What’s hot for tying the knot? Amy Shearer rounds up the trends and predictions most likely to be spotted at the coolest weddings of 2024 and beyond
You might think that everything that could possibly happen at a wedding has already been thought of. Let’s face it, the whole business of getting married has been going on for quite some time now…yet there are still new things emerging that can put a fresh spin on proceedings (just think about singing waiters, for example, or the bride’s mother making a speech – things we love to see nowadays that were unheard of just a couple of decades ago).
We’ve consulted a number of trailblazing industry experts to find out what could be the next big thing for 2024 and beyond. Will any of their suggestions gain a foothold and become an established part of wedding-day tradition going forward?
Our crystal ball can’t see quite that far ahead, but for next year and the immediate future, we reckon these are the trends to watch.
Audio Guestbooks
How often do you send voice notes these days instead of tapping out a text? Well, wedding guestbooks are heading in the same direction. Ditch the biro and enlist the help of Calleo, who’ll allow your guests to record messages (cheeky, heartfelt and so emotional) for you on your big day using their colourful collection of retro telephones. Their words will then be collated into a special keepsake for you to play back forever. Imagine being able to hear the voice of someone dear to you, sharing a message of wisdom and love, whenever you like. It’s such a brilliant idea we can’t believe no one has come up with it before.
Curated Skincare Plans
It goes without saying that you’ll want healthy skin that glows for your big day – but where do you begin? Skincare is now more than just a dab of moisturiser and instead brides and grooms are opting for an in-depth skincare plan from brands like The Face Planner. When the big day is near, we reckon brides-to-be will be reaching for its Countdown Plan – four products that work together to tackle fine lines and wrinkles while plumping and hydrating the skin to get you camera-ready. Competing products can be confusing and lead to overlapping of key ingredients. A curated plan like this gives skin the right balance of everything it needs.
Bridal Rental
It’s a question that women have been asking forever: what are you supposed to do with your (expensive, treasured) dress once the dust has settled and you’re married? Well, no longer does your beloved gown need to be banished to the loft or take up a valuable chunk of wardrobe space – you could instead use it to make some extra cash.
P.S. Bridal Rental is pioneering a process that allows you to sit back, relax and watch your dress take on a whole new life, earning you money into the bargain. The company’s fully managed service, meanwhile, takes care of cleaning, minor repairs, storage, shipping and even reversible alterations, along with promotion and advertising. For each hire, you get 60% of the fee, which means a £1,500 rental could yield £900 each time a new bride wears it. Everyone wins!
Cake Cocktail Hour
Did you know there was an unwritten rule that said if a guest was going to leave the wedding early, the moment to do so was at the cutting of the cake? Two things strike me as odd about such an idea. One: I’ve never been at a wedding where anyone is happy to leave the dancefloor before carriages. And two: why would you exit before you’d had a chance to enjoy some fondant-clad goodness?
Nowadays couples have more of a relaxed approach to when they cut their cake, with Alison McCabe of The Kilted Cake Company telling us she has seen a rise in the numbers of people serving the wedding cake during cocktail hour: “This would have been unthinkable a few years ago, but more and more couples are doing it,” says the baker. “It’s something that I think will become even more popular in 2024 – it’s such a nice thing for guests to enjoy as they have a drink and mingle.” Cake and champagne while catching up with friends and family? What a way to start the party.
Film Photography
Digital photography is a marvel, with endless scope for retouch-ing, enhancing and tweaking to produce flawless images. But has it lost something of its soul in the process? Check out your parents’ (and certainly your grandparents’) wedding snaps, which would have been shot on film. They’re likely to have a quality and authenticity that today’s digital cameras just can’t quite replicate.
They will also have relied on the photographer’s skill, with no comparable post-production to fix any mistakes – it’s an art, in other words. We suspect that, just like the soaring popularity of vinyl records, shooting on film is due a comeback. Simon at SAGE is the only photographer in Scotland shooting weddings solely on 35mm film, and has a “unique eye for composition, celebrating light, shadow and shape”. Get those photo albums on order.
Sober Weddings
Going on the wagon isn’t just for the month of October these days. According to a new study by venue group the Gilchrist Collection, almost a quarter of wedding guests don’t drink alcohol, with the result that many venues are finally waking up to the importance of supplying decent booze-free options.
In days gone by, the tell-tale pint of soda and lime in a suspicious-looking Tennent’s glass has left non-drinkers feeling they need to constantly justify why their beverage of choice doesn’t have a percentage – or, worse, feeling like they don’t really belong at the party. We predict a rise in fully (or at least partly) sober weddings, whether that’s for health, religious or financial reasons. And with so many delicious non-alcoholic drinks available nowadays, from fizz to 0% gin, not boozing need not dampen the spirits of a wedding celebration.
Content Creators
If a photograph coveys a thousand words, a video must tell a hundred thousand. Having a content creator work alongside your photographer and videographer is one way to ensure no moment is missed but will instead be gathered together as video snippets for you to reminisce, laugh and cry over forever.
Nailing the brief are Social Brides Club and Love Stories Media, both of which offer a range of packages. They can have vids of your w-day to you within 24 hours, ready for uploading to your social media channels before the hangover has even hit. Waking up a married couple and watching the highlights of your big day will be big in 2024 – who wouldn’t want that?
Filmed on Phones
One of the best things after a big night out is the incessant ping of WhatsApp group chat notifications landing as your pals share footage and photographs. Imagine you had someone to collate those images – to edit out the duff pics and dodgy videos, leaving you with a stunningly crafted recap?
Well, meet Filmed On Phones, who can do exactly that. Once you book, the team will ask you to assign filming roles to up to ten trusted guests and will provide extensive guidance to ensure your pals do a top job. From there, they collect the clips from your filmers after the big day, before a professional video editor collates them and puts together a bespoke wedding film for you. Within 28 days you’ll have a film running for anything from two to over ten minutes long (depending on whether you’ve opted for the mini, classic or extended package). How nice would it be to see your day through the eyes of your guests?