2026 Wedding trends for an unforgettable dining experience for your wedding reception

What I love about the wedding trends

One of my favourite things about the start of a new year is taking a deep dive into what’s going to be popular in weddings for the year ahead. I find it fascinating spending some time doing some detective work, researching and thinking about what’s changed from the previous year, that will remain in weddings and what I think we’ll be seeing more of in the future, that’s catching on and building a momentum. If you have found you're way here to this blog post, chances are you too are intrigued to see what trends are booming in weddings for 2026 and beyond. If that's the case then keep reading, as I have something very exciting to share with you, which will guide you through the trends that I have un-earthed. 

So what does 2026 in weddings look like?

I’m excited to say, that this year is less about couples having a list of ‘things they should have’ and more about focussing on personalisation, experience and an expression of individuality. Which is great news, as this helps couples create an authentic day. Which I am so here for. Finally trends that I can get fully behind.🙌🏻

In case you’re thinking, but I’m not really a ‘trend follower’ Let me tell you something, I used to think this about myself until I learnt that trends aren’t ‘items’. They are about a direction we’re heading next and how things are evolving in the industry, which is based on couples previous behaviour. This is exciting stuff, because I believe this will make planning so much easier for couples and it will certainly make their day more memorable. Creating a day that looks and feels like you is the key here, without the outside pressures to have things a certain way.

What wedding trends are we exploring?

So previous years I’ve looked at all the different aspects of wedding trends, but this year I’ve decided to take a slightly different approach and I’m focusing my trend report on one very important area, which is the whole dining experience of your wedding. 

If you're wondering why, I have two reasons, one is because there are lots of predictions out there, but I didn't want to serve up a bunch of guess work sourced from different areas of the internet. I wanted to instead involve local wedding suppliers that live and breathe weddings day in day out, because they know first hand what's growing in popularity with couples, within their niche. This way you get a much better insight into what's popular and why they think it will build momentum in 2026.

And the second reason, is because I believe this is the area that guests remember the most, as research I found suggests that when your wedding is over, guests reminisce mostly about the food, how they felt and they notice the personal touches you added, as this is what makes your day different and stays in their mind. This indicates to me that your wedding reception particularly your wedding breakfast is where most of this will happen. I wrote a fantastic blog post here, chatting all about the 3 things that your guests actually care about, so check it out. All, so that you can spend your limited time, energy and budget on the things that matter and make an unforgettable day.

The dining experience is a top priority

Whenever I have worked with couples this is the area they are most excited about, my couples tend to be real foodies and are really keen for the decor and vibe to enhance the experience of that. They love the idea of their whole dining experience reflecting their personalities and showcasing what their relationship is all about. Using their table decor, food and atmosphere to weave details of this into their reception. So if this sounds like you, you will love my free guide that I have put together for you. 

Wedding Trends I've noticed

As we came out of the pandemic, larger gatherings were predicted, but what I noticed was more couples having a desire to keep their wedding an intimate celebration, with those that really matter to them. Couples getting married today, don’t want to put on a performance, they want to create ever lasting memories that start with connecting to their guests. So I wasn't at all surprised to hear where things are heading.

When guests are invited into your world for the day they want to feel a sense of who you are and what you’re all about. They want to feel part of it not just a guests, so the more you involve them, welcome them, and focus on their enjoyment, they will have a better time as a result. Most people (whether they admit it or not!)  enjoy a good rom com movie, so this is your chance to share yours with them! 

Delivering you the wedding trends

The wedding industry changes quite quickly, so for couples like you, it’s really handy to know where things are heading for 2026. And what better way to explore the trends than by getting all the juicy insights from the experts. This year I've created a fun trend guide in a magazine flip style just for you to discover the trends. Inside I’ll be putting your questions forward to a fantastic line up of wedding supplier,s who are serving up their take on the trends that they are seeing emerge in their niche. My free guide is absolute jam packed, I will be sharing what fresh styles we’re seeing in tablescape design, a florist will be letting us into what colour schemes and varieties are in, an award winning catering team will be serving up what’s hot on the menu, a cake designer will be chatting about what styles are popular and I will be exploring how to make stationery part of your table design. I also have a gift company giving us a glimpse into the latest glassware trends and a mobile bar giving us the lowdown on popular drink choices, and we're talking how to create the perfect atmosphere with your music choices. It's full of amazing inspiration and it's free for you to view here. All you need to do is sign up to my free email list and you'll receive your link to your copy.

I made it to inspire you with fresh ideas, share what you’re going to be seeing more of in 2026 and connect you to local suppliers who can help you bring these ideas to life.

All you need to do to receive the guide is sign up to my free email list here, and you will receive a link to view your free copy. It’s that easy! 

I hope you enjoy the guide as much as I enjoyed putting it together for you. It was such a fun project to work on with my hand selected local Lincolnshire wedding suppliers.