colorful Wedding Themes
Every year, colorful weddings are executed in new ways. In 2024, weddings aren’t just about a burst of color, but pops of pattern and mismatched textures too. 2023 was the year of maximalism in weddings for sure, but 2024 will bring just as many opportunities for bold color, perhaps with even more intentionality and innovation. Colorblocking will be big too!
Unexpected color combinations are key, as is layering surprising prints and patterns like those in this maximalist wedding. This trend is gorgeous when done right, but you’ll want to hire a design pro to bring your aesthetic together in a cohesive and refined way. (Check out MatchBook if you need a place to start… There are so many talented planners, designers, and florists eager to bring your colorful wedding dreams to life!)
Sustainable Weddings
The wedding industry has been woefully behind when it comes to sustainability, but planners and their couples are finding ways to host a beautiful wedding that doesn’t come at the expense of the environment. From vintage wedding fashion (remember when this bride repurposed her mother’s gown?) to organic flowers and food to nontraditional guest favors, couples are aligning their wedding with their values. And to make it gorgeous, too? That’s no small feat!
Pro tip: To make your wedding more sustainable, start with the venue. This couple said I Do at an organic flower farm dedicated to eco-friendly practices.
Nature was a through line for Catharine and Hunter. They chose a botanical garden venue, gifted guests local honey and dogwood tree seedlings for favors, offered a plant-based menu, and supported local artists with their details.
Budget Weddings and Micro Weddings
For every extravagant wedding in 2024, there will also be a beautiful budget wedding that reminds us: less is more. Micro weddings may be a trend born from the pandemic out of necessity, but they’re not going anywhere. Smaller weddings are also a great way to achieve your dream wedding style on a budget. A small guest list = less money spent on a venue, food, and drink. Which leaves you with more resources to put toward other important aspects of getting married, whether it be wedding details, a honeymoon, or saving for a house. But don’t plan a micro wedding just to save money. Micro weddings aren’t for everyone—do it only if an intimate affair truly feels more you.
For couples who don’t want to totally commit to a micro wedding, consider mini-monies: super intimate wedding ceremonies followed by larger receptions at a later date.
Adrienne + Sloan had an intimate 28-person wedding at the bride’s favorite local spot. Their circular ceremony design allowed guests to feel like they were all truly part of the wedding. A campsite venue, while logistically challenging, will cost less than a traditional venue. And how pretty did these picnic tables turn out?! See more from this micro wedding here and peruse our budget weddings here.
Wedding Tech
Wedding tech only gets better each year, with more tools than ever to help you plan a wedding with less stress. Say goodbye to tons of meetings to find the right team! Our own sister site MatchBook helps you find the perfect event pro in a snap, on your budget and your timeline. See how it works here.
Sites like Say I Do are popular to keep track of your wedding checklist, make online invites, manage RSVP’s, and create a wedding website.
Runway Style Ceremony Setups
Runway-style ceremony aisles started picking up steam in 2023 and we’ll see lots more of them in the months to come! With this ceremony style, guests can sit or stand, and with only one or two rows in your “runway”, they’ll all be able to see the entire walk. Round ceremony styles are another option!
Alternative Venues
In 2024, many couples are booking restaurant weddings, museum weddings, and other alternatives to the traditional wedding venue… Again, creating a unique and unexpected atmosphere for themselves and their guests!
Experiential Entertainment
Whether it’s hiring a live painter to depict the wedding day (or having guests paint the picture themselves!) or opting for alternative musical acts for your wedding, 2024 is all about giving guests an experience they haven’t had at a wedding before. Interactive guest books and seating charts are still in for weddings this year, from audio guestbooks recorded on vintage phones to fortune cookie seating charts with the table number inside!
Other activities like this giant crossword puzzle of your love story (called ‘sip and solve’!) by Wed Words for guests to fill out during cocktail hour and artists illustrating guest portraits are fun new ways to offer a memorable experience.
Wedding Photography Trends
When it comes to wedding photography trends, lots of couples are opting for film photography, or film-inspired and documentary style photos. They are also requesting more candid photos, and creative ways of documenting details. Less couples are requesting all of the traditional portraits, and instead want their photographers to capture the true feeling of the day. Drone photography is another wedding must in 2024—how fun is it to see your big day from a whole new perspective?
