Engagement and Wedding Trends from the 2010s

As 2020 starts, we take a look at wedding and engagement trends from the last decade - from wedding hashtags to engagement rings with coloured stones.

As a new decade has begun, we look at some of the biggest engagement and wedding trends from 2010 to 2019. 

The last decade has seen both vintage trends that have become fashionable again and new emerging trends that wouldn't have even been possible before 2010. From bridal fashion to engagement rings, the 2010s have featured some inspiring and unexpected changes to engagement and wedding conventions.

Wedding hashtags became fashionable: #instawedding

With social media now firmly integrated into people's lives, it may come as a surprise that Instagram wasn't even invented until 2010! However, with changes to the social media landscape, wedding hashtags quickly became a fashionable and widely-accepted wedding trend of the 2010s. 

In addition to being an expected part of weddings since the last decade, hashtags also serve an important purpose. They allow couples to organise all the photography from their special day, for example by categorising it according to themes.

Instagram and Pinterest have therefore had a significant impact on how people plan their weddings over the last decade.

Engaged couples often used Wedding websites

Whilst using an online service to assist in wedding planning wasn't uncommon in the 1990s, having a dedicated website for your wedding preparation is a more recent trade that's primarily attributed to the last decade. 

In fact, according to WeddingWire's Annual Wedding Report, which asked more than 150,000 engaged people about the role technology played in their website planning, almost 3 in 4 couples (74%) create a wedding website. 

Although the fact that the majority of couples now have an entire website centred around their special day may seem surprising, it nevertheless reflects another trend: the increasing role of technology in our modern-day lives.

Honeymoon fund contributions as a Wedding gift

Despite traditional homeware gifts and vouchers for popular retailers still feature highly as timeless gift ideas, a new trend from the 2010s is for couples to use cash funds to pay for their honeymoon. In fact, it's becoming an increasingly popular option.

'minimoons' are now a trend

A shorter and therefore less costly version of a honeymoon, ‘minimoons' are a fairly new trend and they allow newlyweds to enjoy time together without spending too much money. The happy couple usually take a longer holiday at a subsequent time once they've been able to save more towards an extended break and can get the necessary time off work. 

Colourful wedding dresses

As more celebrities have moved away from a traditional white gown, so have many brides who aren't in the public eye. With an increasing amount of emphasis placed on bloggers, vloggers and influencers in the late 2010s, it's perhaps unsurprising that famous couples' choices of wedding attire have impacted upon the wedding dresses and suits chosen by the public. A particularly popular choice throughout the last decade was to wear a dress with blush tones. 

Double dresses

Similarly, wearing more than one bridal gown during your wedding is also a wedding trend that may have been influenced by celebrity culture. With Meghan Markle's well-publicised wedding to Prince Harry in 2018 also featuring two wedding dresses, this is predicted to be a trend that overlaps the 2020s.  

Engagement Rings with coloured stones

Believed to have started with Princess Diana's blue sapphire engagement ring, coloured stones as a focal point of engagement rings became a trend in the 2010s. Their restored popularity is likely to have been inspired by the same ring reappearing on Kate Middleton's ring finger when she became engaged to Prince William. In fact, precious gemstone engagement rings which incorporate different colours are very popular in general, with yellow diamond and black diamond rings sometimes being chosen for an unconventional take on a classic gem.

Bad luck to see the bride?

Although tradition states that it's bad luck for the groom to see the bride before the ceremony, one modern trend offers a somewhat surprising take on this. 

In the 2010s, some brides and grooms chose to have a ‘first look', which allowed them to briefly see each other already dressed up for the occasion prior to the wedding ceremony. Although this is still something that's pursued by a minority of couples.

Signature cocktails for Weddings

For a more personal touch, signature cocktails have featured heavily in many weddings since the 2010s. With ideas including his and hers drinks, cocktails decorated with flowers and personalised glasses guests can keep long after the ceremony, signature drinks are a great way to add some personality to your celebration.  

Whether you're ready to propose to your loved one with the perfect engagement ring, or you're looking for the ideal wedding ring, we offer an impressive range of carefully-selected jewellery for special occasions. Alternatively, if you'd like to find out more about our bespoke items, please fill in our online form to obtain a quote, contact us or visit one of our dedicated stores.