432- 2025 Wedding Trends with Meghan Ely

Leah Haslage:

Welcome to the Bridechilla Podcast. I'm your host, Leah Haslage. Whether you're just starting to plan or you're counting down the days, I'm here to help you stay cool, calm, and collected throughout the wedding journey. So let's get this wedding party started and embrace your inner Bridechilla.

Hey, chillas! A friend of the show is back with us. Meghan Ely is kicking off our year. Meghan, you are a ray of sunshine, and I'm so happy to start the day with you and start this year with you.

Meghan Ely:

I was gonna say, aren't we starting the year together?

Leah Haslage:

Yeah, we're starting a whole new year.

Meghan Ely:

No, I'm thrilled. When we started chatting about this, it was like, yes, this needs to happen.

Leah Haslage:

Yeah, I've been obviously following your stuff. I'm a fan and a friend now. And for those not familiar with Meghan, she is the owner of OFD Consulting. Her client's work has been featured in everything from Brides, A Martha Stewart Wedding, Style Me Pretty, Green Wedding Shoes. Just amazing at her job and so knowledgeable. And if you missed her the last time she was on the show, go back to past episodes. She'll tell you all about how you can get your wedding published in any of these great publications.

Meghan Ely:

Yes.

Leah Haslage:

2025, a lot of exciting things coming.

Meghan Ely:

Yeah, it is.

Leah Haslage:

So let's kind of kick off with like, is there one big thing we should know going into this new year that's like, going to be the thing besides Pantones and Mocha Mousse color.

Meghan Ely:

Do you want like one thing that I'm like, you're just going to see it everywhere? Like, this is what we're going to see. Okay. The new disco ball is Caterpillar tables.

Leah Haslage:

They are? They're going to be like the thing?

Meghan Ely:

It is popping up now. And the idea, and it's harder on a podcast to, you know, kind of have to describe it. So the idea of these round tables, typically five foot, six foot rounds. that are literally created and weaving in and out like a caterpillar. I would encourage any of your listeners to literally just Google it. The minute you see it, you're going to get it. And so I, it's one of those things that it's prevalent everywhere. It's predominant, like it is just coming at us like a freight train. And as someone who was formerly in venues and catering, I look at that and I think, how did I never think of this? How did we not?

And I love this for those who are having, I say more intimate weddings. I don't mean 10 or 12 people. I mean, they could have 75 and that's more intimate in some spaces that are meant for 250, 300. And I lived that life. When I was in venues, I had couples who had much smaller returns, RSVPs than expected, but they had booked the biggest room and they couldn't move it. And so this is a great way to add intimacy to a space. to fill a space organically so it doesn't feel like we're just trying to make it seem like there's not… like it's just it gives a lot of flexibility it's also kind of fun and I can hear if we've got any of our linen people here they'll be groaning a little bit but instead of like one or two linens throughout it's like I'd like to order one of each of your linens. You know, and each table has its own linen, different color palettes, because if you wanna talk larger picture here, I mean, colors coming at me in a way I haven't seen in 20 years. But if you ask me, what's the thing we're gonna see? I would say caterpillars are really the new disco ball.

Leah Haslage:

I am so excited to see this in person because I have yet to be at a wedding that has it incorporated. I've been starting to see it in all the publication stuff. So with the caterpillar tables, how is it as far as intimacy of guests getting to talk and interact?

Meghan Ely:

That's a great question. You better like the people sitting to the right and left of you. That's all. It may be across from you.

Leah Haslage:

Yeah, because usually you can turn around to the tables in the back.

Meghan Ely:

Exactly. And I will say, too, and I should have said this at the beginning, this is a trend. But if it doesn't work for someone's wedding, I don't want anyone panicking. I see it a lot at showers. We're seeing it at welcome dinners, things like that. And so those are a little bit smaller. But no, you really are going to be mainly speaking on both sides of the table versus shouting down. How different is that from the long tables for a long time, you know, the long farm tables, the long family style? I mean, you really were just talking to the people right around you.

Leah Haslage:

Oh yeah, that's true. It's just a curvier version of it.

Meghan Ely:

It's just curvier. It's just for me, I think from my catering background, I'm like service would be interesting with that. But you know, you also have the other end of the pendulum where people are doing bigger communal tables.

Leah Haslage:

I was going to ask you about those.

