Wedding trends that are in and out for 2026, according to wedding planners

There's a specific color palette that seems to be The Colors for 2026 weddings, according to WeddingTok: chartreuse and burgundy.

"It almost leans kind of European, with the rouge table linens," Sarah Wintersteen, a Dallas-based wedding planner who plans a lot of international weddings, said of the deep red and olive green hues, adding that Amaranthus and anthurium flowers go right along with that color scheme.

Lynea D'Aprix, a planner and photographer who operates out of upstate New York, agreed that the colors are on the rise. Still, she said she isn't seeing her clients overwhelmingly choose them like social media may have you believe.

"At least from my perspective, that's very social media-based," she said. "I don't really see this happening in real-life weddings. Maybe one out of 20 weddings are doing that, but I think it's all just make-believe on social media of what's actually happening."

For a while, sleek bridal looks were in, which included satin gowns and slip dresses. However, Wintersteen said brides are leaning into more dramatic gowns in 2026.

"Now, basque waists, big volume, lots of lace, and big long veils are all becoming very trendy," Wintersteen said. "It's a lot more dramatic and maximalist."

Some social media users say basque-waist gowns have gotten too popular, but D'Aprix hopes brides who like the silhouette can ignore the chatter.

"It kills me that people are kind of making fun of it because it's so beautiful, so romantic looking," she said.

D'Aprix also said that she is seeing a rise in strapless wedding gowns.

"I think that's a reflection of the fact that we've seen a lot of sleeves," she said, as dramatic sleeves were big in 2023 and 2024. "Sleeves have been done, so now we're opting for the strapless look."

One of the biggest trends D'Aprix has noticed for couples in 2026 is smaller guest counts.

"Overall, smaller-guest-count weddings are way bigger than I've ever seen this year," D'Aprix said. "Even people who anticipated a larger wedding are coming in at about half their guest count at the end of it."

Wintersteen said the destination weddings she plans are typically on the smaller side, but she's noticed Dallas-based weddings are shrinking slightly as well, from 200-250 to 150-200 guests.

Both D'Aprix and Wintersteen said smaller weddings have perks, such as more curated guest experiences and more face time with guests for the newlyweds.

"I love the smaller guest count," Wintersteen said. "It feels more intimate. As the couple, you get to really interact with all of your guests."

Modern weddings typically follow a set timeline. The day starts with the ceremony, then guests move into cocktail hour, followed by the reception, which typically consists of dinner, speeches, and dancing.

However, Wintersteen said some of her clients are playing with that format, which she said can be "really fun."

"I'll have some couples that do a pre-ceremony cocktail hour," she said. "Guests will come a little early, they'll enjoy some appetizers, some drinks, and then go into the ceremony, and then you have another cocktail hour after the ceremony."

Likewise, her clients are leaning into after-parties, renting out venue space so their events can go late into the night.

"People want to keep the party going one way or the other," she said.

D'Aprix has also seen a rise in timeline adjustments, though she cautions that they can sometimes be difficult from a logistics standpoint, as you may have to hire the DJ, caterers, and other staff for longer or invest in more equipment.

"If you have the extra money to be able to move things around like that, it's no problem, and I think it's awesome, but if you're tight on a budget, it's not something I would mess with," D'Aprix said.

Photographers have a more difficult task than ever, according to Wintersteen, as couples want a little bit of every type of photography at their weddings rather than one style.

"In my experience, I think brides are looking for photographers who can almost do it all," Wintersteen said. She said many of her clients want their photographers to capture editorial, formal, and candid shots, and, when editing, to balance natural colors with more saturated, nostalgic tones.

D'Aprix, who still works as a wedding photographer, said she's still getting a lot of asks for true colors over the sepia-toned shots that were popular a few years ago.

"Everybody's been leaning toward true colors," she said. "We've been seeing a huge push for greens being very dominant in the images, whereas a few years ago, people were pulling the greens all the way out of their photos."

Since "first looks" came on the scene at weddings in the 2010s, they've become a staple of the industry. Not only do they offer a sweet moment for couples, but they also make wedding days easier from a logistics standpoint.

