Every planner has that moment — a couple comes to you with something they’re excited about and you can’t help but think: “Ugh, we’re still doing this?”

Wedding design evolves faster than couples realize. And every year, a few trends just… don’t survive.

So in this episode, we’re calling out the outdated wedding trends that are so out, the ones that are over, and the ones we’re collectively ready to retire.

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In our last episode, we talked about where to find fresh inspiration for 2026 and beyond — looking outside the wedding world to architecture, interiors, hospitality, food, and fashion to understand where taste is heading.

But today, we’re flipping that lens.

Because while new inspiration helps us move forward, part of evolving as designers and planners is knowing which trends not to carry with us. The ones that had their moment, served their purpose… and now need to politely exit stage left.

So in this episode, we’re naming the outdated wedding trends that are out, that are over, and that we’re absolutely not doing anymore — and why letting them go opens the door for better, more intentional design.

Let’s get into it.

1: CHAMPAGNE WALLS & CHAMPAGNE TOWERS

Let’s start with one of the most unavoidable outdated wedding trends of the last decade: champagne walls and champagne towers. These installations had an iconic moment — they were fun, they were photogenic, and for a while, they made weddings feel luxe in an accessible way. But much like flower crowns and donut walls before them, they’ve crossed into a space where the novelty has faded and the practicality has evaporated.

The issue isn’t champagne. Champagne is timeless. You all know I love a good French 75.
The issue is the gimmick.

Champagne walls look impressive for about 10 minutes, and then the glasses start disappearing unevenly, the bubbles lose their effervescence, wall looks picked over, and the whole thing loses the elegance it had at the beginning.

Champagne towers aren’t much better, either. Couples often don’t realize they’re messy, logistically annoying, and rarely executed well without someone hovering nearby with towels and a mop.

But here’s the truth behind why planners are over these trends: they create crowds, not experiences. Guests bottleneck. People forget to grab a glass. And the moment that was supposed to feel special becomes a logistical traffic jam.

A more modern, thoughtful alternative is focusing on service, not spectacle — trays of welcome sips offered by servers, champagne presented as part of a curated arrival experience, or petite tasting pours that feel intentional rather than forced. When champagne becomes part of hospitality rather than a wall fixture, it regains its elegance.

When champagne becomes part of hospitality rather than a wall fixture, it regains its elegance.

And that idea — moving away from gimmicks and toward intentional experience — leads us straight into the next outdated wedding trend that’s long overdue for retirement.

2: THE TRADITIONAL PHOTO BOOTH

If there’s one trend that has held on far longer than anyone expected, it’s the traditional photo booth — the sequined backdrop, the feather boas, the oversized sunglasses, the printer that jams while 12 guests wait behind it. It had its moment. It served its purpose. But it’s a trend frozen in time.

Couples still ask for it because of nostalgia. They remember loving it at a friend’s wedding years ago, or they assume guests “need something to do” during cocktail hour. But as planners, we know nostalgia alone isn’t a strong enough reason to dedicate precious space — and precious design real estate — to something that hasn’t evolved in more than a decade.

The truth is, today’s couples and their guests want experiences that feel personal, editorial, and aligned with the wedding’s design narrative. A prop-filled photo booth doesn’t enhance the aesthetic; it interrupts it. It becomes a corner that feels separate from the rest of the celebration — a holdover from an era when weddings were planned around “stations” instead of experiences.

That’s why planners are moving toward more elevated interpretations of the photo moment. Instead of a standalone booth, couples are opting for:

• A fashion-inspired portrait corner with studio lighting and an art-directed backdrop that feels integrated into the overall design.
  
• A roaming documentary-style photographer who captures guests in natural, candid moments instead of staged poses.
  
• A cinematic video confessional setup where guests leave heartfelt or hilarious messages — something couples actually want to rewatch.
  

These alternatives do something the traditional photo booth rarely could: they elevate the experience and the aesthetic.

Guests feel part of something curated and intentional, not something gimmicky or disconnected. And couples walk away with imagery that feels meaningful — not props and printouts they’ll never look at again.

Modern weddings aren’t craving more novelty. They’re craving more story.

And nowhere is that shift more obvious than our next trend, which is the wedding beverage experience. Couples are still excited about signature cocktails and mocktails — but the way we’ve been doing them needs an update.

