10 Wedding Trends to Inspire Your Perfect Wedding Day in 2022.
The wedding industry is an ever-evolving subject where trends are ephemeral (they come and go, usually in rotations). As UK weddings are becoming increasingly expensive, couples are doing everything possible to save money and not put themselves into financial trouble for their perfect day. We’re seeing lots of trends change to a more relaxed atmosphere vs. the old very traditional (and usually stressful) British wedding.
With so much time apart during the pandemic from 2020-2022, having beautifully documented memories is something everyone is appreciating that little bit more. This has also set a big shift in the approach to wedding photography, and the entire wedding day, in order to create and capture that natural relaxed atmosphere. Let’s summarise ten of the wedding trends that have been very popular in 2022:
Documentary-style wedding photography.
Gone are the days of high contrast images of forcing every single wedding guest to bunch up like sardines and spending hours taking photographs of every possible combination of guests. Those photos have always felt incredibly awkward to me, and thankfully 2022 has seen a huge increase in brides wanted a more relaxed, natural, and candid photo album to look back on. The natural flow of a wedding day used to be completely interupted by a stressful couple of hours just to squeeze in that photoshoot, but now guests can instead use that time to relax and enjoy the wedding day. It also makes for a much more romantic and organic wedding album to look back on for the couple.
This is being complimented by a more romantic style of photography in the way of soft lighting and film cameras (or digital cameras later edited to look like film). The composure feels so natural, and the actual style of a soft, warm photograph goes a long way to enhance this composition. We’re also seeing a lot more pictures of the guests enjoying themselves which a lot of the time the couple will have missed on the big day. Opening a wedding album from a photographer that has captured some really candid photos of kids playing in the background, the bridesmaid(s) having a little cry, the father of the bride hugging the groom, and more, is a lovely set of memories to treasure for life, that you might not have even noticed happen on the day.
2. “First look” photos.
First look photos are becoming increasingly popular, with some couples opting to do a first look photoshoot before (away from) the actual wedding ceremony. This style of shooting can make a lovely memory to look back on and we are seeing couples and photographers experiment with composition and locations. Some are still doing the traditional “down the aisle” shot where the photographer is capturing the reaction of the groom, others are taking the modern approach and doing this in a different setting. We have seen couples do this in green areas, by the pool, in the hotel lobby, by the beach, and more; generally whatever is going to make you feel comfortable is a great option. It can be a huge relief to remove that emotional pressure of the ceremony and calming the nerves before getting hitched.
We’re also seeing this trend grow more than just the traditional groom’s first look, it has expanded to photographs of the groomsmen seeing the bride or groom for the first time, the bride’s father’s reaction, the groom’s mother, and more; the options are endless. If you are looking to take some of the stress away from your big day and reduce some emotion before the ceremony, why not opt for a “first look” shoot beforehand.
3. Pyrotechnics and smoke.
The use of flares, fireworks, sparklers, smoke bombs is a massive trend in 2022. Most couples I have seen get married in the last year have had at least some form of pyrotechnic at their wedding for the photographer to capture something creative. These photos can look excellent but there are two things to consider when wanting to do it:
1. Health and safety is the number one priority when doing so; if your photographer notices anything dangerous, they will simply put an end to that shoot. People need to remember these things are technically an explosive and there is a strong likelihood of being burned, even if handled correctly. Make sure there is a procedure in place for putting out any fires and/or faulty pyrotechnics.
2. You need to seek permission from the wedding venue to make sure they will allow you to do so. This is an absolute must, and if they so no, you will need to obide by this request.
If you are worried about using something that burns hot, or the wedding venue have outright said this is not an option, there are alternatives. You could opt to use a smoke machine for a creative effect, with lights in/under/around the smoke for a moody photo, or you can get safety sparklers. Safety sparklers are a great option, particular if you would like to have kids involved with the photo.
4. Pre/post-wedding photo-shoots & flat lays.
This is not necessarily something new to 2022 but it has grown to include more photos for the wedding couple to treasure. Everyone has heard of engagement shoots, which are still just as popular as ever, but we have also started to see the traditional couples pictures removed from the wedding day and having a planned photo-shoot at a nice location way before the wedding. This can also include detail and flatlay images, which is something that is becoming very popular in 2022 and something I personally only started to hear about recently. A flat lay is a lovely way to include the bride and groom’s details in one flat image; this could be anything from the wedding day shoes, to a family airloom, the bride’s veil, and more. Photographers will usually have creative freedom to set this out how they think looks best.
If there is time on the wedding day then obviously flatlays can be taken in the morning, but it adds a layer of stress and another set of images the photographer has to try to squeeze in. This also means the photographer will need access to most of the things you are going to want to wear, before you put it on. It can be stressful when you want to be getting ready but the photographer wants to take their time to get the right pictures, on top of the usual “getting ready” images. Why not take the stress away by making your flat lay images during a pre or post-wedding photo-shoot.
5. Including dogs and pets.
With everyone deciding they wanted extra companions during lockdown, a lot of people also progressed their relationship with their partner by getting a puppy or adopting a dog. Because people are so incredibly close to their pets, we are also seeing a lot of couples wanting their dogs involved with their ceremony, but this isn’t always possible due to wedding venue restrictions or simply because of logistics. Why not incorporate a couple shoot with your pets, and have the flat lays done at the same time. Someone I know even had a post-wedding shoot with her horse recently, so anything is possible.
