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2023 Wedding Trend Report: What's In and What's Out
AUTHOR: Jessica Feinman | DATE: 02/09/2023

Is your wedding on-trend? And what does that even mean in 2023? In contemporary internet culture, many wedding trends come and go as quickly as the fickle spotlight shone upon the day's Main Character of Twitter™️. 

Some trends have more staying power than others. For example, chalkboard signs lasted a few cycles — stretching from the folksy Mumford & Sons moment of the early aughts to the Taylor Swift-fueled cottagecore resurgence of 2020. Bridesmaid proposal boxes have only increased in popularity over the past several years. The pandemic put the micro-wedding front and center and forced brides to reconsider which traditions they wanted to hold onto and which to let expire for good.

Here’s what the experts are saying about wedding trends in 2023.

IN: NEW NEUTRALS 

Starting with bridesmaid dresses, because bridesmaid dresses are what we do, loads of brides are gravitating toward neutral champagne and green shades in 2023. Taupe is still popular, but she’s no longer the only neutral shade on the block — she's got reinforcements. Expect to see a lot of bridesmaids in earthy shades like terracotta, once summer rolls around.

OUT: THE WEDDING UNIFORM

Bridesmaids come in all shapes and sizes, so why try to make them all look the same? They’re your friends, after all, not Storm Troopers. Mix-and-match bridesmaid looks are everywhere this year.

Here are a few ways to let your bridesmaids' unique personalities shine through: Pick a versatile, convertible gown, and let your bridesmaids style them individually, choose one color and let your bridesmaids pick their favorite dress styles, or incorporate a few different shades in color a family and mix it up big time. Head over to our Mix and Match Studio for more color-play inspo, like this ultra-cool blue palette.

IN: TURNED UP PARTY VIBES

photographer: Richard Barlow, Bride: Lauren Haigler Henderson

A wedding is a celebration (louder for the people in the back), and couples in 2023 are going all in on turning up the party energy. Think pre-ceremony cocktail hours, high-energy I-Dos, creatively designed dance-floors, and late-night after parties. I think we can all agree: We’ve had enough seriousness for this lifetime, and we’re thrilled to see the fun wedding returning to the forefront.

OUT: SPARKLER EXITS

Please do not begin your new marriage by setting California, your grandmother, or anyone or anywhere else on fire. We’re begging you. Instead, opt for a flameless exit. Ribbon streamers, bubbles, and flower petals are all very chic and victimless options for a fun reception sendoff. If you must have sparkles, cold spark machines will save your tipsy loved ones from singing their eyebrows off for the ‘Gram. We love all of your eyebrows. Just something to consider. We're here to help.

IN: GLAMOROUS GUEST ATTIRE

If you’re working from home these days, odds are you spend more time than ever in athleisure and pajama-adjacent fashion. As I write this sentence, I am wearing a brewery t-shirt and elephant-patterned pants I bought at a night market. So, when you have an occasion to dress up, for the love of Rihanna at the Met Gala, take the bait. Look cute. Dress up. Show out. Get those shoes you’ve been eyeing. And speaking of shoes…

OUT: BLISTERS AFTER A LONG DAY OF WEDDING FUN

The powers of technology and fashion combine to bring you something some never thought possible: comfy heels. You don’t even have to leave this website to get yourself some. Check out our collection of memory-foam-padded, bridesmaid-approved heels. Don’t believe me? To prove that even our highest heels are totally bridesmaidable, I wore our Ryanne platform heels for an entire day. You can read about it here.

IN: MAKING IT YOUR OWN

In the past couple of years, we’ve waved goodbye to the years of every wedding being a rehash of the one before it. Maybe that’s because the growing popularity of micro-weddings is forcing folks to consider what they really care about, or maybe it’s because we’re increasingly tossing gender stereotypes out the window. Either way, millennial and Gen Z brides are reinventing the industry and doing so in a way that makes weddings more fun and inclusive.

 

Take this adorable spin on something old, new, borrowed, and blue from retention marketing queen, Megan Glover. (Editor's note: I was going to give Megan credit for this, but she gives all cuteness points to her MOH, Lauren Glover.)

Wanna skip the father-daughter dance? Do it. Wanna have a karaoke-themed reception? We love that for you. Wanna have a tequila-shot unity moment during your ceremony like our director of digital marketing, Megan Desmuke? The best traditions are the ones you make.

Cheers to this. 
PHOTOGRAPHER: JUNSHIEN PHOTOGRAPHY

We’re seeing more mixed-gender wedding parties (hello, bridesdudes and groomsladies), fewer garter-tosses (au revoir), more emphasis on spending time with family and friends, and less conformity to your mama’s wedding itinerary in general. And you know what that means…

OUT: TRENDS

Bet you didn’t expect to see this on our trend roundup. The emphasis on originality means that trends are great for inspo, but are really neither here nor there when it comes to what you want to see on your wedding day.

Celebrate your new marriage the YOU-fashioned way.