A hundred years ago, there was only one way to wed. Don a white dress or tie, send out a formal invitation and book a church for the most extravagant day of your life.
This is no longer the case. Couples in 2018 are adopting all sorts of different approaches to how they wed – from trying flash ceremonies where they text out the location mere days before to elopements, surprise dos and festival-style parties.
Here, FEMAIL takes a look at the new ways millennials are wedding, speaking to celebrants, couples and wedding planners for their gorgeous details.
Couples in 2018 are adopting different approaches to how they wed – from flash ceremonies to elopements (pictured) and more, surprise dos and festival-style parties
Here, FEMAIL takes a look at the new ways millennials are wedding, speaking to celebrants, couples and wedding planners for their gorgeous details.
Mick and Allison Styahl (pictured), 28, and 32, decided to have a surprise wedding after they read about one and thought it embodied what they wanted to do
The couple hired out a cafe in Melbourne for the evening and surprised their family and friends when their engagement party turned out to be their wedding (pictured outside the venue)
THE SURPRISE OR FLASH WEDDING
Mick and Allison Styahl, 28, and 32, decided to have a surprise wedding after they read about one and thought it embodied what they wanted to do.
They opted for quirky details, such as a Krispy Kreme cake (pictured)
‘We decided to have an engagement party which turned out to be our wedding because we didn’t want a massive fuss or a huge bill at the end of it,’ Allison told FEMAIL.
‘We hired out a cafe in Melbourne for the evening, and invited 85 of our closest friends and family,’ Allison told FEMAIL.
‘While our families and a couple of friends knew it was going to be a wedding, the vast majority didn’t – and so we decided to put them off the scent even more by creating a big sign which read “Welcome to Mick and Ally’s engagement”.
‘We later crossed it out and changed it to “wedding”. People knew as soon as they got there though, because I was wearing my dress and wasn’t interested in doing an outfit change.
‘We didn’t want to have too many things to worry about, we just wanted to enjoy every single second of the night without worrying about things going wrong.’
They also designed a sign which read ‘Welcome to Mick and Ally’s engagement’, which was later crossed out to read ‘wedding’
‘We didn’t want to have too many things to worry about, we just wanted to enjoy every single second of the night without worrying about things going wrong,’ the couple (pictured) said of their experience
The couple opted for such a do because ‘it truly represented us’.
‘Often when you’re getting married, you get so many contradictory opinions,’ Allison explained. ‘This worked great money wise and for fun. We chose not to have a big wedding cake, but instead had a cake topper with Krispy Kreme doughnuts underneath.’
Melbourne-based celebrant, Anthony Cribbe, told Daily Mail Australia that this type of ceremony is on the rise because people are looking to celebrate the human element of getting married rather than focusing on the ostentatious details:
‘Breaking from convention even slightly can help people to feel more relaxed and make your event go well,’ he admitted.
‘I’ve even been a celebrant for a flash wedding – where the couple said we’re going to get married and then texted everyone the time a few days before.
‘They didn’t even give a venue, just left cryptic messages for people to find their way to the wedding. Everyone wants to do something unique.’
Lauren and John Biggs, from Melbourne, knew they wanted to do things differently when they decided to finally tie the knot – so they eloped and left their mutual kids at home (pictured)
‘A lot of the traditions didn’t seem to relate to us,’ Lauren (pictured with John) – ‘We’d already been together for six or seven years, we lived together and we have kids’
THE ELOPEMENT
Lauren and John Biggs, from Melbourne, knew they wanted to do things differently when they decided to finally tie the knot.
Elopements are on the rise, as couples seek out cheaper alternatives (a wedding platter is pictured)
Because they already lived together and had children as a couple when they decided to marry, Lauren told FEMAIL she thought the whole ceremony thing seemed ‘not quite right’:
‘A lot of the traditions didn’t seem to relate to us,’ she explained. ‘We’d already been together for six or seven years, we lived together and we have kids.’
