Wedding trends in 2026 aren’t just influencing décor or fashion; they’re shaping the entire flow of the day. From the quiet anticipation of getting ready to the high-energy after-party, this year’s weddings are highly personalised, beautifully expressive, and more focused on the guest experience than ever. Here’s what a trend-forward 2026 wedding day really looks like.
Before Your Wedding And The Morning: Getting Ready in Style:
The journey to the big day begins long before the aisle! Couples in 2026 are making a statement through thoughtful details and nostalgic fashion choices.
Personalised Wedding Stationery:
Wedding stationery is one of the most customisable elements of any wedding, with countless options to choose from. Couples can match their stationery to their overall styling and colour scheme, include illustrations of themselves, their venue or the location, or even handwrite certain elements for a truly personal touch. DIY stationery is also becoming increasingly popular as a way to reduce costs while adding meaningful, handmade details.
This trend ties closely into the rise of eco-conscious wedding choices. Turning stationery and invitations into personal keepsakes is a thoughtful way to reduce waste, ensuring the couple and their guests take home something beautiful to remember and cherish from the day.
On the other side, we’ve seen some great wedding gifts that also lean into the highly personal trends of stationery.
The Look:
Sentimental fashion is one of 2026’s most heartwarming trends. More brides are stepping away from new gowns and choosing to reimagine their parents’ or even grandparents’ wedding dresses, with more dressmakers expanding their offerings to accommodate bridal adjustments. It’s a lovely way to honour and remember family heritage while also keeping eco-conscious. We’ve also seen smaller touches in wedding dresses, like embroidered details like flowers into a dress.
Shorter dresses and ponytails are also making an appearance especially with outdoor and country themes.
The Ceremony & Reception:
Once the wedding day unfolds, 2026 celebrations focus on a strong sense of personal style and a memorable guest experience. Couples are moving beyond tradition and embracing weddings that feel like an experience that their guests won’t forget.
Theme, Colours and Decor:
We’ve been speaking a lot about Bridgerton in our recent blogs and it's not just that we are massive fans of the show! We’ve seen a massive uptake and renditions of this trend and even themed our styled shoot around it. Soft pastel blues and pinks, dramatic florals and grand decor set the scene for regency and royalty. You can read all about our Bridgerton Styled Shoot here.
Similarly, pale blue is one of the most popular wedding colours going into 2026, and we can see why!
One piece of décor we absolutely love is draping! Flowing fabrics suspended from ceilings, trees, or beams add softness and dimension to any space. We especially love drapes because they pair so well with our fairy light canopy, creating a magical setting.
Another key colour trend we’ve loved seeing at Worton Hall is the popularity of bolder colours. Pink has often taken centre stage at our weddings, pairing beautifully with pure white. We adore these colour schemes because they are completely indulgent and don’t care about the trends. For the couple, they are unapologetically them! One of the most important wedding trends is making your wedding day about you and doing what you want to do... and this continues into 2026 more so.
Wedding Cake:
Wedding cakes are another very customisable element of your day. Everyone has different tastes, and choosing a cake that indulges your sweet tooth is definitely the right call. One trend we’ve seen is the rise (and will continue to do so) of more retro cakes and sweet treats. Some couples even beg the question, why have just one cake?
Wedding Favours:
Alongside stationery, personalised and sustainable wedding favours are becoming a major trend in 2026. Couples are moving away from generic gifts and instead choosing thoughtful, eco-friendly items that feel genuinely meaningful. Plantable favours, wedding newspapers, handwritten letters and small handmade treats using locally sourced products are leading the way into 2026, just to name a few!
The Afterparty:
As night descends, the second act unfolds, turning your wedding into a vibrant celebration. Many trends from 2024 and 2025 have become staples for evening festivities. Here are the trends we've observed gaining popularity in 2025, which we anticipate will continue to flourish in 2026!
Second Look:
Why stop at one dress? More and more couples are adding a second look to their wedding day wardrobe, it’s all about having some extra comfort on your wedding night and evening celebration as well as a personality reflection. We’ve seen this range from simply putting on more comfortable shoes to a complete outfit change! Multi-cultural weddings at our venue are a great example of this in action, blending two different family heritages and cultures.
Interactive Entertainment:
Evening entertainment has become one of the most exciting parts of a modern wedding, especially as couples transition into their evening celebrations. Audio guestbooks are emerging instead of traditional written messages. Guests leave heartfelt, funny or even slightly chaotic voice notes for the couple to listen back to after the day has passed. It’s personal, emotional and creates an unforgettable keepsake filled with real voices and real moments.
Wedding newspapers double as entertainment, with popular inclusions such as crosswords, word searches, photo competitions, and ice breakers being included. We love this trend so much that even created one for our 2025 wedding fair!
One particular element we see a lot are food trucks. They bring a relaxed, festival-style energy to the celebration, serving up crowd favourites like wood-fired pizzas, burgers, chips and more... the choice truly is yours. 2026 will continue to show this style of catering throughout weddings, and not just for evening food but for wedding breakfasts too!
Here at Worton Hall, catering choices are completely up to you!
Final Thoughts
Weddings in 2026 are all about personality, creativity and creating an experience that feels truly reflective of the couple. Today’s celebrations are designed to tell your story. Whether it’s through illustrated invitations, bold colour choices, or a lively food truck serving your favourite cuisine, the trends shaping this year are centred around authenticity. Couples are leaning into what feels right for them, embracing personal touches that make their day as memorable for their guests as it is for themselves. Breaking “formal” tradition is what it is all about and we’re here for it!
