As the wedding industry continues to evolve, 2026 is shaping up to be a year where couples are making more intentional, experience-focused choices. Wedding trends are shifting away from excess and toward personalization, flexibility, and thoughtful design. These priorities don’t just influence how a wedding feels—they directly impact how it photographs. Here are some of the biggest wedding trends couples are prioritizing in 2026, and why I believe they matter when it comes to documenting the day:

Prioritizing Guest Experience

Couples are placing a stronger emphasis on how their guests experience the day. This includes unique seating layouts, interactive cocktail hours, personalized welcome moments and other personal touches that make your guests feel valued. When guests are comfortable and engaged, the energy of the day feels relaxed and joyful—resulting in photos that feel natural and full of life.

Customization Over Tradition

Many couples are rethinking every aspect of the traditional wedding norms and throwing them out the window. This applies to timelines, layouts, photos, dinner service—pretty much anything & everything. Don’t feel the need to follow the rules & do what every wedding you’ve been to before has done. Want to have your guests greeted with a cocktail upon arrival and start the celebration before the ceremony? Swap cocktail hour and the ceremony in your timeline. Don’t love formal sit down dinners? Opt for a cocktail style mingling setup with stunning lounge areas in lieu of dinner tables. Nothing is off limits & there’s nothing that says you have to stick to the status quo. These custom elements create unique moments that feel authentic and visually distinctive & trust me, it’ll make a lasting impression on your guests. 

Bold Color and Expressive Design

In 2026 we’re moving confidently away from muted palettes and into bold, expressive color. Couples are embracing saturated florals, colorful linens and unexpected color pairings that are outside of the box. Among the predicted trending colors are chartreuse, deep purple, bright yellow & cobalt blue. Rather than following one safe color palette, couples are choosing colors that reflect their personalities, cultures, and evoke a fun sense of celebration. 

In addition to a bright color palette, another expressive design element that is taking center stage in 2026 is bold floral installations. Florals are no longer just decorative elements that fade into the background of a wedding day. In 2026, they’re becoming immersive, artistic installations that shape the atmosphere and act as a focal point, moving beyond traditional bouquets and simple centerpieces. “Floral artistry” is appearing in 2026 & I have a feeling that it will only evolve and become more grandiose over the next few years.  

Multi-Day Celebrations

Multi-day celebrations are becoming increasingly popular, especially for destination weddings or weddings with guests traveling from out of town. Why make your wedding one day when you can celebrate all weekend with your close friends and family? Welcome dinners, farewell brunches, and casual gatherings allow for more storytelling beyond the wedding day itself. These moments offer additional opportunities for candid, meaningful photos that capture the full experience of the entire weekend and not just the ceremony & reception.

Quality Over Quantity

Couples are choosing fewer but more meaningful elements—fewer guests, fewer formalities, and fewer distractions. This shift allows for a wedding day (and the entire weekend, for that matter) to be a fun, unique reflection of your love, your favorite things & getting to share the experience with your loved ones. And when it comes to photos, if you plan a wedding experience that is a vibrant expression of things that you love with a timeline that feels true to you, then you won’t have to even plan for certain shots, because they’ll be organically captured. Put your focus on planning a wedding that feels authentic & everything else will fall into place. 

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Ultimately, the wedding trends shaping 2026 weddings are centered around experience (for both you & your guests), bold design and & personalization. When couples prioritize how their day flows and feels, the photography reflects that, capturing moments that are elevated, emotional, and true to the celebration. 

If you’re planning a 2026 wedding and would like to see if I’d be a good fit to capture your love story, I’d love to hear from you.