3: SIGNATURE COCKTAILS

Signature cocktails have been a staple of weddings for over a decade — and on paper, they sound great. Personalized drinks! Cute names! A moment that feels unique to the couple! But the way signature cocktails have traditionally shown up at weddings has become its own outdated trend.

The overly sweet drink with a punny name.
“His & Hers” format that doesn’t feel inclusive.
The lack of thoughtful non-alcoholic options.

Long lines because the signature drink takes nine steps and one muddler. (Tip: we recommend making a batch of these craft beverages because the purpose of the drink is to alleviate the line at the bar, not make it longer.)

Couples still want a personal beverage moment — that part hasn’t changed. What has changed is how guests want to experience it.

Nowadays, guests are far more discerning about what they drink. They care about quality, about craft, about ingredients, about balance. And the rise of sober curiosity, mindful drinking, and health-forward hospitality means people expect non-alcoholic options that are every bit as considered as the spiked versions.

So instead of novelty-style drinks, try shifting toward craft beverage moments that feel elevated, intentional, and effortless. This could look like:

• A curated craft beverage menu with two or three options from local purveyors that complement the overall food and design direction.
  
• Thoughtfully designed mocktails that aren’t an afterthought but a full parallel offering with fresh ingredients and beautiful presentation.
  
• Mini-cocktails or tasting pours that let guests try something new without committing to a full drink.
  
• Signature flavors instead of signature drinks — think: “lavender + citrus throughout the evening,” not “The Blushing Bride-tini.”
  
• Interactive beverage moments that feel like hospitality, such as a tableside garnish, a torching station, or a beautifully styled infusion bar.
  

This shift mirrors what we’re seeing across hospitality and food: less spectacle, more sensory experience.

Guests don’t need another drink named after the couple’s dog. They want something that tastes incredible, feels intentional, and fits the vibe of the weekend.

And when drinks are designed with the same thoughtfulness as the meal or the florals, they stop being a wedding trend, and start becoming part of the guest experience.

And speaking of experiences that can easily drift into “performance over intention,” there’s another trend that’s reached its breaking point — not because couples don’t enjoy it, but because somewhere along the way, weddings started competing with the internet.

4: VIRAL & PERFORMATIVE MOMENTS

In the last few years, there’s been a massive shift in how couples think about weddings. Thanks to TikTok and Instagram, we’ve entered an era where people feel like they need a “moment” — something designed specifically to go viral, or a trend they’ve seen repeated over and over on social media.

I mentioned this in my last episode, but it bears repeating. Because, here’s the thing: when a moment is genuinely meaningful to the couple, it can be beautiful.

But that’s not what we’re talking about here.

We’re talking about the pressure couples feel to include:

• Choreographed entrances because they saw one get over a million views.
  
• Micro-performances staged purely for TikTok: the bridesmaid transition reel, the pre-planned “reveal to guests,” the forced “funny moment” for the videographer.
  
• Content corners that exist solely for a trending format, not because they mean anything to the couple or fit the design.
  

What planners are noticing — and what couples don’t always realize — is that these moments often take away from the intimacy and flow of the wedding. They pull people out of the celebration and into an audience mindset. Suddenly, everyone’s watching an iPhone instead of experiencing the moment in front of them.

It’s not that couples shouldn’t embrace creativity or storytelling. It’s that creativity should come from who they are, not from what’s trending.

That’s why planners are guiding couples back toward moments that feel personal and experiential instead of performative. Think:

• A meaningful private vow moment, not a choreographed first look “for the reel.”
  
• A sensory reveal — lighting, scent, sound — that guests remember because it felt special, not because it was hashtag-friendly.
  
• Cultural or family rituals that deepen connection, rather than borrowed viral trends that dilute it.
  
• Natural, candid moments captured beautifully — not manufactured moments designed to be content.
  

Couples today are craving authenticity — but authenticity and virality rarely coexist.

And the irony in this whole situation is that the weddings that feel the most genuine, the most intentional, the most emotionally rich… are often the ones that create the best content because of how they feel, not because they were engineered for views.

Weddings aren’t performances. They’re experiences. And the most enduring memories happen when couples stop trying to impress the internet — and start focusing on the people in the room.

And speaking of weddings becoming more personal and less performative, the next trend that’s finally fading away is all about uniformity — and not the good kind.

