2022 Wedding Trends: A Comprehensive Guide for the Top Upcoming Trends

When it comes to stag and hen parties, we know that most couples are dying to host an incredible party with all of their friends after the restrictions this year has brought. There has been an increased spike in more intimate, staycation-esque parties, with most couples swapping out a nightclub bar for a cosy Airbnb. Not only does it often work out more cost effectively, but after the last 12 months, many brides and grooms-to-be are looking for private affairs where they can have a good catch up with their loved ones. 

Because couples are not able to have a large engagement party with all of their friends and family, wedding announcements have now become their best friend. The usual wedding announcement guidelines are out of the window. So, brides and grooms are forking out a little more than usual on getting those incredible and personal wedding announcement and engagement photos. These aren’t just regular snaps, photographers have seen a huge increase in spectacular and unique engagement photos for the couple to share on social media. 

For many couples, a two week vacay in Mexico is not on the cards this year. As an alternative, newlyweds are opting for a safe, and easy staycation. Forget jetting off for a longer period, and imagine cosying up in the glorious good old British countryside, in a little ‘minimoon’ or ‘nanomoon’ getaway. This doesn’t mean that couples won’t get to travel to their dream locations at all, their ‘proper’ honeymoon may just be delayed until restrictions are lifted and travel returns back to normal.

Smaller wedding venues are naturally becoming more popular, but outdoor wedding venues and locations across the country are also being opted for instead of more traditional spaces. Restaurants, bars and bistros are being looked to for wedding venues, whether the couple are looking for something a little more relaxed or they have chosen one of their favourite places, as with everything this year, the venue choice will have meaning. 

Venues have been hit hard by the changes that have been introduced in the wedding industry over the last few months. But this has meant that couples can be a lot more choosy and relaxed while hunting for their dream location, with venues having to be even more flexible to accommodate the multitude of different wedding types. For the time being, weddings abroad will not even be considered by most couples; but with so many beautiful locations all over the UK, lovebirds will still be spoilt for choice. 

Because so many weddings have been rearranged this year, there is a huge influx of weekday weddings. Not just this, but traditional timings are out the window! More couples are choosing early morning or brunch-time ceremonies with the rest of the day to relax and party or twilight wedding ceremonies after having spent the day with their loved ones. Guests are a lot more willing to take time off work to spend the day celebrating with the newlyweds and overall wedding attitudes are a lot more positive. 

One of the biggest changes to the wedding sphere is the size of the guestlist. Couples having to make difficult decisions by cutting down their family and friends down into smaller group sizes. But this isn’t all bad! Brides and Grooms have more choice than ever, with many venues altering their wedding venues to fit with current wedding trends, and current wedding sizes too. Not only that, but much less money is spent on catering, any trinkets and wedding favours so there is plenty more room in the budget. 

Rather than sticking with an overarching theme for the venue and table decoration, mismatched seating and table decorations have been popping up throughout weddings all over the country, again fitting with the relaxed styles that many couples are going for.  Whether you are looking for all matching centrepieces or you would like to create a journey and have different arrangements, there are limitless options in 2022.

Unsurprisingly, horse shoe and zig-zagged table layouts have become a lot more popular, with venues recommending less face to face seating and group sizes shrinking down too for more intimate groups. For indoor venues, larger rooms are still being used for smaller group sizes to allow for more space to mingle and also for guests to socially distance if they so wish. 

Some brides will be thrilled to hear that jumpsuits, trouser suits and 2-pieces are even more popular this year, with the overall more relaxed vibes coming from wedding ceremonies. But that is not all, with all of the cancellations and postponements, brides are now more than ever exploring the options of having two outfits, with a shorter party-like dress for the evening reception. 

Traditional white ball gowns are seriously on the out this year, with an increase in brides opting for champagne, blush pink and ivory dresses. And it’s not just colours that are changing, often brides are searching for more simple styles, opting for more sustainable choices that can be worn again or sewn into a new outfit after the wedding. So throw out the bridal guidebook and if there was ever a time to choose exactly what you want, now is that time! 

