Millennials are shaking up the wedding industry. The 18-34 age group is marrying older than previous generations, and monopolizing the market of wedding theme trends.
They are demanding unique and personalized weddings when they do finally decide to tie the knot. With a love of technology, and higher value placed on experiences and originality, millennials are shaping the ‘in’ wedding themes.
Top 6 Wedding Theme Trends for Millennials in 2018
Here are the top six wedding theme trends that millennials are currently obsessing over:
1. Wedding Theme Trends: Rustic, Backyard Backdrops
Forty years ago, weddings were strictly black-tie affairs. Nowadays, many millennials are opting for cozier, more intimate experiences, often with more rustic outdoor settings.
One of the most popular themes in millennial weddings is the backyard wedding, complete with fairy lights, mason jars, and a barn complete with dance floor. Backyard weddings also offer guests a fun way to pass the time with lawn games, such as cornhole and horseshoes.
While outdoor weddings can be risky because of the weather, they are certainly popular among millennial couples. It also ties nicely into the newfound admiration for buying fresh products that are locally-sourced, for everything from food, flowers and entertainment.
Best yet, intimate backyard weddings such as these can reduce the high costs usually associated with weddings.
2. Wedding Theme Trends: Culture of Custom Made
Millennials are highly creative and love free stuff, so the DIY movement has been hugely-popular across this generation. This trend carries over to weddings, where many millennials are opting for custom-made decorations, invitations and gifts that proudly showcase their personalities.
Social media platforms such as Pinterest and Tumblr, artisan eCommerce outlets like Etsy, and blogs such as Pearls of Wisdom allow creativity to flow, inspiration to be shared, and trends to be followed effortlessly.
Some common DIY-themed wedding decorations include:
- Swings for featured photo-ops
- Reception lawn games
- Painted mason jars filled with flowers
- Dangling garlands
And one overarching popular wedding theme trend is the focus on natural materials, such as:
- Potted plants
- Twine decor
- Recycled wood signs
The Millennial generation is also transforming the wedding industry by ordering custom-made engagement rings. Millennials are creative, and are opting for individualistic approaches to marriage and commitment.
This often includes co-designing and co-selecting rings, or using materials from family heirlooms to create unique pieces and bring commitment to the next level.
3. Wedding Theme Trends: Sharing is Caring
Millennials have grown up with information at their fingertips, and led the burgeoning social media movement. Pinterest is the new cut-out collage, and hashtags the modern-day monograms. It makes sense that weddings are millennial gold for sharing experiences online!
Popular campaigns include:
- Wedding hashtags
- Personalized Snapchat filters
- “Pinterest-worthy” Instagram photos showcasing picturesque decor
Social media is a great way to engage guests throughout the wedding weekend, and connect people from across both sides of the party. It’s also an effective way to document the event, even if a professional photographer is hired.
Many couples also create YouTube “save the date” invitations to personalize and amplify their nuptials.
Many millennials are also opting for an old-fashioned photo booth on their special days, where guests can dress up in costumes and masks to toast the happy couple. And nothing says millennial more than a retro Polaroid photo uploaded to Instagram, complete with wedding hashtags.
4. Wedding Theme Trends: Fresh & Locally-Sourced Ingredients
Millennials have proven to be self-proclaimed foodies who are obsessed when it comes to the quality of their ingredients and food sources. Rightfully, their weddings have recently seen a shift to locally-sourced cuisine, with eco-conscious selections, and directly-purchased food and wine from local vendors.
Food is one of the most important parts of any wedding, and millennials are opting for seasonal platters and local ingredients over mass-produced food from catering companies. This is especially true for diet-restrictive or vegan and vegetarian-friendly weddings.
With the expansion of millennial diet and lifestyle choices, weddings are becoming more and more tailored to fit their needs, budgets and palates.
5. Wedding Theme Trends: Vintage-Inspired Decor
Along with online thrift stores and snapping a picture in your mother’s hand-me-down pearls, vintage is in. Weddings are focusing on vintage-style dress and decor, including:
- Lace gowns
- Lanterns
- Pearls
- China place settings
Your father’s old leather suitcases can also be a popular centerpiece, filled with pictures of the bride and groom. Anything that is old can be recycled into something photo and hashtag-worthy, with some creative thinking and internet browsing.
6. Wedding Theme Trends: Exotic Destinations
Tropical paradise locations such as Mexico, the Bahamas and Belize are among the most popular spots for wedding destinations. However, exotic destinations such as Iceland, Indonesia and Fiji are quickly emerging as go-to wedding locations.
With the combination of budget-friendly prices, smaller guest lists, and bucket-list experiences, destination weddings are an immensely popular trend among millennials. Many destination-themed weddings are more affordable than large, traditional parties, and provide epic backdrops for photos.
As more millennials are self-paying for their weddings than any previous generation, they are exploring ways to express their love, creativity and hospitality, all while staying on budget.
From exotic destinations to intimate backyard receptions, millennial weddings are proving to be anything but ordinary.
Lynn Lewis
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