Where Weddings Are Headed (And Why It’s Not Where You Think)
For the last decade or so, weddings have been swelling in size, in scale, in sparkle. A growing appetite for the moment, the multi-day affair, the sweeping drone shots, the designer gowns, the tablescapes more intricate than most people’s home decor. Luxury weddings became the aspirational standard, fueled by Pinterest boards, celebrity wedding coverage, and the invisible pressure to make your one day worthy of a hundred thousand likes.
But something’s changing.
When Charli XCX—international pop star with access to every vendor, venue, and luxury label imaginable—opted for a simple courthouse wedding instead of a high-production destination blowout, it was telling. She could literally have done anything. And yet, what she chose was something small, pared down, deeply personal. Just her and her person, signing their names into something real.
It reflects a broader cultural shift. Not just a shift in taste, but in values. In the wake of inflation, the housing crisis, and an increasingly unattainable sense of “enough,” couples are starting to ask harder questions. Is this really what we want? Or are we being swept up in an industry that sometimes seems more invested in our spending than in our story?
We’ve all heard of the “wedding tax.” The mysterious way prices balloon as soon as the word “wedding” enters the conversation. The upcharges, the unnecessary add-ons, the pressure to perform. And it’s no wonder that more and more people are starting to push back, not just for budget reasons, but because they want something curated. Something that reflects who they really are, not just what a wedding is supposed to look like.
Just last week, I had a couple reach out about an elopement that is happening this week. No year-long timeline, no seating chart, no guest list politics. Just the two of them, their pastor, a mountain, and river as witnesses. They’ve planned a few simple hours to hold space for something sacred. I’ll be there quietly documenting the way they look at each other, the wind blowing through the trees, the joy in their voices. It will be intimate. It will be beautiful. And it will be enough.
I offer full wedding day packages for those who want the grandeur, the celebration, the full-on “we did it” feeling, surrounded by ALL their people. And I love those days, too. I hold no judgment for anyone who wants to go big. But I’m also here for the couples who scale way back. Who want to walk into a courthouse in an outfit that is both simple and special. Who want their vows spoken into the wind. Who don’t want to take out a second mortgage just to say “I do.”
What I’m seeing (and sensing) is that we’re moving into an era of weddings that are less about optics, more about meaning.
Couples are getting clearer on what really matters to them. They’re choosing ritual over reception. Intimacy over itinerary. They’re curating moments instead of timelines. It’s not always about saving money (though for many it helps); it’s about protecting the emotional space of the day. About preserving the why behind the whole thing.
And as a wedding videographer, I can’t help but feel so hopeful about this shift.
Because it means I get to show up and witness a real love story unfolding. Not something crafted to perfection, but something rooted in love and choice and clarity. It means that instead of trying to fit someone’s story into a formula, I get to follow it wherever it naturally goes—whether that’s across a ballroom dance floor or down a wooded trail to an elopement by the river.
So, where are weddings headed?
They’re heading home. Back to the heart of it. Back to the reason two people choose each other. Not for the spectacle, but for the sanctuary they find in one another.
Thinking of keeping your wedding on the more intimate side? Here are some popular blog posts to help you plan your own elopement!
