I loved reading Hitched’s wedding trends prediction for 2026, which landed in my inbox this morning. Taking inspiration from Bridgerton, a rise in stately home celebrations and a search for innovative, alternative wedding cakes, 2026 weddings are going to be so exciting! There’s one trend I’m waaaayyy out of sync with – and one conspicuously missing from the list! – but the rest of Zoe’s predictions are utterly fabulous. (I’ll leave the one I think is suspect until last!)

The latest Wedding Trends Report from leading wedding planning website Hitched reveals that weddings in 2026 are going to be more intentional and expressive than ever, full of meaningful experiences and some incredibly retro choices.

Images by Danielle Veitch – full credits here

Insights from Hitched’s annual wedding trends report show:

• Serpentine tables are changing the game for receptions, encouraging movement, intimacy and visual impact while pastel wedding flowers are softening last year’s love of bold clashing blooms
• Stately home weddings are gaining traction, bringing heritage, grandeur and old-money aesthetics while vineyard weddings are also on the rise, offering natural beauty and a sense of relaxed luxury
• Fun food trucks offer an alternative to sit-down meals, with everything from wood-fired pizza to bao buns on the menu
• Retro wedding cakes are making a delicious comeback, with piping, ruffles and kitschy colours taking over Instagram feeds while sheet cakes – once a low-key bake sale classic – are now being reimagined as creative centrepieces

Zoe Burke, leading wedding expert and editor of Hitched.co.uk says that sheet cakes – the low-key bake sale classic – in particular are coming back in a big way. “These school lunch staples have been reimagined as incredibly creative centrepieces. Retro cakes just bring a playful sense of fun to proceedings, and what a delicious way to have a little fun!”

Key Wedding Trends for 2026

Zoe says that wedding trends for 2026 are about an almost regal refinery, but with a cheeky twist, before descending into decadence for the celebrations. “From the dramatic rise in Regency-style weddings, to the comeback of Basque waist dresses and the soaring popularity of wedding after party dresses, couples are clearly embracing fun with fashion, while venue-led storytelling is reshaping how weddings feel, not just how they look.”

Bridgerton is Back

The Bridgerton effect is in full swing again, with the hit Netflix show influencing everything from fashion to florals, as interest in Bridgerton-style weddings soars by a staggering 191% compared to 2024*. As couples lean into romantic, Regency-inspired elegance, weddings will see more delicate corsetry, chandeliers and lashings of lace, paired with soft pastel tones.

The old money aesthetic is also soaring in popularity (searches up 133%), bringing with it a love of classic silhouettes and muted, tonal palettes. “For wedding fashion this means more Basque waist wedding dresses – a vintage silhouette with a modern twist – will be walking down the aisle, if the (+333%*) surge in online searches is anything to go by,” says Zoe.

Dramatic Décor

Wedding décor is going to be jaw-dropping this year, with couples focused on setting a scene. “The goal is to make your guests gasp,” says Zoe. “Draped wedding décor is being used to create softness, scale and atmosphere, while Serpentine tables with their beautiful, flowing layouts are changing the game for receptions, encouraging movement, intimacy and visual impact.”

Meanwhile, taking a seat just got more chic. Wedding tables are more than just a place to sit and eat, they’re a styling opportunity and a chance to enhance your guest experience. Interest in ‘pastel wedding flowers’ is up by 27% and are softening last year’s love of bold clashing blooms, while a renewed interest in ‘wedding place settings’ (+23%) shows that couples are once again getting creative with layout, layering and personalisation.

Zoe Burton, owner and lead floral artist at Burton’s Blooms says that by adding fresh fruit like grapes to a tablescape, you add unusual texture and another layer of visual interest, creating a multi-sensory experience for guests. “It transforms the table into something more curated and memorable, therefore, going beyond just a floral display.

“My inspiration for tablescaping often comes from art, the venue’s architecture, and nature, with a focus on form, clean lines, and letting single variety designs shine. These styles are resonating right now because couples want wedding florals that feel both editorial and personal; they want designs that tell a story, photograph beautifully, and feel a little different.

“More and more, couples are looking for wedding décor that stands out and hasn’t been widely seen before, so their day feels distinctive and unconventional.”

Cool Catering

The wedding reception continues to be reimagined, with couples ripping up the rule book and throwing out the traditions that no longer serve them. According to Zoe, “We’re now in our after-party era.”

Leaning into that carefree, after party feel, wedding catering has transformed, and sausage baps and chunky chips are no longer cutting it for evening guests. In 2026 it’s all about creative catering. Think fun food trucks as an alternative to sit-down meals, with everything from wood-fired pizza to bao buns on the menu, and swapping pornstar martinis for espresso martinis to keep guests on the dancefloor until last orders.