Wedding Content Creators (in addition to a formal wedding photographer) are a new trend that we’ll see lots of this year—couples hiring a social media expert to create iPhone photos and videos throughout the big day. That way, couples and their wedding party can remain in the moment without worrying about missing any photo-opps.
Interactive Food + Beverage
Some of the most creative 2024 wedding trends we’re seeing? It’s all in the food and drink! Mobile bars, coffee carts, and custom cocktails are big this year (cue more espresso martinis!). Couples are also doing themed food stations, secret cocktail menus and other creative ways to keep guests fed and drinks flowing.
Cocktail hour is always a great time to get creative with snacks and drinks, like in this colorful LA wedding.
Long Wedding Cakes
Dramatically long, table runner style wedding cakes have slowly begun popping up all over Instagram and we’re pretty positive this is a wedding cake trend we’ll see everywhere by the end of 2024. Not only do they make a creative and interactive centerpiece for wedding guests to ogle over, they are sure to be something no one’s experienced before!
This trend first gained momentum after the above photo surfaced of Australian cake designer Celeste Scott of Butter’s delicious all white centerpiece cake. Genius!!!
2024 wedding fashion trends
Where do we start? Bows are still here in a major way (you can see why, yes?) as is making a statement with other wedding details like sleeves, veils, shoes, and headpieces.
Dramatic veils like this floral veil are a perfect way to achieve two looks for your wedding day without a full outfit change. Don the veil for your ceremony and some photos, and reveal the rest of your gorgeous gown to celebrate!
Pops of color and pattern are absolutely in when it comes to the entire bridal party and decor, too!
Guest Dress Codes
Don’t know about you, but we live for stylish wedding guest fashion. In 2024, more couples are inviting friends and family to be part of their wedding theme by donning a color scheme or style that’s fun to execute and makes those photos pop.
Remember when we shared a “pink encouraged” wedding dress code? And this “pattern and frills” theme? And there’s these ultra glam guests.
Guests at Lauren + Griffin’s SoCal wedding understood the assignment. They went for a springy color and sparkle theme and guests wore bold hues, mixed prints, and glamorous details. See more of their guest fashion here!
After the Wedding
These days, the wedding doesn’t stop after that end-of-night sendoff. The next day brunch is basically an extension of the wedding, with some couples also opting for day-after recovery lounges (think superfood smoothies, IV drips, and spa treatments) and farewell activities for guests.
Rather than jet-setting to a tropical isle right after I Do, many couples are opting for mini moons, either in favor of taking a larger more involved trip later, or to contribute to a savings as newlyweds. Get inspired here!
5 wedding trends that are out in 2024
- Any tradition you’re not actually into. Tradition is only in if it is meaningful to the couple. If there isn’t a story or purpose behind a tradition—like you truly want to have a cake cutting or bouquet tossing moment—it’s, well, tossed.
- Matching bridesmaids. Matching bridesmaids may still be the norm, but they’re tricky. Everyone in your bridal party is different, has a different size, shape, and taste, and it’s beginning to just make a lot more sense to let them get more creative with their attire. Along with that, mixed prints and color blocking are huge trends, and having coordinating-but-not-matching bridesmaid dresses helps channel this stylish vibe.
- Sweetheart Tables. We’ve all heard from brides about how quickly the wedding day goes, and often it’s a challenge to get in that QT with guests. Opting for communal dining gives you more face-time with loved ones than a sweetheart table. Not to mention, you’ll have plenty of romantic one-on-one dinners during your honeymoon!
- Inviting everyone. Whether it’s a question of budgeting or simply because you don’t actually care to have your mom’s book group, or that second cousin you’ve literally only met once, witness your vows, couples are no longer inviting everyone just because it’s the nice thing to do. It’s impractical, expensive, and gets stressful, fast. Let’s stick to inviting the people we truly want to celebrate with, and leave it at that!
- Large wedding parties. It’s becoming more common for couples to stick to only their absolute closest people—such as siblings or lifetime friends—as those who will stand at the end of that aisle with them. But that doesn’t mean you have to exclude people from your celebration. If you have a lot of friends, you can still invite a larger group to wedding festivities like your bachelorette without having them all actually in the wedding. Most people these days get it, and won’t feel left out.
