The Evolution of Weddings
“Weddings today are nothing like they were when I got married.” A bride may very well feel that if she had a dollar for every time she hears this phrase during her engagement, it could pay for her wedding. But the sentiment is true! The couple-centric, à la carte tradition of wedding planning that we are steeped in looks very different from the weddings of one hundred years ago–both of which have their beauties and benefits. Today, we’d like to invite you to explore with us how weddings looked a century ago, and how they have evolved to bring us to the typical 2025 wedding.
Let us go back to 1925. You are newly engaged, and a lot of your wedding “planning” is laid before you through rigid traditions. Your wedding is an opportunity to reflect on your two families and their legacies coming together rather than your individual love story. Therefore, your wedding, as the bride, will reflect your upbringing and be just like the rest of your family’s weddings. If you are religious, your ceremony will be held at your church. Otherwise, your ceremony, along with your reception, is hosted in your family home. It will be a small and intimate gathering, only thirty to sixty people, all members of either family.
Your standing reception, though highly formal, will be light hors d'oeuvres because the formal dining room is set with all of your wedding gifts–your china, silver, and crystal. It was ostentatious, and that was the point. The display of these gifts was an essential part of the evening. Guests would walk through the home and admire the future household’s worth, social standing, and legacy.
You wouldn’t be registering for gifts yourself; that concept didn’t exist yet. Gift-giving was heavily influenced by social standing, and there was very little room for personal preference on the bride’s part. Bridal showers were not yet the norm, though they would be on the rise in the 1930s.
Now fast forward to 2025. Weddings today are far less about the continuing of family legacy and more about the couple’s unique love story. Brides today likely have a Pinterest or Instagram board for inspiration, a wedding website, a highly customized registry, and multiple showers. Their venue is anywhere from a national park, to a barn, to a ballroom. They might serve anything from pizza and soda to a steak dinner for twenty to three hundred people. The dress code is whatever the couple chooses, and the gifts are often bought online and shipped straight to their home.
With all the freedom couples have today comes one big challenge: choice overload. It’s not uncommon for brides to feel overwhelmed by the sheer number of decisions they’re expected to make–from napkin colors to signature cocktails to whether or not they “need” a champagne tower. If you’ve found yourself overwhelmed and craving a classic, simple wedding, you’re not alone. There is something timeless and deeply elegant about scaling back. About choosing a small ceremony that echoes your values and welcoming guests into a family home for a formal yet intimate reception. About having one carefully curated registry of enduring essentials–pieces that will serve you not just for the first few years after your wedding, but your entire life together.
If you need the confidence in your inclination towards a small, classic wedding, let this be it! You do not have to chase the trends to have a beautiful wedding. In fact, there’s something deeply refreshing about returning to a sense of formality and tradition with your own modern twists. So if you’re drawn into silver flatware, handwritten place cards, tailored menus, and a guest list of only your dearest people, lean into it! Your wedding doesn’t need to be this hyper-customized, performative experience for a crowd. If doing what is simple, elegant, and classic suits you best, then that’s the wedding for you!
And if a classic, refined registry is more your style, we’d be honored to help you build it–one timeless piece at a time.