2025 Wedding Trends I'm Loving - Haley Day - Baltimore Wedding Photographer

With every new wedding season, I’m filled with excitement for the incredible moments ahead- especially with my couples and their weddings! From bridal fashion to destinations to photography, there are some trends I’m truly loving on the horizon. Today, I’m sharing a few of my favorites to look out for, whether you’re attending or planning a wedding next year. These are five of the 2025 wedding trends I’m obsessed with, and I think you will be, too!

2025 Wedding Trends

Bridal Stylists

In 2025, more brides will hire a professional bridal stylist to curate a weekend’s worth of wedding looks! The trend of having a multi-day celebration isn’t going anywhere, and brides want to take advantage of each fashion moment, from the welcome party to the reception dress. NYC-based Agency Eight and Gabrielle Hurwitz are two stylists already making waves in this niche.

European brides like my Belgian bride, Silvia, are especially willing to get daring with their fashion. She hired a designer to custom-make a couture wedding dress for her big day. Opting for a custom wedding dress isn’t just about making a fashion statement; it’s about creating something truly one-of-a-kind. No one else will ever have the same gown, plus, a custom dress becomes a timeless keepsake—a piece of your personal history that you can treasure and even pass down to future generations.

professional bridal stylist wedding day look

Vintage Wedding Cakes

I love the old-school wedding cake trend, and it’s here to stay in 2025! Details that echo the couple’s parents and grandparents’ wedding cakes, from the decoration style to the topper, are becoming more popular. These cakes aren’t just timeless—they pay tribute to the love stories before yours. For example, a recent couple of mine used the groom’s parents’ cake topper. They also decided on a chocolate cake, putting a fun spin on the traditional design!

brown wedding cake with vintage cake topper

Documentary-Meets-Editorial Photography

A few wedding photography styles I love are trending! And, even better: they complement each other perfectly. More couples are embracing the “imperfect” and prioritizing authentic emotions and fun—even a little chaos and mess! The focus has shifted from curating the perfect day to having an emotionally rich celebration.

This bride, Taylor, and her bridesmaids got caught in the rain during portraits, but they didn’t let it dampen their spirits. They grabbed some cute clear umbrellas, and I captured one of my favorite shots of the day of them running through the rain.

The top 2025 wedding trends

Documentary-style photography is also trending: real emotions, moment-to-moment documentation, and telling the wedding day story. Couples want to look at their photos and feel transported back to their big day, exactly as it felt in the moment! To achieve this, I love taking unposed portraits and capturing those “in-between” moments that might not feel significant at the time but show how amazing the day was.

Think laughing with your new spouse while walking into cocktail hour, that look your partner gives you while reading your vows, or your mom’s first bite of those incredible cocktail hour apps. In addition to photos of the two of you, expect plenty of fun candids of your VIPs enjoying the wedding day experience!

Wedding photography trends for 2025

Of course, there are bound to be a few posed portraits, and that’s where the editorial style comes in. 2025 couples love the combination of authentic, documentary-style photos with polished portraits that exude a high-fashion vibe. The key is for these photos to feel genuine despite the posing, reflecting the couple and their story. I care about my couples and want to get to know them (post-engagement session dinner plans, anyone?) so I can capture what makes their connection unique on their wedding day.

Authenticity Over Tradition

While couples are throwing it back to mom and dad’s wedding with their cakes, they’re also letting go of traditions that don’t serve them and celebrating how they want to celebrate. Gone are the days of being bullied into cookie-cutter decor or those unwanted additions to the guest list! But this doesn’t just have to look like skipping the traditions you don’t like—it can also look like creating something that’s all your own, that reflects your fashion style, personality, or values.

For example, my couple Gracie and Ari decided they liked the tradition of having a big sparkler exit, but didn’t want to wear their wedding attire. Instead, they changed into cozy matching sweat sets because ending their nights together in a cozy sweat set was authentic to them!

Bride and groom wearing matching sweatsuits for their sparkler wedding exit

Multi-Day Destination Weddings

Multi-day wedding celebrations are more popular than ever, including extra events like welcome parties, all-guest rehearsal dinners, and post-wedding brunches. And the pre-wedding festivities are getting bigger and better, too, with more brides opting for multi-day bachelorette parties. It’s all about creating lasting memories with your guests!

Destination weddings aren’t going anywhere either, with many weddings doubling as mini-vacations for the couple and their guests. The combination of unforgettable locations—like Isla Mujeres, Mexico, and Venice, Italy—and unique experiences will entice more couples to hop on a flight before saying “I do.”

Isla Mujeres destination wedding

As a destination wedding photographer, I’m all about this trend! While based in Maryland, I love traveling to capture couples and their unique love stories. Do you also resonate with these 2025 wedding trends? If so, let’s get connected! I’d love to share more about my custom-tailored photography collections and hear all the details of the celebration you envision.