Meghan Ely:

Those are wild.

Leah Haslage:

I've seen those pop up, the big wide square tables.

Meghan Ely:

if you were going to ask me more broad-based, kind of like what's something that people are playing with this year, it's setups. Which, you know, people don't usually touch upon it because usually it's all about the colors and yes, it's the aesthetic, but now it's like, well, let's have some fun with setups because before it was, as you know, the big thing was sit down dinner at round tables, but then we kind of, you know, well, gosh, I'm aging myself. The farm tables back in the day, which I know are still prevalent in some areas, and then like the longer tables, but that's all we had. And now it's like, well, what if we took these tables and made some magic with them and had these big, huge communal tables where it's literally 25 people in one big square? And that's an interesting way. Now, you really can't talk to anyone across from you because it's quite a distance. You will be yelling at each other.

Leah Haslage:

And you should probably then watch your centerpieces, because if you're already having, like, issues with kind of getting to talk to everyone around you, you don't want the higher up. Floral and candles that you can't see over anyways.

Meghan Ely:

A million percent. That's what we're seeing and it's always interesting with trends because as they start to permeate and you see them in the style shoots you see them at some of the real forward trend thinking kind of couples you have to jump on the logistics of it very quickly because it's gonna go from a trend which has more legs to a fad like in and out very quickly if it logistically just doesn't work you know what I mean like it and so we're seeing a lot of you seeing tons of candles which I know different venues have different rules on that but tons of like lower you know when it comes to the florals and so and so forth so that you can see each other.

Leah Haslage:

Thank you for actually just making that comment, because I think that's something that people need to be made aware of more. You start to kind of find this out when touring venues. But venues are very specific about candles and fire…

Meghan Ely:

Yeah. If you have a vision that's beyond the norm, jump in pretty quickly. I worked primarily at a historical property, and it was wild to me what people thought they could do. But it was also kind of wild to me the things we couldn't do. It was like, oh, we can't do a baked Alaska because of open flame. The fire marshal will have to be there. And a fire marshal can't be bothered when they have a big, big job. Oh, I've got to go check on this baked good at this hotel, you know? So, yeah.

Leah Haslage:

Oh, I didn't think about that from the food aspect, but that makes total sense.

Meghan Ely:

Yeah, yeah. I never got to – I got to see one at a holiday party years later at my husband's corporate thing, and of course I had a thousand questions for the staff. Everyone's hanging out and talking to each other. I'm hanging out with the banquet staff. Tell me more about how you got permission. I want to know everything.

And it's also, may I add, what we see with trends. Family style was big a bunch of years ago. So far ago that I remember people asking me about it. And it's like, listen, I worked at a five-star property. They had tons of dishware, tons of things. But you know what they didn't have suddenly? They didn't have not only the stuff for it, but family style. We don't have huge bowls where we can share stuff. Why would we if we are a banquet space that serves seated dinners and standing receptions. So when you're asking for things, you might have to rent the things. It's not a restaurant. Even restaurants don't have all the things. You gotta be careful with that stuff. It's a good point.

Leah Haslage:

Actually, with that too, what makes a trend last longer or become no longer a trend but a more eternal style?

Meghan Ely:

Yeah, so you're right. There's the trends and then there's the shifts. And the fads tend to be ridiculous things that a very niche amount of people, I always say with the fads, which are like the shortest ones, that's like years ago when someone superimposed like a dinosaur chasing everybody in the wedding party. That gratefully lasted five minutes because it's not like a great, like no offense, I mean I think it's cool for the couple that did it, but like no one's really going to jump on board.

One is the logistics of it. If it's something that can't be universally done at a lot of places, it's not gonna have legs. If it's too much of a trouble to do X, Y, and Z, it's just not gonna have the legs and last, because it can't be done in a way that makes a lot of sense. Price plays a big role in it. I mean, I'm not saying any of this is, we didn't ask what the cheap trends were. I mean, it's one linen of each, one of this, all that. So it's gonna be the cost of it. It's also going to be the region, I would love to think, too. Listen, I'm coming from Richmond, Virginia. Shout out. We're a third-tier city. I know it. Our trends are going to last longer because the next big thing is going to take longer to get here, whereas in New York, in Chicago, in San Francisco, in Boston, they're coming at you a lot quicker. There's newer things to replace a lot quicker, too.

