One of the best things about working for Hitched – a leading UK wedding planning destination and the UK’s number one wedding app – is seeing emerging wedding trends and watching them take hold. As we have this unique vantage point, every year we publish our hotly anticipated Hitched Wedding Trends Report, which digs into the data to reveal what will be big for the year ahead.

This year, we reviewed over 30,000 keywords, analysed millions of site visits and spoke to plenty of experts to establish what will be big for the year ahead. Are you ready to learn about the trends for 2024 and 2025 couples? Here are five of the top predictions – you can read the whole feature in Issue 5 of Bridal Buyer.

The Rise of the Wedding Celebrant

This trend has been gathering pace in recent years, but 2024 looks to be the year of the celebrant. We spotted a 49% increase in search volume for the term ’celebrant wedding’, with nearly 1,000 couples now searching for this monthly. As well as this, traffic has risen to our article about celebrant weddings by 157%.

Wedding celebrant Nat Raybould explains why she thinks they’re on the rise: “Celebrant ceremony popularity grows naturally, as once you see one, you never forget it! I have so many guests come to me after a ceremony and say that they will now opt for a celebrant ceremony too, having not known about them beforehand.”

It’s no surprise that couples are cottoning on to the benefits of hiring a celebrant – as weddings become increasingly personalised, having someone who can tailor your ceremony to you is hugely enticing to nearlyweds. 

The Wedding Weekender

Whilst we can’t deny that some couples are still looking for small and scaled-back celebrations post-pandemic, the trend for 2024 and beyond is to go big.

Searches for ‘weekend wedding venue’ have risen by 50% compared to 2022, as nearlyweds seek to prolong their wedding and make it an all-weekend-long fiesta.

In response to this, we’re seeing lots of wedding venues pivot their offerings to suit the demand, creating weekend wedding packages with arrival dinners and drinks parties and Sunday brunches included.

Beyond the Veil

Veils are back with a bang for 2024. Traffic to our wedding veils feature has risen by 335% as style conscious nearlyweds are inspired by celebrities who rocked statement veils, such as Kourtney Kardashian, Sofia Richie and Hayley Bieber.

Veil designer Rebecca Andrews, of Rebecca Andrews Bridal, shared her views: “Even brides who may prefer something understated and timeless love the option of embroidered personalisation on their veil, for added sentimentality. Something as simple as your embroidered wedding date elevates your bridal look and makes it truly ’yours’.”

Sax Appeal

This trend has been creeping in popularity for a few years, and it’s set to take centre stage at weddings in 2024 and beyond. Search for ‘saxophone wedding’ has risen by 143% this year, as couples look for cool and quirky ways to entertain their guests.

Wedding saxophonist James Burwell explains why he thinks more couples than ever are adopting this trend: “Whether it’s beautiful classical melodies, classic jazz standards, popular love songs, and even modern hits and Ibiza tunes, the saxophone can effortlessly interpret these styles, creating a refreshing twist to well-known tunes. This makes it the perfect instrument for ceremonies, drinks receptions, wedding breakfasts and the evening party!”

What’s the Dress Code?

One curveball that caught us off guard when we were going through the data was the rise of the wedding dress code. Searches for ‘wedding dress code’ have risen by 52% as couples seek to create particular aesthetics at their wedding.

We’ve also noticed a significant rise in traffic to our guide to what to wear to a wedding, as fashion conscious guests want to get it right.

Wedding planner Sylvia from Wedding Angels agrees that there’s an increase in couples setting dress codes for guests: “As fashion trends become more individualist we are moving away from the ’uniform’ of social norms and the general consensus on what is acceptable,” she says. "This is by no means a bad thing but it does mean that there are more varied expectations of what wedding guests should wear."