2023 Wedding Trends | New England Wedding Photographer

Let’s talk about wedding trends! 2023 is going to be another jam-packed wedding season. Are you looking for inspiration for your upcoming wedding? Look no further! Let’s dive into wedding trends that have made an impact last year and are sure to be all the rage this season.

Bold Color Palettes 

Weddings in the past have seen more muted and limited color palettes, mostly favoring white. Today, more and more couples are embracing color. Using a bold variety of colors, couples can create an aesthetic that suits them more authentically and stands out! Color can be incorporated everywhere on a wedding day, from shoes and accessories to flowers and decorations, all the way to table linens, plates, and glassware! For brides looking to be even more unique, colorful wedding dresses are quickly catching on. 

Mismatched Bridesmaids

Another way to incorporate color into your wedding day is with mismatched bridesmaid dresses! Each member of a bridal party being able to choose the cut of their dress has been in style for a while. It’s essential for everyone to find a dress that suits their body type and makes them feel the most comfortable. Each bridesmaid choosing the color and pattern of their dress takes this trend one step further! The couple may provide suggestions of what colors they would like their party members to choose from. Many will also ask for final approval of the dress chosen. Mismatched bridesmaids look amazing in photos. This wedding trend is a fun and unique way to tie together the color palette of the event.

Comfortable Shoes:

Brides are now ditching heels, and we blame them! You are on your feet for hours during a wedding day. It is down-right exhausting, and having heels on the entire time can make it that much more difficult. Fashionable flats or even colorful and personalized sneakers have become a popular alternative! Many gowns cover your feet anyway and even if they don’t, comfort on a wedding day is key. This can be a choice for the entire day or a fun change for the reception. Many couples have even been providing flip-flops for their guests who want to ditch their heels during the reception as well!

Parasols:

For summer and spring weddings, parasols are absolutely in vogue! A parasol can be an elegant and vintage accessory that can tie a bridal look together, almost like a bouquet. Or it can be a fun accent to the bridesmaids attire as they walk down the aisle. This wedding trend can even be turned into a gift for guests! They even can be offered as a relief from the harsh sun during hot summer weddings. Nothing is better than having some shade on a hot summers day.

Statement Florals:

This wedding trend has to be my favorite. Each season, florals have been getting bigger and bigger! Floral arches, spilling bouquets, aisles lined with flowers, and even floral walls have all become elegant wedding staples. And they definitely are not shy about adding color. In my opinion, if you are going to splurge on just one aspect of your wedding day, make it the flowers. 

Having a Friend Officiate 

An officiant is someone you are trusting to lead one of the most important moments of your life. It’s an incredibly intimate moment to share with someone. Having that person be someone that knows you and your partner very well is so much more personal. A close friend or family member can share stories, explain how they have watched you both grow together over the years, and share their own personal wishes for your future. According to recent survey, %55 of Americans are now married by a friend or family member. Just make sure whoever you choose is ordained prior to your date and understands all the steps they have to follow in your state to make the marriage official. Pro tip: ask them to make sure they step aside for your first kiss so they aren’t standing directly behind you in every photo. 

Vintage Get Away Cars:

Nothing is more romantic than a vintage get away car. These are usually white or neutral color. It can act as your transportation from the ceremony to reception or it can be the car you step into after a wild send off at the end of the night. Either way, if you have one these at your wedding. If you have on of these at your wedding, don’t forget take some epic photos with it!

Retro Vibes:

The 80’s are back and they are here to play! Disco balls, heart shaped sunglasses, and direct flash photography have been popping up everywhere, especially wedding receptions. It’s definitely a wedding trend I’m loving to see and I can’t wait for more of it.

Sustainability:

Sustainability has been prevalent in the wedding industry for years now. But today more than ever, couples are deciding to be eco conscious when planning their day. 

Some sustainable wedding trends include:

-Printing save the dates and invitations on recycled paper

-Choosing venues like wineries or botanical gardens where flowers are naturally growing everywhere, rather than resorting to wasteful decorations

-Replacing bouquets and floral arrangements with wooden or silk flowers

-Choosing to rent plates, glass wear, and any other decorations

-Donating purchased decorations afterwards

-Skipping fireworks and sparkler exits and opting for streamer, bubble, or even pom pom send offs

Content Creation

Content creators are the newest wedding vendors! Reels and Tiktoks are taking over social media nowadays, and couples want content to post as soon as possible. For some couples, sneak peaks of their photos just aren’t enough. They want behind the scenes videos for content. Some photographer and videographers are now offering content as an upgrade to their packages. They not only will take behind the scene videos all day but will also create videos for their couples to post on social media! Some coupes are even hiring content creators as separate vendors entirely.

Surprise Hair Cuts During Receptions:

If you are a bride and have spent years growing out your hair for your wedding day, you might be excited for a change and ready for a hair cut after it all is over. Why not do it at the reception? Almost like a dress change, you can disappear and return with a whole new look! This is something you can surprise both your guests and your partner with! Having access to a hair stylist at your reception could be tricky. Some brides have a close friend they trust to do the cut. Others will hire their hair stylist to come back for the reception. One of my favorite moments of this trend, was a bride whose close friend happened to be her hair stylist and stayed the whole night as a guest!

Newlyweds Last Dance

Ending the night with a final dance, just the two of you, is a truly special moment you won’t regret. This moment signals the end of the night to your guests, but more importantly it gives you and your partner an intimate moment to take in all the love and cherish the moment. Some couples choose to have this dance while all their families and friends gather around to watch. Other couples choose to have all their guests exit the room, usually to prepare for a send off, and have the empty room all to themselves, creating a moment that is truly just for each other.

The 2023 season has only just begun. I am so excited to see what other wedding trends pop up throughout the season and what stays popular in 2024!