The Guide To Modern Wedding Planning

Wedding styles change constantly, from planning to attire to the reception. If you’re planning a wedding in 2024, there are several trends, budget hacks, and best practices you can reference when planning your dream wedding.

In this blog, we’ll take a closer look at modern wedding planning and some trends you can incorporate into your big day.

What is a modern wedding?

Modern wedding planning is about embracing the future. Traditional weddings are big, typically in a church setting, while modern weddings are less formal and more personal. There’s nothing wrong with a traditional wedding or incorporating traditional elements into your ceremony or reception, but as times change, so do many people’s preferences.  

Get some inspiration for your big day from these modern wedding planning trends.

Intimate wedding celebrations

You’ve likely noticed that the number of guests at weddings has decreased over the years. There are many reasons for this, but the main one is cost. The average cost of a wedding in 2024 is $33,000, and when you consider inflation and the cost of living, it’s just not possible for many couples to put on a lavish wedding and not be in severe debt.

Modern weddings are significantly smaller, averaging anywhere from 10-75 guests. There are a few different wedding styles for couples to choose from:

• Intimate weddings: Also referred to as micro-weddings, this type of wedding is most similar to a traditional wedding but on a significantly smaller scale. You’ll still have a ‘party feel’ with 40-75 guests but at a much lower price tag.
• Elopements: When you think of an elopement, you likely think of a courthouse wedding with a couple of witnesses. And while that’s a lovely way to celebrate your wedding, there are other ways to elope that involve a ceremony, flowers, an impeccable meal, and a gorgeous backdrop. At Cornman Farms, our elopement package serves 4-14 people so you and your partner can relax and enjoy every moment.
• Tiny weddings: If you and your partner want a small celebration, are flexible on your date, and don’t want to worry about planning but still want a gorgeous setting, the Tiny Wedding may be the perfect fit. It’s a one-of-a-kind micro-wedding experience where our coordinators take care of everything, including theme, decor, ceremony, and cake cutting.

Weekday and Sunday weddings

10 years ago, a wedding on a Thursday night would be unheard of! Today, weekday and Sunday weddings are gaining massive popularity, and for a few reasons. These days are:

• More affordable: Monday through Thursday and Sunday are considered to be ‘non-peak’ days, so venue discounts are often available. 
• Increased vendor and venue availability: Most weddings are held on Friday and Saturday nights, so those days fill up fast. If you want to get married on one of the other five days, vendors and venues will have significantly more openings. 

Remember that every venue is different. One venue may offer a reduced rate on Fridays, while another may consider it a weekend day.

Of course, it’s also important to consider the disadvantages that come with a weekday wedding. Some vendors don’t offer their services on weekdays, so you may have a smaller list of vendors and venues to choose from (not here at Cornman Farms!  We do weddings 6 days of the week and our vendor partners love weekday weddings). Weekdays can also be more difficult for your guests because of work or family commitments, so not as many guests may be able to attend.

Online planning

What’s more modern than online wedding planning? This hands-off planning style is ideal for busy couples or those planning a destination wedding. Find a venue that uses a planning platform that allows couples to plan on nights and weekends and complete many of the nitty-gritty details online.

For our Tiny Wedding at Cornman Farms, you don’t even have to interact with us until your wedding day! Everything is done online to accommodate our couples’ busy schedules.  For our other events, we use a planning software with a portal brides and grooms can log into 24 hours a day to see due dates, documents and discussion history.

Modern Attire

How couples dress on their wedding day has undoubtedly changed over the years. Remember when 3-piece suits and bird-cage veils were seen everywhere? Now, couples opt for tuxedos, contemporary suits, pantsuits, and drop-waist silhouettes. It’s even popular to have multiple outfit changes! It’s quite common for couples to wear a more traditional ensemble for the ceremony and a more cocktail appropriate outfit for the reception.

The attire of the wedding party has also drastically changed over the years! In a traditional-style wedding, the wedding party wears the exact same outfit with matching accessories such as jewlery, flowers, or bow ties. A modern wedding party has mismatched outfits that are meant to complement each other rather than be identical.

Personalization

Modern weddings have continued to prioritize personalization. This part is really where you can make your wedding day shine—the entire purpose of the day is to celebrate you and your partner after all. There are several ways to add personal touches to your wedding, including:

• Hiring a live painter to create a one-of-a-kind portrait of you and your partner
• Crafting couple-specific cocktails or mocktails
• Honoring loved ones with a toast, poem, or a note in the program
• Incorporating your pet (whether they can be there in person or not)

Because modern weddings have a smaller guest count, couples have more opportunities to customize their wedding day. 

Modern weddings at Zingerman’s Cornman Farms

Wedding styles and preferences change, but one thing remains constant: weddings are about celebrating the love between you and your partner. Whether your perfect wedding day has 4 guests or 75 guests, our team at Cornman Farms will work with you and your partner to bring your wedding vision to life. Contact us to schedule a tour of our idyllic Michigan wedding venue.