The predictions for 2022 are in! We are forecast to see an explosion of colour this year, with suits as one of the centre points. Suits with dark royal colours such as forest greens and deep reds for autumn and winter weddings, paired with lighter pastel blues and lilacs for spring and summer ceremonies are coming in. No longer are groomsmen limited to navy and greys, it is time to slip into something more colourful.

Much like the suits for the groom’s party, bridesmaids dresses are having a huge uplift in colour. Bright warm colours, such as oranges and reds, and royal cooler colours like greens and blues are becoming more popular. Not only this, but there is an influx of mixing various dress colours and styles, and not just sticking to one across the board. Styles are changing, women’s suits, jumpsuits and two-pieces are becoming popular in this sphere too, so really there is a world of choices. 

Experts in the jewellery business are recognising the shift towards more radiant and square-cut stones, with more couples also opting for various gems and not sticking to purely diamonds. Not only this but yellow gold is making a come back with more couples looking to have the classic gold colour for their wedding bands. 

This year also brings a smorgasbord of personalisation and ideas of sentimentality for both the ceremony and the wedding reception. Whether it be photographs of the newlywed; a collection of memories from a favourite holiday; a roadmap of achievements and celebrations so far; or even just a great collection of their favourite things; wedding venues are decorated in seemingly random and yet extremely personal ways that have never cropped up before.

Rustic and neutral themes are no more in the 2022 wedding trends scene. This year sees a huge increase in contemporary and cleaner styles. This does not mean that colour has also been forgotten, on the contrary, strong and vibrant themes have taken over the wedding colour palette and wedding planners are being bolder with their choices than ever before. 

Traditional wedding cakes have been thrown out of the window with easy ‘naked’ single tier cakes and micro cakes becoming a lot more popular. Once again, tradition is forgotten and couples are taking strides in a more modern and delicate direction. Instead of the wasteful three-tier sugar coated cake, couples are looking for alternative options. 

Bridal party bouquets and groomsmen’s pocket holes are following similar trends with more delicate and gentle flowers used.

Flowers are still important centrepieces, but with more sleek and modern styles coming into play, arrangements are simple and tidy, with bold and deep splashes of colour to celebrate the newlyweds and to compliment the rest of the themes. Flowers are seen as even more important this year as a representation of romance and sentimentality. 

Wedding bouquets are becoming smaller and more minimalist with brides opting for more petite bouquets to allow them to shine brighter. Though this doesn’t mean that colours are muted too, with brides choosing bright flowers to match their colour schemes, but in more gentle arrangements. For example, flowers such as Lily of the Valley and Posies are popping up in bouquets more and more to add a little more delicacy. 

2022 is the year of exploring more eco-friendly, mindful and purposeful choices. There has been an influx in brides and grooms making choices based on how eco-friendly suppliers are, whether they offer vegan options or whether they are part of or supportive of the LGBTQ+ community. Couples are a lot more mindful with which suppliers they choose to provide services for their big day.

Photography has always been the perfect way to capture memories of important moments. But this year more than ever, with smaller guest lists and more need to share our positive moments, wedding videography and photography is becoming increasingly popular with couples looking to share their big day. Livestreaming is now being used for guests who are unable to travel or unable to attend the wedding ceremony.

Nearly every wedding has some musical aspect to it, and this upcoming year will be no different. Nevertheless, there has been some change to musical choices, with more wedding planners looking for acoustic musicians rather than larger bands to entertain their guests. Individual performers have increased dramatically and replaced larger bands, and singing acoustic guitarists have been at the forefront of wedding trends.

Traditional speeches are being left behind, and replacing them are smaller memory sharing moments. With 2022 becoming more about sentimentality and gratitude, many weddings are seeing shared moments. Guests recite how they met the couple, some of their favourite memories or give a mini-toast to the newlyweds. Not only is this a lot more personal, but it means all guests who would like to be involved can give some loving words to the bride and groom. 

Due to the drastic reduction in wedding guest lists, couples are willing to spend a little more of their money on wedding favours for their loved ones. Wedding trends will see a much more personalised approach; whether each guest gets something very thoughtful and different, or whether everything is personalised down to the little details. Every aspect of the day will be shared, and friends and family will be cherished with this new trend.