Three 2020 Wedding Trends Worth Bringing into 2021

Weddings are typically opportunities to bring a lot of people together – close and extended family plus all the friends you could imagine. However, COVID required that we begin to limit how many people we have around us, making it a unique position for both clients and vendors alike.  It became irresponsible in many cases to operate our businesses as we once did. Weddings became smaller and more intimate, and we saw over and over again more closeness in our 2020 weddings than ever before. The most important people were there. I don’t know about you, but in this COVID world we’re living in, it’s sometimes easy to dwell on what we’re “missing.”  Missing people, missing our routines, missing the gym, missing church, missing what we used to call “normal.”  In light of all that was “missing,” we began to notice that these weddings almost seemed “fuller.” Perhaps not with people, but with all of the moments that occurred.  There was little fretting about the trivial, small, unimportant aspects of the typical wedding day. Instead, thoughtfulness was given to even the smallest of moments with the people our brides and grooms cherished most.

Our business focuses exclusively on the groom. In 2020, we found that our “non-attire” services were used exponentially more than they ever had been – groomsmen gifts, barbering services, wedding band design and on-site day-of valet services were invested more regularly as wedding parties began to shrink. It seemed that when you don’t have to focus on volume, you can focus on the personal touches that will make your day that much more memorable.  It felt that vendors began to focus on specifics to a level not observed before, likely out of both necessity and a shift in expectation from our clients. The focus began to shift from questions like”where is Aunt Margie going to sit?” or “what are the vegetarian options going to be?” to instead about how we can squeeze the most out of our special moments with the people and things we love.

COVID required wedding professionals to innovate. We’ve seen wedding planners add a variety of amenities to their offerings to bring an even higher standard of service. We’ve seen florists and cake makers stretch their creative boundaries as a focus on uniqueness over quantity emerged. We’ve seen dynamic minds create entire venues to fill a void in the market for small, turn-key weddings. We’ve also seen a level of collaboration in the industry that we know will continue. So many vendors have worked hard to stay relevant by cross-pollinating amongst one another and these collaborative efforts are to the benefit of both the client and the wedding industry as a whole.

We think there is much wisdom to be drawn from 2020 to carry over into 2021. For your wedding, invest in the people that mean the most to you. Perhaps you’ll be able to have 500 people on your 2021 invite list. Think about the experience you want for the top 10-15. Get as personal as you can around the experience of those closest to you. If you’ve got dollars to allocate, a business like ours often encourages you to invest in the experiential. The hot towel beard trim before pictures, the cigar smoke outback, the personalized gifts you present to your groomsmen. Those moments weren’t in short supply during the past nine months. And finally, look for those in the industry that are moving and shaking. In a highly competitive industry, look for those that are collaborating and actively promoting others. Where you find collaboration, you find the type of professionals who know the intricate inner workings of making a moment personal. Oklahoma is blessed to have professionals in the wedding industry looking forward to coming alongside you in planning your perfect wedding day.