Amazing after party vibes

With after party dresses seeing a 50% rise in searches as more newlyweds opt for a second look for the reception, celebrity wedding planner Mark Niemierko tells Hitched why this year is going to be all about the after party more than ever before. 

“The rise of the after party is due to couples realising a wedding day should be a celebration, with it being that area of the day with less formality – yes, perhaps a first dance, but after that – the seating plan is done, the cake is cut, the speeches complete.

“There’s no more formality, we can finally dance, let our hair down with a dirty martini in hand and gorge on some fried chicken and chips! There’s an unplanned spontaneity to the afters, when a day is so perfectly planned like a military parade.“

Mark adds that the after party doesn’t have to be a boozy, raucous affair if you don’t want it to be, sharing his own wedding trend prediction for 2026: the ‘wedding wind down’.

“The wedding wind down is a concept that happened by chance, but now all our couples love it,” he reveals. “Back at the hotel bar, with no production, just cash behind the bar and our singing pianist Danny Mills.

“It feels so stripped back from the larger production, it feels unplanned, some guests have even thought I didn’t know about one wind down, saying it felt like a lock in!”

Venues Setting the Vibe

According to Zoe, couples planning weddings for 2026 and beyond aren’t just looking for a wedding venue, they’re looking to set a scene. “The latest National Wedding Survey showed that stately homes and country houses were growing in popularity, which makes sense when you look at the other pieces of the wedding puzzle.

“Stately homes give heritage, grandeur and old-money vibes, and are the perfect backdrop for the dramatic, Bridgerton-esque aesthetic. But, we’re now also seeing a rise in interest in vineyard venues, which offer something completely different. With this type of venue you get natural beauty, and a taste of relaxed luxury instead. They’re both completely different, yet both very elegant and considered.”

Classic Cakes

Retro wedding cakes were a standout wedding trend for 2025, and Zoe says that the nostalgic cake trend is growing even bigger for 2026. Kitschy cakes with flamboyant frosting, intricate ruffles and deliciously bold colours are still the trendiest cake style for couples, but there’s another childhood favourite creeping up in popularity too.

“Once a low-key bake sale classic, the sheet cake is back in a big way,” says Zoe. “These school lunch staples have been reimagined as incredibly creative centrepieces. Retro cakes just bring a playful sense of fun to proceedings, and what a delicious way to have a little fun!”

Throwback Threads

Zoe says that the trend amongst wedding fashion in 2026 will be all about high-fashion looks with a throwback feel. “Basque waists and bubble hems are having (another) moment, as nostalgic silhouettes from the 90s and 00s continue to dominate the catwalks.”

Bridal designer Savannah Miller agrees, adding: “I think Basque waists have been making waves for some time now, mainly because they are really flattering and dramatic, which brides are really loving at the moment.

“When you couple a Basque waist with a bubble hem, you make modern magic because the bubble hem feels super directional and fashion forward without being too much.

“When we designed this kind of style for our bespoke bride Ambar Driscoll, we purposely created internal ties in the lining of the skirt so that the bubble hem could be made more or less extreme depending on what part of the wedding she was in and crucially meant she could show off her shoes and dance and run about without worrying about tripping over her dress.

“I was really inspired by the voluminous shapes and forms of the flowers in my garden to create this silhouette for Ambar as well as from the extreme volume conveyed by Sir John Singer Sergeant in his magnificent works.”

Men’s wedding attire trends for 2026

This one comes under the category of “wouldn’t you love to know” because – other than the gorgeous suit being modelled in this editorial, which is from House of Cavani – Hitched’s wedding fashion trends are all about brides. Note to self: reach out to menswear / groomswear experts and find out!

Just one question: can you have a traybake for your stately home wedding?

So I mentioned there’s one trend I’m not on board with, and it’s this! In the notes from Hitched’s press people, the title for this article was It’s official: Tiered wedding cakes are off the table for 2026 and I have to say I disagree completely. I adore creativity in wedding cakes, and have so much admiration for cake designers who are absolute artists and master craftsmen. There is absolutely a place for sheet cakes (a term I’d never heard, surely that’s a traybake?!) and this dessert table looks amazing. But tiered cakes are the perfect pairing for stately homes and I think they’ll be a key component of this rising trend: I’d love to see cake designers embracing the stately home vibe and making spectacular, artistic creations for 2026 weddings!

How about a second wedding cake then?

One of 2025’s major trends was two outfits: one for the ceremony and one for the dancing. The rise in food trucks is another ‘pairing’ trend: couples marrying early in the day might have a sit-down lunch and a pizza truck for late evening. So why not a tiered cake to kick off the evening reception, and a fabulous sheet cake / tray bake to end the night on a sugar high?!

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For more Wedding Trends for 2026, please visit: https://www.hitched.co.uk/wedding-planning/organising-and-planning/wedding-trends/