"A lot of photographers were very outspoken about how doing a first look will save you on your timeline throughout the day," D'Aprix said, as couples can get most of their photos done before their event starts.

D'Aprix said she's having fewer clients build first looks into their day because they want to wait to see their partner at the ceremony.

"They want to have that moment down the ceremony, but they do still want to do a first touch moment," she said. "So I've had more first touch than I have first looks this year."

Wintersteen, on the other hand, said her clients are still doing photos ahead of their ceremonies, but the first look is less of a "moment" on the wedding day.

"As we move away from weddings becoming someone's personal Instagram photo shoot, I think we're going to move more into the authentic side of things, and then first looks might gradually decline," Wintersteen said.

"There is still definitely the case to be made for a first look when you're getting married if the sunset is super early or there are a lot of family photos that need to happen," she added. "I think people will keep using it as a logistical tool when needed, but it might not be, 'Oh, I want the photos of him turning around and seeing me in my dress.'"

Wedding receptions typically have square or round tables for guests, and the newlyweds either sit at a small "sweetheart" table or at a rectangular estate table with their wedding party.

However, serpentine tables have begun appearing at luxury weddings, with all guests seated at a single long table that curves throughout the reception space. Couples can create the same effect with round tables touching each other, forming a "caterpillar" arrangement.

Both Wintersteen and D'Aprix are seeing an increase in the new table arrangements. Still, they said that they aren't replacing traditional wedding reception tables because fewer vendors have access to the serpentine tables.

"I did one of those weddings, and I thought it was a beautiful setup," D'Aprix said. "But, in general, the average wedding is still very much doing round and rectangles."

While flowers will always be important, people have been experimenting with new forms of decor at their weddings, like fruit and candles on tablescapes.

In addition, Wintersteen and D'Aprix said engaged couples are using more draping as decor in 2026, often as a statement backdrop for a ceremony or photos.

"Pipe and drape has always been used as wall dividers and to dress up the space, but I think people are utilizing it more than they used to," Wintersteen said.

D'Aprix agreed, saying, "drapery is everywhere," and telling Business Insider that it's been trickling down into the wider industry after gaining traction at luxury weddings.

"We saw all these high-end luxury weddings with full drapery around the entire tent, so our budget-friendly way of doing that is including one panel we take pictures in front of," she said.

In 2024 and 2025, heart-shaped cakes became the it-wedding cake. And while you'll still see plenty of them in 2026, they may start to fade away because of overexposure.

"It's at its peak, which means we'll see it for maybe another year or two, and then it'll start to die out," Wintersteen said of the vintage heart cakes.

Looking ahead, she said she thinks large, round or rectangular cakes will become increasingly popular at weddings, whether they're millefoglie, tiramisu, or vintage-inspired.

Other couples are also going in the opposite direction, having a tiny cake and a dessert buffet instead of a large wedding cake, which D'Aprix thinks stems from the cake-cutting moment becoming less significant to the wedding as a whole.

"We still take pictures, but we don't bring everybody else in," she said. "We don't stop the party for that."

Less focus on the cake naturally reduces the need for a statement dessert.

Keeping up with wedding trends can be a great way to make your wedding feel fresh, but D'Aprix cautions engaged people from learning too much about any trend on their own without their partner.

"It automatically puts a power scale of who knows more about weddings than the other person," she said, which can then lead the person who is more informed to feel like they have to plan on their own. "That's really affecting relationships these days — the capacity that people can learn things and whether your partner is willing to jump into that or not."

She also said it's important to talk to your wedding planner before falling in love with a trend, because you need to know whether it's possible.

And if you're worried that leaning into a trend will make your wedding too similar to other couples' nuptials, Wintersteen said to try to let that go, noting that even "timeless" weddings were a trend.

"It was a trend, honestly, within the last few years to want to have a timeless wedding," Wintersteen said. "People are confusing timeless and trendy as antonyms of each other, when the opposite of trendy is not timeless. The opposite of trendy is unique. If you don't want a trendy wedding, you need to find something unique to you."

If you're true to yourself, your wedding will be everything you want it to be.