The Wedding Trends That Are In (And Definitely Out) For 2024

Weddings are somehow both a deeply personal thing and something that everyone you know will talk about in great detail. Not necessarily in a brutal way, but it’s just something we’ve been trained to do after watching Brides Wars and Say Yes To The Dress too many times. We can’t help but overanalyse every detail.

This is why, even when I wasn’t engaged, I gobbled up every ‘wedding trend prediction’ piece on the internet, to get a glimpse into what was coming up and how weddings were going to look that year. 

Now, in a strange twist of events, I am planning my own wedding and writing up my own predictions list of what we’re all going to be seeing in 2024. Pre-fiancé Katie would be so proud! After having conversations with vendors and spending way too much time on Pinterest, I have drummed up a list of what I am SURE is going to be in and out for every 2024 wedding. 

Let’s go!

1. Lunchtime weddings.

We’re so used to the copy-and-paste schedule of late afternoon ceremonies slipping straight into a cocktail hour and sit-down dinner. But 2024 is flipping that formula on its head. Get ready for lunchtime weddings that see everyone meeting up in the morning before sitting down to a long, luxurious feasting-style lunch. Then it’s up to the couple if they still want to dance the night away or wrap things up for an early night and a hangover-free recovery. 

2. Bye bye cakes.

This one was a particularly tough pill for me to swallow, but it seems classic wedding cakes are in the bin for 2024. If a couple does opt for a cake, it’ll be smaller, more colourful and may feature some kind of glacé cherry topping. But the majority of couples will give the cake a miss in 2024. Why? Well because most wedding venues provide desserts as part of their minimum spend packages and they also charge ‘cakeage’ on top. 

For those who have no idea what ‘cakeage’ is, let me explain. It’s the carby equivalent of ‘corkage’ and it involves the venue charging a per head cost to slice up and serve the cake you’ve already paid for with your own cash. For some quick cake maths, most venues will have a ‘cakeage’ charge of $5 per person and the average cake cost is $560. So the total price tag on having your cake and eating it too at your, say, 100 person wedding would be $1,060. 

Image credit: Pinterest

3. Mixing up the wedding parties.

Sticking to the theme of chucking tradition out of the window, this year will bring even more shakeups to the top table. For those who decide to have a wedding party (and yes, a lot of couples will chop this completely in 2024) the classic bridesmaids and groomsmen lineup will look a little different.

Couples won’t stick to people in their half of the wedding party of the same gender and will instead just pick the mates closest to them. Blokes in the bride tribe? You bet. Best Women with the Groomsmen? Heck yes. Hears to ending restrictions and formulaic identical wedding parties. 

4. Bold bridal shapes.

While there will always be a place for classic silhouettes, but this year will see brides taking more risks. Think structured corsets, dramatic draping, big slits and even bigger puffy sleeves. You’ll definitely see these gowns walking down the aisle but where they’ll really be popping off is at the reception as even more brides will opt for a second look on their wedding day. So expect 2024 brides to slip into a bold mini dress to take to the dancefloor!

Image credit: Vogue Weddings

5. Thinking small.

I’m going to blame this one on Cossie Livs. As couples plan their weddings with stricter budgets and super tight purse strings, the drive to minimise extra spending will be front of mind, and what’s one of the most expensive elements of weddings? FLOWERS.

In researching for my own wedding, I gathered a few florist quotes and good lord I gasped when I saw the price. Don’t get me wrong, the magic that florists make with flowers is pure art, but if I spent $6,000 on blooms I would blow my entire budget. 

So, much like a lot of couples getting married in 2024, I’ll be finding an alternative way to inject some nature into my wedding. Right now that’s looking like a teeny bouquet for me and a handful of flowers tossed across the tables courtesy of a creative aunt who loves flowers and is happy to head to the market the morning of. 

6. Audio guest books.

Wedding guest books have been around since the first ‘I Dos’ and are often left half-filled-in and questionable quotes left behind as the congregation gets more and more pissed. The recent alternative has been leaving a Polaroid camera for guests to take photos with and stick into the book – but let me tell you that if you do this, approximately zero of the Polaroids will make it into the book. Why? Well if someone drunkenly takes a hot pic of themselves, they’re gonna keep it!

So the new version that’s going to take over in 2024 (and remedy the theft issue) is audio guest books. Some clever companies have come up with a system that involves plonking a retro looking phone at your wedding and letting guests come up and ‘make a call’, leaving you a sweet voice note as a message on your big day. Will your drunk Uncle Stevie likely sing ‘Sweet Caroline’ down the blower? Sure, but you’ll get some gorgeous messages from your nearest and dearest too. 

Image credit: Off The Hook

7. Adding an Acknowledgment of Country.

Frankly, this should be a stock-standard for all weddings in Australia. An Acknowledgment of Country is a beautiful way of showing respect to First Nations culture and heritage and having one be done on the grounds where you’ll be married is a must-do. 

The fab team at Wedshed have put together a great guide of how you can best incorporate an Acknowledgment of Country into your wedding ceremony here. 

8. Dancefloor requests.

I’m sure that it’s somewhat compulsory to feature bangers like ‘Dancing Queen’ and ‘Horses’ at your wedding reception, but there’s another way to get your guests running up to the dancefloor. And no, it doesn’t involve shouting at the DJ, “PLAY ‘SINGLE LADIES’ NEXT!!” Instead, when you set up your RSVPs, add a mandatory question to each guest that reads: What song would get you on the dancefloor fastest? That way you have a pre-prepared list of requests from your guests that you can curate and hand over to your DJ to weave into the night’s playlist.

Image credit: Pinterest