The Wedding Trends Defining 2026
Planning your big day? Weddings in 2026 are moving beyond tradition to embrace celebrations that are personal, meaningful and effortlessly elegant. From intimate beach elopements to sophisticated Art Deco-inspired soirées, discover the top trends for next year – each paired with the perfect Belmond venue.
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Seaside Elopements
Celebrate your love, not the crowd. Today’s couples are embracing intimate luxury elopements that are both high-quality and cost-efficient; considered by many as more meaningful than a larger wedding, these celebrations trade the spotlight and spectacle for heartfelt connections à deux.
Perfect venue? Cap Juluca
“More and more couples are looking for privacy,” reveals Nicola Price, Belmond’s Senior Client Director of Celebrations & Lifestyle. Nestled on the Caribbean island of Anguilla, Cap Juluca redefines paradise and offers four specialised elopement packages perfect for couples wanting to steal away to say “I do.”
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Train Weddings
Imagine trading vows in an opulent carriage, vintage brass gleaming and champagne flutes chiming as the ever-changing views pass by outside. Luxury trains, like a good love story, are about the journey rather than the destination. And with the rise of both intimate weddings and luxury rail travel, train weddings are the logical next step for many couples seeking something special.
Perfect venue? Andean Explorer
Dance ’til dawn in the piano bar as this luxury sleeper winds through the Peruvian Andes, then watch the sun rise over distant peaks in one of the most spectacular sunrises in South America – perhaps with a final Pisco Sour in hand.
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Marine Décor
Weddings are increasingly embracing ocean-inspired details – think delicate pearl accents, shimmering sea glass, cocktail glasses made from oyster shells and flowing table linens that mimic the gentle rhythm of waves. This trend particularly shines in seaside celebrations, especially when paired with eco-conscious choices like sustainably sourced décor.
Perfect venue? Splendido
Few places celebrate seaside views like Hotel Splendido. With its breathtaking views over Portofino on the Italian Riveria, it’s also been the setting of several romantic moments, like the engagement of Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton on one of the wisteria-clad terraces.
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Colourful Bouquets
While white wedding dresses remain the norm for most brides-to-be, many are ditching neutral blooms in favour of brighter bouquets. According to Hitched, searches for ‘colourful bridal bouquet’ are up 267% from last year – adding a touch of pizzazz and personality to ceremonies.
Perfect venue? Maroma
This luxe hotel in Mexico’s Riviera Maya – where ‘Call Her Daddy’ podcast host Alex Cooper tied the knot last year – is the perfect place to gather some bright blooms for a ceremony between the pristine beach and lush jungle. Choose flowers that are common in the Rivier Maya, including dahlias, marigolds, frangipani and hibiscus.
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Eco-Conscious Weddings
From pre-loved wedding dresses to seed-paper invites, weddings in 2026 look to be more sustainable than ever (a welcome change, after Bloomberg estimated that the average US wedding has a carbon footprint of 56 metric tonnes of CO2). Mindful brides are using online tools to calculate their ‘wedding footprint’, looking to offset where possible: encouraging the use of public transport, serving food grown in the local area and using recyclable decor.
Perfect venue? Castello di Casole
As a self-sufficient estate with its own one-hectare vegetable garden, vineyard, bee hives and olive groves, Castello di Casole in Tuscany is a vision of sustainability. It also helps that there are 6,000 roses planted around the property that guarantee a romantic atmosphere.
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Art Deco Weddings
A century later, the Roaring Twenties are roaring back – not as a costume party gimmick, but as a full-on celebration of glamour and luxury. Art deco weddings embrace bold geometric metallics, champagne towers, drop-waist dresses and details like feathers, monochrome palettes and exquisite glassware. This era of elegance, opulence and maximalism has been reborn for the modern couple.
Perfect venue? Venice Simplon-Orient-Express
An icon of art deco design and an enduring symbol of luxury, the Venice Simplon-Orient-Express perfectly channels the spirit of the Art Deco era: its richly appointed carriages and free-flowing champagne effortlessly evoke the golden age of travel. It makes for the perfect post-ceremony reception venue, or a stylish way to spirit your guests to or from your wedding.
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Wellness Weddings
While weddings have long been synonymous with endless champagne toasts (and the sore heads that follow), a new wave of couples are embracing mindful celebration. Wellness-inspired weddings are on the rise, with multi-day festivities that weave in pre-ceremony breathwork, nourishing plant-based feasts and even alcohol-free parties.
Perfect venue? Caruso
“Destination weddings are as popular as ever, and we continue to see couples looking for multi-day celebrations around the actual ceremony” explains Nicola. Hotel Caruso, perched high above Ravello, is a fairytale destination adorned with jasmine, olive trees and fragrant blooms. After your big day, unwind with the bridal party – admire the panoramic views, arrange sunrise yoga classes by the infinity pool, sip on Amalfi lemon mocktails and indulge in an al-fresco spa treatment or two.
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