After originally thinking they would have a small ceremony with some close friends and family, the couple struggled when they couldn’t find a date which worked for everyone:
‘We decided to just do it with the two of us,’ Lauren said. ‘We told our families we were going to do it, but we left the kids at home, went to the Altar Electric in town and had a registry-style wedding with a difference.
‘It was over and done within the hour, the whole thing cost less than AUD $2,000 and this included the photographs and a dinner out that night.’
Hannah Lange (pictured), 27, from New South Wales, is also a fan of elopements – after having had her own picnic-style wedding in 2014
She now runs an elopement, proposal, birthday and anniversary bespoke picnics business, Picnics by Hannah (pictured: one setup in the Blue Mountains)
‘I eloped because after getting engaged we started planning a medium-sized wedding and the whole process got very stressful very quickly,’ Hannah told FEMAIL (pictured at her wedding)
Speaking about why elopements are on the rise, celebrant, Anthony Cribbes, explained to Daily Mail Australia that such a wedding can take the pressure out of planning:
‘Having an elopement takes the stress out of it for a lot of people,’ Anthony said. ‘It makes it a more relaxed experience that doesn’t come with so many pressures.’
Hannah Lange, 27, from New South Wales, is also a fan of elopements. After having had her own picnic-style wedding in 2014, she set up an elopement, proposal, birthday and anniversary bespoke picnics business, Picnics by Hannah.
Now, she spends her days crafting photogenic feasts for couples in the Blue Mountains to enjoy.
‘I eloped because after getting engaged we started planning a medium-sized wedding and the whole process got very stressful very quickly,’ Hannah told FEMAIL.
‘We decided we would rather start our lives together stress free and not in debt so we eloped to Brunswich Heads and set a date.
‘We then told about 20 of our nearest and dearest what was going down, and if they wanted, they were more than welcome to come along for the ride. After the ceremony, we had a little picnic and our cake. Then we went to the local pub and danced the night away.
‘Our whole elopement only cost us $4,000 and that included accommodation.’
Microweddings are also on the rise, with couples choosing to eschew the traditional expensive set-up for something more bespoke (pictured)
‘Everyone wants their wedding to feel like a massive party, no one wants a formal celebration anymore,’ celebrant Anthony told FEMAIL
THE FESTIVAL OR PARTY
Another way millennials are choosing to wed is by having a big festival or party with all of their families and friends:
‘This is the biggest trend I’ve seen in recent times,’ Anthony Cribbe explained.
‘Everyone wants their wedding to feel like a massive party, no one wants a formal celebration anymore.’
Countless couples are opting for these festival-style weddings, where they choose a location with teepees, food trucks and entertainment – and invite lots of their friends for the experience.
‘Microweddings are that nice, happy medium between a secret elopement with just the two of you and a bigger, more traditional affair,’ the wedding blog editor, Dorothy Polka, told FEMAIL
THE MICROWEDDING
The microwedding is the latest buzzword in nuptials – thanks to people’s desire to seek out more laid-back, minimalist and crucially, less expensive affairs.
‘Microweddings are that nice, happy medium between a secret elopement with just the two of you and a bigger, more traditional affair,’ the editor of popular Australian wedding blog, Polka Dot Bride, Dorothy Polka, told FEMAIL.
‘The microwedding allows you to keep things small and pressure-free while still involving your favourite people and the special touches you have dreamed about.’
The microwedding is basically everything you want in a wedding, but less of the fat and excess trimmings.
You might have around 15 guests present, as well as a bespoke experience that everyone present can enjoy and remember.
It allows host to prioritise the things they care about in a wedding ceremony and reception, and leave out everything else.
Typically, microweddings cost as little as AUD $5,000 meaning they are far less expensive than the average Aussie ceremony and reception, which can chime in at $65,000 as an average.
Ms Polka said she’s noticed an upturn in couples looking for smaller, more intimate affairs in recent years:
‘With couples becoming more and more comfortable creating a wedding that is completely reflective of them, they’re comfortable in choosing elements of a wedding that suits their own personalities,’ she explained.