If grooms aren’t interested in weddings, are we getting it really badly wrong?
I say if. Because men are interested in weddings. I’ve featured amazing weddings without brides. I’ve featured incredible weddings where couples have shared planning tasks equally. I adore it when men fill out the little interview form for the real weddings we feature on this blog. But on a daily basis I also see wedding magazines without men on the covers. Mentions of ‘bridal suites’ and ‘the bridal industry’ and even suppliers talking in a way that implies brides do everything. And then there’s those trending signs: “Emilia’s wedding, featuring Joe.” They wouldn’t make any sense without the perception that weddings are for brides. We all know what they mean, and that there’s a nugget of truth in there. But it’s time for change – weddings should be for everyone, right?
2026 could be the year this all changes
Wherever I look, I hear experts predicting a major trend for 2026 weddings will be a shift in focus from aesthetics to more meaningful elements of the day. The ceremony will be all important. (Thank you, celebrants, for making this happen!) Leading wedding planners are saying the focus will be on why we get married: the love, the joy, the after party.
In the last decade, trends have been about colour palettes, or floral styling, or a type of venue (barns had their moment, remember?), or a look inspired by streaming favourites (hello, Bridgerton! I’ve never watched you!). And perhaps those visual trends weren’t enough to capture everyone’s attention. Perhaps they spoke more to brides than to grooms. Perhaps that’s because all the wedding websites, platforms and print mags would basically grab a trend, plonk it onto a model bride, and use it to sell.
So just maybe, having a meaningful wedding will strip away the focus on visual styling, look towards the experience of a wedding day, and bring men back onto the playing field. If weddings used to be all about the pretty, and for girls, now they just might be all about the LOVE. And that’s something we’re ALL here for.
Alice & Jackson // Exeter Guildhall // Grace Elizabeth Photography (Devon & Cornwall)
Images in this blog post are from Alice & Jackson’s Exeter Guildhall wedding with Devon wedding photographer Grace Elizabeth
Planning a wedding you’ll both love will make the day more meaningful
It will also make the planning more fun.
- Ditch ‘feminine’ and romantic styling if it doesn’t suit BOTH of you. (It’s just what the media think a wedding should look like.)
- Focus on 3 priorities for your day. For example: the food, the party, and a short but relaxed ceremony.
- To choose your 3 priorities, the two of you could separately write a list of 5 things which are most important to you.
Then come together, discuss your choices – especially any non-negotiables – and both of you compromise.
Remember your wedding is a celebration for you both, equally.
- To choose your 3 priorities, the two of you could separately write a list of 5 things which are most important to you.
- The result will be a wedding you’ll both feel invested in.
A wedding plan you own together will make you stronger (especially if overly keen relatives are pushing for ideas for things you don’t want to include. A united front over things you’ve already discussed as a couple will win most arguments!)
2026: the year of shared, equal wedding planning!
If 2026 is the year of meaningful weddings, it’s the year of shared planning. And that’s the most exciting and positive trend I’ve seen in my 15 years as editor of English Wedding!
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