How Millennials Are Revolutionizing the Wedding Industry

The time has come for many millennials to make their walks down the aisle. With every “I do” this generation has vowed, they have slowly but surely changed the wedding industry. Here’s how:

Not Walking Down the Aisle

Millennials have eschewed the traditional wedding-day setup, where couples say their vows in the church before hosting a reception elsewhere. Instead, this generation prefers to wed in more bespoke locations. Or, many sign the legal documents and reconvene for a special blessing in an equally as memorable location. In short, not all of today’s marrying couples require a church to make their union feel official. 

Registering in New Locations

For starters, millennial brides- and grooms-to-be have begun taking their wedding registries to new sites. Most millennial couples wed later in life, and many live together before walking down the aisle. As such, they don’t need the home goods that fill out traditional registries. Sure, some do register for such items at the normal places, such as department stores. But many are now asking for different, specialty items via sites like Amazon or stores like REI. 

Millennials have started registering for honeymoon-related gifts, too. Through websites such as Honeyfund and Zola, newlyweds register for honeymoon-related experiences or gather cash to pay for their dream trips. Again, since they already have homes and domestic goods, they can use their presents for other purposes. 

Simplifying the Planning Process

Remember when wedding planners had huge binders, dioramas, magazines and print-outs? Today’s brides and grooms have let go of that paperweight in favor of digitally planning as much of their big day as they can. This switch should come as no surprise, considering how tech-savvy millennials are. They rely on technology to make wedding planning simpler than ever. 

The internet’s a valuable resource for brainstorming locations, color schemes, dress styles and more. Millennials can now do major parts of their planning with only a few clicks. For instance, sites like Flower Moxie allow them to order wedding flowers online, whether they want pre-designed or custom bouquets. That’s a big to-do list item to mark off, and it can be done digitally. 

DIY-ing Small Elements

Today’s couples want to make their weddings as personal as possible. As such, they often make some of the design elements themselves to put their own stamp on the festivities. For some, that means penning place cards or invitations themselves. Others hand-craft the favors guests receive at the end of the night. These little touches not only individualize their nuptials but save a bit of cash, too. 

Extending the Wedding Day

Couples want to make the most out of their nuptials nowadays. So, rather than gathering for the rehearsal, wedding and reception only, they’ve begun to add events and make a long day or weekend out of it all. 

At the bare minimum, most brides will spend the morning getting ready with their bridal parties. Many couples also host an after-party to continue the celebration post-reception. And, especially for destination weddings or ones attended by lots of out-of-town guests, some will schedule an after-wedding brunch, too.

These additional events allow couples to take everything in. They also give newlyweds the chance to make meaningful moments with everyone who comes for the big day. So, it’s a win-win for everyone. 

Working Together

Finally, millennial couples have broken the mold in the way they plan their weddings. Once upon a time, grooms might’ve taken a backseat in the planning process. Now, though, pairs tend to work collaboratively to put together their big day. This collaboration all starts with the engagement ring — not many men choose their significant other’s ring without input anymore. The wedding goes the same way. 

Making It One-of-a-Kind

All of these unique features help couples live up to the most millennial wedding standard of all — they want their days to be one of a kind. They work hard to personalize every aspect and wow their guests with features they haven’t seen before. No one wants a cookie-cutter wedding these days, and millennials have led the charge on that requirement and the rest of the above wedding-industry shifts.

The result? Gorgeous weddings that this generation’s couples and their guests will remember forever. 

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