2025 Wedding Trends For Your San Luis Obispo County Wedding
Wedding season is here, and if you're planning your 2025 wedding, you're in for a treat! This year is all about authenticity, personal touches, and ditching outdated traditions that no longer spark joy. Does the idea of having your partner remove your garter make you cringe? Do you have a stack of boring wedding favors in your cupboard and don't want to do that to your guests? Well, this article is for you! Let's dive into what’s trending and what’s fading away in the wild world of weddings in 2025!
From Wedding Tradition to Wedding "Glow Up"
Tradition: Massive Guest Lists – “Glow Up” by Scaling Back
Bigger isn’t always better. Micro-weddings and intimate celebrations became super popular in 2020, and they aren’t going anywhere! Instead of inviting every distant relative and childhood or college friend, couples are opting for a smaller head count that allows them to actually interact personally with everyone in attendance and provide more in way of entertainment, food and fun!
Tradition: Long Speeches – “Glow Up” by Limiting Speakers or Doing Something Totally Different
No one wants to sit through a 20-minute toast (sorry, Uncle Bob). Couples are encouraging shorter, more heartfelt speeches in 2025, and typically limiting things to 2 to 3 speakers at 2 to 3 minutes per speech. Or you can ditch the speeches completely and set up a “video message center” where guests can leave you a personalized message – they can talk as long as they want, but the whole wedding doesn’t have to listen!
Tradition: Bouquet and Garter Toss – “Glow Up” by Switching to an Interactive Game or Planned Dance
The Garter Toss and Bouquet Toss seem to have been losing their luster for a while – most couples in the last few years have opted to simply leave them out completely. If you want to keep a little tradition, consider a “private garter removal” – invite your photographer into a private area and get some fun and intimate photos away from the guests – and instead of a Bouquet Toss, consider gifting your Bouquet to a family member or close friend. BUT if you want a total “Glow Up”, take the time normally used for this “tradition” and use it for something like a group dance with all your best friends, or maybe invite everyone to hang out by a bonfire and roast marshmallows while you chat about things that are really meaningful.
Tradition: Boring Wedding Favors – “Glow Up” by Curating Something Local, Something Edible or Something Experiential
Let’s be honest—how many personalized shot glasses or candles do we actually keep from weddings? In 2025, couples are skipping “trinkets” in favor of gifts that are edible or experiential. Think personalized candy or cookies, Signature Drinks (in a glass they can keep), or a Donation in the guest’s name to the couple’s favorite charity. If you do want to give a favor that can be kept, think something that has long term viability and use, like succulents, wildflower seeds, or something special that was curated local to your venue (San Luis Obispo County has AMAZING local artisans)!
Tradition: Standard Reception Timelines – “Glow Up” by Breaking Things Up
Forget the cookie-cutter schedule—couples are getting creative with their reception flow these days! They’re also ditching the “typical” for something totally unique – think no wedding cake or cake cutting and instead offering an Éclair or Cupcake Toast. Consider things like a late-night taco truck or donut wall, hosting a “trivia game” with prizes, doing your first dance right after your Grand Entrance, planning a “dance off” with your bridal party and let your guests vote on the winner…the options are endless!
Tradition: DJ Only – “Glow Up” DJ and Live Entertainment
DJ’s do A LOT more than play music – good ones will keep your reception on track, flowing and fun. So, people aren’t necessarily ditching the DJ in 2025, but they are opting for more live music. How fun would it be for your guests to enjoy a live band, guitarist or string quartet during cocktail hour? Or maybe a live band during your reception with DJ music breaks or interactive games while the band takes a break?
Tradition: Don’t See Each Other Until the Ceremony – “Glow Up” by Doing a First Look
First looks have been around for a while, and I’ve always been a huge fan. It looks like 2025 is seeing even more couples embrace this trend. A private first look before the ceremony gives you a special moment to see each other, soak in the moment and actually “interact” without everyone staring at you – some of the most romantic photographs come out of these moments!
Final Thoughts…
At the end of the day, the biggest trend of 2025 is doing what makes you happy. Whether that means throwing a backyard bash, eloping in a dreamy destination, or having a full-on wedding weekend, the key is making your day a true reflection of you as a couple without having to follow a “wedding template”.
Now that you have some ideas on all the amazing things you’re going to do for your wedding day, it might be time to consider booking your wedding photographer! I’d love to chat with you about your vision! Contact me today!