Think wedding, think traditional white dress, vows at the altar, and a three-tiered cake. Or not. This conventional wedding narrative is a little outdated.
Couples' reasoning for marriage today has transcended mere tradition, and so their weddings must follow suit.
For this new generation of wedding clients, personalisation, intimacy, and sustainability take centre stage. In order to stay relevant to a changing clientele, wedding planners and their business model must too evolve.
In order to understand how wedding planners can best adapt to the needs and wants of modern day couples, we asked three wedding industry insiders with an innovative approach to wedding planning to recount how their wedding business has evolved in the last year—and explain how yours can too.
The wedding planning chameleon
Today marriage is a profoundly personal milestone rather than a purely religious or conventional one. Without traditional constraints and expectations, couples are able to view their wedding day as a celebration of themselves as individuals.
Gone are the days of stuffy ballrooms with hundreds of distant attendees. Instead, couples want more intimate celebrations with a focus on creating joyful memories. They need a planner who understand them as individuals and is happy to guide, not to impose.
Jamie Wolfer is the CEO of Wolfer & Co—a modern wedding planning service for modern couples. For Jamie, embracing the individuality of her couples is second nature, "I like to think of myself as a wedding planning chameleon, adapting to the unique colours of each couple's needs."
A wedding planner today needs to rip up the rulebook—shunning convention in favour of listening and responding to the couple in front of them. The results are bound to be a lot more fun, for the couple and the planner alike—think: pets walking down the aisle, wedding dresses in vibrant colours, street food vendors, and unexplored venues.
Going online
Beyond individuality, modern couples want ease. And what is easier than dialling in to your wedding from your sofa?
Micaela Beltran is the co-founder and CEO of Courtly—a leading provider of virtual legal marriage ceremonies. Courtly has seen huge growth over the last few years, which makes sense when , according to Micaela, "easygoing," "quick," and "seamless" are the most common requests from clients these days.
For a generation of digital natives, a virtual wedding is almost second nature. Our world is becoming increasingly interconnected, with more people living and loving across borders than ever before. Micaela rightly points out that the number of individuals residing outside their native countries has tripled since 1960; with families spread out across the world, the demand for virtual weddings where distance is not a barrier to attendance was bound to increase. There is no doubt the increase in virtual weddings was also spurred by the pandemic, but Micaela attributes their sustained popularity to two factors: : high flexibility and autonomy.
Even if the ceremony itself doesn't occur online, an increasing number of couples are keen to keep the planning process strictly virtual. Sarah Klingman, CEO of virtual wedding planning service Mostest, has not been surprised by the trend, Sarah explains, "Our couple uses Uber and Amazon, and are working remotely—of course they seek flexible, remote-friendly options for their wedding planning needs."
More for less
So, modern couples are not adverse to taking their weddings online, and they want weddings that are vibrant expressions of individuality—that is, if they want a wedding at all. "Over the last 50 years, the marriage rate in the U.S. has dropped by nearly 60%," explains Micaela.
Financial strain is a huge contributing factor to this statistic. Those who do choose to get married often do so with the caveat of a restricted budget. Therefore, Micaela sees the popularity of her service as no surprise, "Since marriage itself is less of a priority, it makes sense that many people who decide to make that commitment would go with a less costly and lower stress option like at-home marriage or online platforms."
According to the Get Wed Pro 2023 UK Wedding Industry Report, 43% of couples prioritise budget-friendly weddings. Sarah echoes this sentiment, "There's an increased focus on 'savvy spending'—balancing cost with quality—amongst modern-day couples," Sarah observes. To cater to this demographic, Sarah separated the traditional full-planning service into individual components and offered them up in an à la carte menu. here couples can pick and choose the level of assistance they want, and save money on services they don't want nor need. Sarah's clients can pick and choose the level of assistance they want, and save money on services they don't want nor need. —a build your own wedding planning service, if you will.
This level of customisability is not only budget-friendly, but also addresses the modern day couples' preference for independence. The Wed Pro 2023 report also revealed that 26% of couples are happy to tackle the big day themselves—in other words, a quarter of a wedding planner's potential clients are considering foregoing a planner altogether.
In order to remain relevant to this growing number of DIY-brides, Jamie Wolfer has adopted a more hands-off approach. Jamie explains, "For the fiercely independent clients, I've tailored packages that are less about hand-holding and more about empowerment." This method of planning suits Jamie too, "I'm all about that partnership vibe, working alongside my clients rather than doing every little thing for them—that's just not my style." This toned down approach to wedding planning benefits both parties—planners are freed from the heavy workload while couples are empowered to put their personal stamp on their celebration.
Get into teaching
Even after adopting a more hands-off approach, Jamie noticed that some couples were still slipping through the cracks—and she gets it: "Let's be real, not everyone wants to drop a small fortune on a planner." But rather than close the door on hyper-independent couples, Jamie came up with a solution: expand offerings, scale back involvement.
Jamie has developed a digital course to equip couples with everything they need to plan their own wedding, titled The Master Plan. Jamie explains, "This is a resource designed to guide couples through the planning process in a more actionable way than just weekly tips – it's like having a wedding planner in your pocket!" By offering a (paid) digital resource, Jamie has created a new income stream for herself, expanded her potential clientele, and addressed the evolving needs of modern day couples.
Similarly, Sarah updated the Mostest website to host easy-access digital tools for newly engaged couples, such as a budget calculator. The design was also given a modern makeover to speak directly to the next generation of wedding clients. Font, colours, the written word—Sarah uses all the tools at her disposal to convey her understanding of a modern day client's needs and tastes. Sarah explains, "Our communication and branding emphasise flexibility, inclusivity, and modernity, reflecting the values of this next generation of couples. We’ve also tailored our social content to engage younger audiences with editorial visuals, real stories, and modern wedding planning tips."
TLDR: The 2024 wedding industry landscape
In today's wedding scene, couples are departing from traditional norms, opting instead for low-cost, intimate celebrations that reflect their unique personalities. Whilst many couples are opting for a DIY approach, there is still a need for expert assistance, presenting an opportunity for planners to creatively adapt their services and present their expertise in new ways.
To thrive in this evolving landscape, wedding planners must offer flexible, affordable, and personalised options. Strategies include rethinking packages to offer à la carte and project-based services, providing comprehensive online resources, prioritising client values over tradition, and supporting online weddings with virtual services and resources.