5: UNIFORMALITY FOR THE SAKE OF UNIFORMALITY

For years, weddings were built around the idea that everything — and everyone — needed to match perfectly. The linens matched the florals, the florals matched the stationery, the stationery matched the candles, and the bridal party matched each other down to the exact shade of chiffon.

It was symmetrical, safe, and easy.

But it wasn’t storytelling.

Today’s couples are craving weddings that feel layered, dimensional, and personal — not weddings that look like they were ordered as a kit.

In design, this shows up clearly.

When everything is the same color, the same texture, or the same finish, it flattens the visual composition. It feels predictable instead of luxurious, and “coordinated” becomes “boring” faster than people realize. Modern design thrives on contrast, balance, and intentional variation — the interplay that makes a space feel alive.

We’re seeing more weddings embrace mixed materials:

• soft linen with stone and metal
  
• layered neutrals with one bold accent
  
• warm woods against cool florals
  
• tone-on-tone palettes that feel curated, not copied
  

But this trend goes beyond design — it’s shifting attire too.

Gone are the days where every bridesmaid had to wear the same dress in the same cut in the same shade. Couples, especially Gen Z, are embracing wedding parties that look more like their real friendship circles and less like a bridal magazine from 2008.

That means:

• Mismatched dresses in complementary hues, fabrics, or silhouettes
  
• Gender-inclusive wedding parties, with men and women standing wherever makes the most emotional sense
  
• Attire that reflects personality, such as jumpsuits, prints, and mixed textures
  
• Groomsmen wearing variations that fit their style, not identical rented suits
  

This makes the photos more interesting.

 It makes the wedding feel more modern.

And most importantly, it allows the couple’s people to show up as themselves, not as props in a palette.

Why this shift matters:

Uniformity was a trend born from tradition, not intention.

But today, couples want their weddings to look like them, not like the last 20 weddings they saw on Pinterest.

When we give design and attire room to breathe, to mix, to contrast, to reflect real personalities, the entire wedding feels richer, more dynamic, and far more editorial.

Weddings aren’t mood boards. They’re living, breathing experiences.

And a little thoughtful variety is one of the easiest ways to elevate everything.

Retiring Outdated Wedding Trends

Now, before we wrap up, I want to leave you with this: retiring outdated wedding trends isn’t about being critical, it’s about making space for better ideas. You don’t have to reinvent your entire design process to evolve. Sometimes it’s as simple as asking why something exists, or whether it’s actually adding meaning, beauty, or connection to the experience.

When you start filtering every trend through intention — through story, through hospitality, through who your couple really is — the entire wedding begins to feel more thoughtful and more alive. And that’s where the magic is. Weddings aren’t made memorable by gimmicks; they’re made memorable by choices that feel personal.

If anything in today’s episode resonated with you, or if you have your own “please let this trend die” moment to add to the list, I would love to hear it. Come share your thoughts with me over on Instagram @plannersedit.

Designing a Business as Intentional as Your Weddings

If today’s conversation gave you clarity, validation, or just a little relief knowing we can finally retire some of these outdated wedding trends, and you want that same sense of direction in your business, I’d love to support you.

My mentorship and coaching program Full-Service Foundations opens in December, with limited spots for January 2026. I’ve been thinking long and hard about what our industry needs, and I wanted to focus on what I know best, which is how to provide a luxury full-service experience to our clients. So I created Full-service Foundations where I walk my students step by step to set up their own full-service planning and design planning package. 

If you’re ready to say goodbye to nightmare clients that nickel and dime you over the most ridiculous things and you want to focus on serving clients who value you for your expertise and design sensibilities, but you don’t know how to sell it or how to serve them, I would love to teach you. 

Get off your hamster wheel of 20-30-, maybe even 50 weddings a year. Create more space and make more money so you can spend time with your loved ones and work with clients who want to work with you instead ones that are just looking for a decorator to hang their DIY wedding decor. 

If you’re nodding your head and saying yes, if you’re ready to elevate your process, sharpen your creative voice, and build a business that feels aligned and intentional, join the waitlist now, here.

I’m giving you my planning templates, tutorials, and access to me live every week for 6 weeks so you can solidify your processes and step into the role you’ve been wanting ever since you started your business. If you have any questions, you can send me a DM or learn more here.

Until next time, I’m Desirée Adams — and thank you, as always, for listening to The Planner’s Edit.