5 Things I am Loving as a 2025 Bride

Working in the wedding industry, I see so many different wedding trends and ideas that, initially, it was a little overwhelming to plan my wedding. As the initial wave of ideas hit, it became easier to weed out what I did and didn't love or what looked great for someone else but might not make sense for my fiancé and me. While there are so many great trends on the horizon, these are five ideas that I especially love for our day!

Repurposing florals from the ceremony throughout the reception

When I submitted my floral proposal questionnaires, I mentioned I wanted a ceremony piece we could repurpose for the reception. I want to make as much of an impact and waste as little as possible. Since I'm already paying for the ceremony pieces, instead of just using them for 15 minutes and then tossing them, I wanted to place them around the reception to enhance the room further. My florist walked me through different options and found a way to make the most significant impact throughout the entire reception space.

Here are just a few places my florist suggested: 

• Head table

• Bar

• DJ booth

• Cake table

Photos by Poppy Leaf Co. at The Ellis

A mix of table shapes

When thinking of the room's overall design, I have seen so many images that are just an endless sea of identical round tables. We are opting for a mix of rounds and longs to add interest to the room and allow for differing numbers of guests seated per table.

Evoke a feeling, mood, or aesthetic.

When I began pinning images organically, a theme started to emerge. Rich greens, soft, creamy whites, and organic but structured floral pieces filled my Pinterest board. While scrolling on Instagram, I came across a post that called out the theme "Florida, Vintage Ralph Lauren, European Garden Party," and I knew this was exactly the aesthetic I wanted the day to have. A theme doesn't have to be "Disney" or "Harry Potter." You can create a theme centered around a color palette or overall aesthetic. It will come through in the details, such as your floral selections, stationery items, linen selections, table numbers, rental items like a soft seating area if you choose to add one, and so much more.

Letting our life as a couple inspire our details.

Since the day is about us as a couple and celebrating our story and love, I wanted to incorporate small pieces of our lives into our day to bring everything full circle.

A few details include:

• Taking our engagement photos on a sailboat

  • One of the first times my fiancée and I spent the day together outside of one of our local college bars was on a sailboat for my college roommate's birthday. Some of our first pictures together before we were even dating were taken on a sailboat, so I thought, what would be a better way to document some of our first photos as an engaged couple than on a sailboat?

• Our favorite drinks are our specialty cocktails

  • Most people do this, but why not give everyone the chance to try your favorite cocktails on your day?

• Including cups from our favorite place in college

  • One of our favorite bars in college had plastic cups with the logo on them, and it was a huge piece of our lives when we first started dating, so why not bring it back for our wedding? A decent amount of our college friends will be in attendance, so it will be fun to bring back those memories!

• Pizza is our late-night bite because the first place we lived together was above a pizza shop.

  • This idea is a fun nod to the pizza shop downstairs from our first apartment together, the place we bring everyone to when they visit us, where we have spent many happy hours and ordered pizza from numerous times. While it won't be the exact pizza, it's a great symbol of one of our favorite places!

Sailboat Engagement & Specialty Cocktail image by Kismet Visuals

Only including traditions that fit us as a couple

There are so many traditions that come with weddings. Some are beautiful and sentimental, while others don't necessarily fit us and our personalities. There are a few that we are skipping out on. One is the garter toss because this would make both of us uncomfortable, and neither of us wants to do something on our wedding day that makes us feel uncomfortable just because we're "supposed to." Another one is that our bridal party will sit during the ceremony. We decided to do this because the day is about us, and we want that to be the focus. Also, these are some of our favorite people, so we want them to be able to see us and have a front row to our vows. Overall, the day should focus on the couple and what they want, so why not change tradition if it doesn't fit?   

Photo by Kismet Visuals

Every wedding, whether it involves 500 guests or just 30, should be personal and centered around celebrating the love and lives of the married couple. Choosing what feels right is essential rather than following what's trending. After all, you could start the wave of the next biggest thing!