21 Things Millennials Are Seeing At All Their Friends’ Weddings

Two in five Millennials have attended or will attend a wedding in 2019—and these are the 21 things they’re most likely to see there, as the new Millennial wedding traditions…

According to YPulse’s 2019 wedding survey, 41% of 18-36-year-olds planned to attend a wedding this year—and that number jumps to 49% among 21-24-year-olds. That’s a lot of Millennial wedding guests, observing a lot of Millennial wedding ceremonies and receptions.

Older generations might be surprised to hear that the majority of Millennials (60%) say they want their wedding to be traditional. But their idea of tradition might be a little different, and they’re even more likely to say they want their wedding to be fun and personal. Instead, this generation has created some new norms—and things that might have started out as trends have shown they have staying power as modern nuptial customs. When we ask them what the new wedding traditions are, we get a round up of the styles, details, and rituals that have become the Millennial wedding standards. Here are 21 of the top things that this generation is seeing at all of their friend’s weddings:

What New Wedding Traditions Have They Noticed?

18-36-year-olds

1. 1. 1. Rustic / barn weddings
      2. Hashtags
      3. Choreographed dance
      4. Outdoor / natural
      5. Destination wedding
      6. Small wedding
      7. Themed wedding
      8. Non-cake dessert
      9. Color theme
      10. Mismatched bridesmaid dresses
      11. Non-white wedding dress
      12. Secular ceremonies
      13. Photobooths
      14. Food / dessert bars
      15. Social media Integration
      16. Leaving out a tradition
      17. DIY
      18. Casual
      19. First look pictures
      20. Multicultural ceremony
      21. Naked cakes 

There you have it: Rustic weddings have been a trend so long, they’re just a major Millennial wedding tradition now. We’ve seen rustic/barn weddings at the top of the list of wedding trends Millennials are seeing for many years, and they’re still seeing them. What else might have started as a unique non-traditional detail but become a wedding norm? Photobooths, food / dessert bars, themed weddings, DIY, mismatched bridesmaids dresses, social media integration, hashtags, first look photos, destinations weddings, non-cake desserts (cupcakes and donuts are most popular), choreographed dances, and outdoor weddings are all par for the course at Millennial nuptials.

Non-white wedding dresses and secular ceremonies are newer to the list, but becoming more of a norm as well. Less than half of married Millennials tell us that they had a religious ceremony, and over half of 18-36-year-olds say they wouldn’t want religion to be a big part of their wedding.

Most of these wedding traditions are rooted in Millennials’ desire for personal, unique events. But as one female 25-year-old told us, one of the biggest wedding trends is “trying to be unique but just ending up doing what everyone else does.”