6. Multiple day weddings.
Although there are plenty of couples trying to save money on their wedding day by removing some traditional parts of weddings, there are also those that are choosing to extend their wedding to a muli-day occastion. Most wedding venues, including one I photographed recently at Hintlesham Hall, allow guests to book for two or three days. The wedding I shot here started on a Friday evening where there was a barbeque, a magician, an evening party, and lots of drinking; day two was the standard wedding day which included breakast, getting ready, the ceremony, an evening meal, and a wedding reception; and day three included an informal breakfast and gave the guests a chance to reminisce on the weekends’ events.
6. Minimalstic wedding themes.
We are seeing a big shift away from complex dresses with very long tails, to a more modern style that often centres around a very simple dress and basic colour pattern. Dresses that resemble more of an evening dress are becoming increasingly popular because Brides want to be comfortable during the day and maintain that comfort through the evening reception (carrying around a long wedding train is not exactly comfortable!). Pastel colours are definitely in for 2022, with lots of couples opting for light sage greens or pinks for their Bridesmaids’ dresses. More and more Brides are also opting away from the traditional bright white wedding dress and moving to a more casual pastel colour like a soft pastel yellow or rose (notice a theme for simplicity and relaxation here?).
One of the most popular colour themes for the groomsmen is still a dark blue, but this can be mixed and matched with lighter blues, greys, pinks, and browns to create a modern fashionable look, rather than traditional which used to see all three pieces of the suit the same colour. The fit of the suits are becoming tighter with many brides (yes, brides—you don’t get a say in this, lads!) wanting a slim or skinny fit suit vs. the traditional relaxed fit. NO SOCKS!!! Yes, this one is maybe a little circumstatial but there is a popular trend for the groomsmen to have the “no sock” look. This is probably a more comfortable theme for weddings in a warm climate or on a hot summer day.
7. Livestreaming and social media.
Couples seem to be in one of two groups when it comes to livestreaming their wedding and social media posts. Some couples want their wedding to be streamed to friends and extended family who might not be able to make it to the big day. This could be people that are overseas and aren’t able to make an expensive trip to make the day in person and the couple want those types of people to be able to view the ceremony in near real time, they also want their guests to be posting all their selfies, pics, and videos all over social media.
The opposite to this is the couples that specifically request their guests do not post anything on social media until the couple themselves have shared the official wedding photographs. The wedding couple may want their guests to focus on having a good time and being invovled with the wedding celebrations, rather than seeing everyone glued to a phone. They know that their photographer(s) is capturing everything anyway!
It can be really good fun to incorporate some really cheap polaroid cameras for guests to use at the wedding. This allows the camera happy guests to go crazy with pictures, but you can be assured these pictures will not be uploaded until you are ready, because they have to be sent off to have their film developed first.
9. Second shooter/videographer.
Rather than relying on just a solo photographer to capture a full wedding day, people are opting to have a second shooter and/or dedicated videographer to capture as much of the wedding day as possible. Depending on the photos you want from the day, and the location of all the wedding party, your main wedding photographer might even require a second shooter to make it all possible. If all the guests are getting ready in the same building and there is a decent time gap between events, then it’s not too much stress for a single shooter. If your bridal party and groomsmen are getting ready at different locations, it might be a struggle to spend enough time at both locations, and nobody wants those shots to feel rushed (that would go against our stress-free trend of 2022!).
Having your primary shooter cover the bridal party, and a second shooter with the groomsmen on the morning of the wedding, would mean plenty of time for photos with each group. You don’t necessarily need a second shooter for the whole wedding but it is priceless for some parts like the first look photo shoot (as mentioned earlier) or even just capturing both the bride and groom’s point of view at the ceremony. It’s impossible for one photographer to be in two places but having one person photo the traditional groom’s reaction, and the other focused on the bride’s reaction and/or the other guests reactions can produce some treasurable moments captured in a beautiful image. You can opt to have the second photographer for just the first parts of the wedding, from getting ready, to the end of the ceremony.
Wedding videos are also very popular in 2022 but this will require a dedicated videographer. Most photographers will know how a video camera works, but they aren’t specialists in this field, and they can’t be doing both photos and videos at the same time unless they have four arms… One of the biggest trends from videoing a wedding is more of a documentary look with lots of soft, slow-motion, 4k+ videos that create a highlight reel feel, keeping with the theme of soft warm images.
10. Physical wedding albums.
The return of paper! Lots of couples are choosing to print (or have their photographer print) a physical wedding album. This is something that is very traditional that dates back to pre-digital cameras, where the only option was to develop film and have your wedding photos printed; there was never an option to have those digitally. As times moved on we went to an era where photos were provided on a CD, this moved on to “digital only” wedding photos transferred by a link, and now we have come full circle and couples are opting to have a traditional wedding album printed physically (again). There are so many companies that offer this service, so if you want to save some money, you can always have these printed yourself (rather than through your photographer). Just be aware that your photographer will likely be using a reputable company, will know what photos work well in an album, and will have exceptionally high quality paper available with their supplier.
All the above photos were taken by me. I have used samples from Damian & Tracie’s wedding album, taken in 2022 at Hintlesham Hall. If you like my work, I would appreciate if you could follow me on Instagram.
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