Now, your question about it just lasts the test of time. Those tend to be shifts. And that's more how we do things versus what we're doing. So like, I would say post pandemic, which I guess we're at, at this point, is you know, there was a big push towards, of course, the micro weddings out of necessity. And we have seen, you know, are we seeing micro weddings everywhere all the time? Not necessarily. There are some really great stronghold like brands still doing them and they're very successful. It's amazing to see. But the shift we're seeing is that, you're almost getting permission, it's okay to have smaller weddings. People have done it. They've done it stylishly. You don't invite everybody.

Leah Haslage:

I love it.

Meghan Ely:

I'm here for ... I had 90 people, plus I had a few kids at my wedding, which for someone who has a very large family, that's very small. I love when people do that. Shifts tend to be more our behavior. commitment to sustainability. I know we're talking, because I do a trend talk every year with Terica, but I also do a talk that kind of pays attention to the business of weddings, and a shift that we're seeing is going to be couples really saying, hey, listen, not only sustainability, but what do you stand for? I've got this wonderful live painter, Brittany Branson. Shout out, she's amazing. She's a huge animal lover, and for every live painting that she does, she donates a portion to an animal charity. She stands for animals, and people love that. It's very authentic. That's a shift we're seeing. So it's more behavior versus this thing I can rent or do.

Leah Haslage:

Well, I guess that goes with things like guest books and favors, right? People are still kind of doing them, but they've changed the behavior of what they are. Like I remember being a kid, a little kid at every wedding I went to, and I was fortunate to go to a lot of weddings as a kid, right? Yeah. And almost nine times out of 10, they were like the little chocolate almond things or whatever, or the mints.

Meghan Ely:

Oh, yeah.

Leah Haslage:

Color powdery mints in like the netting. Very 1980s.

Meghan Ely:

My sister-in-law loves Jordan Almonds, which is hilarious. So it's like so easy to get those for her. I was like, done. Christmas, birthday, done.

Leah Haslage:

But that was like so the thing back then. And as time went on, you saw the love is brewing and like the little coffee things or, you know, the little alcohol, which is done, you know, here in the Midwest, for sure. But with that, you're seeing people do less favors or making it super personalized.

Meghan Ely:

I think they're making it more personalized. We're seeing, listen, and this is out of respect, of course, to the great brands out there that do favors. There's still a place for them, but it's not a requirement. It's gonna be one of the things that when you're looking at a budget, you're thinking, do I need this, do I not? And there's a lot of media to back that, that says, hey, listen, you can do what you want, and that's one of the things that's up in the air. What we're seeing is this high level of interaction, as well as this high level of customization.

So a couple quick things I'll give you is one is, handmade details. And so we saw this wedding this year, Rosie and Sean submitted this gorgeous wedding to us where the couple did individual little beautiful, all sorts of colors, little mini vases for everybody that were right next to where their place setting was. And the color scheme went with the color scheme of the wedding, but it was very doable. Like people could take it home and enjoy it. So I love that. Then the other side of it is in lieu of a favor, I saw one where a tattoo artist came in and they had like one of three tattoos you could get. And now you have to have the right crowd for that.

Leah Haslage:

Right, but still.

Meghan Ely:

So you're seeing an interaction instead of, and then you've got some of the cultural play too, where you've got, is it Italian weddings where they have the cookies and you can take them home? So you still see a lot of that too. So you see the interaction.

Leah Haslage:

And hennas with like Indian weddings.

Meghan Ely:

Yep, all of that. So, but yeah, it's, it's fun to reimagine and also say, it's okay if I can't figure this out,

Leah Haslage:

Friends of mine just got married. The couple own a really hot hot sauce company here in Cleveland called Fuego. Shout out to Fuego. They're amazing. And their favor to everybody was they've created a special hot sauce for them as a couple for their wedding and had a special label on it saying like their love was fermented or whatever, something with hot sauce played off of it, you know. And that was the take home, like the special sauce that was made just for this. And you're one of like a hundred people that get to have it. And so things like that, you know…

Meghan Ely:

Can be very customized. And that's the overarching theme that continues from other years. You know, years ago, it was keeping up with the Joneses. It just was I was not playing into believe me, but I experienced that working where I did all those years ago, it was unfortunate. And now it's a and hopefully doesn't put too much undue pressure on the couple because it's not meant to. But like, if you just lean into yourselves, you're fine, because you are going to be different inevitably. And it's okay. Listen, if you both love the same photographer, the same favors, just do it. No one cares. Yeah, I don't care. I'll eat the same cookie twice. I'll get the same tattoo twice. It's fine.

