The wedding industry’s landscape is changing. Couples are choosing to spend more per person and reduce their guest list. This shows couples are prioritizing quality guest experiences over quantity of guests. This is becoming a trend as couples choose to host more intimate events with more extravagance and bigger budgets. Here we discuss what couples are spending big on, and how they’re finding the vendors of their dreams to help bring their visions to life.
Couples are moving away from inviting everyone they know and are focusing on creating an intimate environment of just their closest friends and family instead. The intimate nature of this shift allows couples to create a more personalized and meaningful event. Adding more meaning to the event brings with it raw emotions and develops core memories full of love. The intentional guest list enables couples to invest in meaningful experiences and high-value details.
A smaller guest list allows couples to allocate more budget per person. Investing this way improves the quality of guests experience with upgraded food, drink, entertainment and amenities. Think personalized favours, multi-course meals, premium wines and interactive guest experiences.
With a bigger budget and an intimate guest list, couples are choosing bespoke custom elements that reflect themselves and their love story. Modern Couples are choosing to tell their love story throughout their event by personalizing design elements, menus and more. These choices help couples to create an event authentic to their personality, cultures and most importantly, their love story. Think curated guest experiences, custom cake toppers, custom napkins and signature drinks.
In accommodating fewer guests, dream venues that might have been financially out of reach are now possible, such as a private estate. Couples can then think about a destination wedding in places like Lake Como, Santorini or the Amalfi Coast.
As the world moves to sustainable practices, so does the wedding industry. In 2025, couples are choosing to emphasise sustainability in their wedding days. Couples are choosing local vendors, eco-friendly decor and meaningful keepsakes over mass-produced items to reduce their impact on the planet.
Meaningful Locations: Iconic, sentimental, or bucket-list destinations.
Personalized Decor: Custom designs, meaningful color palettes, and heirloom details.
Exceptional Food and Drink: Curated menus, wine pairings, and chef-driven experiences.
Entertainment: Live performers, immersive experiences, and creative guest interactions.
Capturing the Moment: Top-tier photography and videography teams to tell their story beautifully.
Social Media platforms such as Instagram, TikTok, and Pinterest are still the go-to for inspirational content. However, couples are also relying on these platforms to vet vendors through real reviews, behind-the-scenes insights and direct vendor connections. Digital communities are the starting point of these connections.
Luxury-focused platforms like the Wedded Wonderland Directory and Concierge services provide direct access to vetted vendors, eliminating the guesswork and time spent scrolling through social media.
Vendor connections are also formed through in-real-life communities, such as through referrals from friends, family, and other industry professionals. This is not new; word-of-mouth referrals remain one of the most trusted ways to find high-quality vendors.
Couples are choosing to attend luxury wedding showcases, destination site visits and curated events to help meet vendors, gather inspiration and plan their events. These events showcase vendors’ services and allow couples to meet the vendors in person, gaining a better feel for their work.
Experienced, top-tier planners are a shortcut to discovering and securing the best in the business. Access to a planner’s extensive networks, industry experience and insider knowledge is the making your dream wedding come to life!
Finding the right planner and vendors for your dream wedding is made easy with Wedded Wonderlands’ complimentary Concierge service.
We connect brides-to-be with vendors, exclusive introductions, personalized recommendations and the key to the castle full of leading industry professionals.
Connect with us by signing up for our concierge service or DM us ‘Bride’ on Instagram to start the conversation.
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