Leah Haslage:

What are other interactive ways that are trending in 25, 26 weddings?

Meghan Ely:

Yeah. So what we saw in 2024 was the interaction of banquet service, where they were being more themed. We saw people on bicycles passing out French baguettes to people.

Leah Haslage:

I wish I was at that wedding.

Meghan Ely:

Yeah, I know. I'd eat the bread though. I love that for them. But now what we're seeing for interaction, and I love this, is imagine you've done the cocktail hour, right? And now you're going into the actual, and we're seeing a lot of multi-course dinners and people have assigned tables at least, maybe assigned seating, but bare minimally assigned tables. And so instead of finding the person with the clipboard, the tablet, the whatever, or these big signs that tell you where to go, which the big signs are great, but it's like, there's always just so many people staring and you can't, everyone takes forever. I never loved that, just logistically.

But what they'll do is have an interactive station where people will come up. So we've seen ones where, you know, a couple's doing something at a theater and they've got theater tickets. I saw one that looks like a barista and everyone took a coffee cup with their name. And it was just really very sweet. It was a great way to start things. So that's a main interaction I'm seeing, but also bring it back to the food and beverage for a second, where for years, we've seen more and more of like the live food cooked on site, which is fun, right? That's a lot of fun. But what we saw more recently is, you know, bringing in a mixologist. So, I mean, for years, now listen, I'm aging myself 15 years here of the chocolate fountains years ago, right? But the idea is you hadn't attended there and you lost all these marshmallows at the bottom. And I can't believe that was my life, but it was. And, but, but it's gotten much more sophisticated. So now the essence of bringing in somebody, bringing in an expert, bringing in a Brittany, the live painter, but like, you know, on the food side, it would be the mixologist, which can do cocktails, but also mocktails because the shift is towards, you know, people having more options for those who are sober, sober curious, not drinking. Yeah.

Leah Haslage:

That's big for the younger generation especially. I say younger as a 40 year old, but like if you're in your 20s right now listening and you're getting married, like I know that generation is really into cutting out alcohol as much as possible.

Meghan Ely:

Well, that's a level of inclusivity as well. You know, I had, there was this really, and I wish I could give credit to it because I've watched thousands of TikToks, so I can't remember which one this was. And she goes, and I can't believe I go to a wedding and I only have the option of soda and juice. So the idea of bringing in a mixologist who could not only do a really killer mocktail, but they could also do cocktails as well. We're seeing that level of interaction with the food and beverage as well. And then, like I said, bringing in sketch artists, all of that.

Leah Haslage:

I'm here for that. I hope that the mixologist stays, I hope it's not a fad. I hope it stays in its own way. Like, you have your bartenders, but having someone specific on hand. Because the bartenders can handle the CC and Coke, right? The classic wedding drinks.

Meghan Ely:

Well, here's the thing too, might I add, and I can't help but be a logistics girl here. I agree with you, because I would be the person wanting to talk to them the whole time. Like I'm the guest who's like tell me everything.

Leah Haslage:

Well and crafting takes time, too.

Meghan Ely:

I think it's one, so much better than, I used to remember that we'd pour a hundred of a cocktail and offer it to people, but what if they didn't take it? Like it's a waste, right? So it's great to have that. But the other thing is, when we talk about fads, trends, shifts, all this, it does depend on your venue. Because if you have full service catering, can they bring in a mixologist? What is the insurance with that? So if you guys, by you guys, I mean, all you wonderful listeners out there, really think about that. Like, is that something that's a priority and whether you make it work or not, you know?

Leah Haslage:

Yeah, and indoor venues versus outdoor venues might have changes too. Liquor laws.

Meghan Ely:

Absolutely. Liquor laws. Every state is very different. Oh my gosh. But you do have to run those things and make sure that people are okay with that.

Leah Haslage:

All right, there’s so much I want to tackle with this subject. Rewind back to the ticket booth and like those different fun concepts that you can have to greet people. Is this the evolution, the movement from the champagne walls where you can either pick up your champagne or you have a random hand pop out of a wall and hand you the champagne. Or the tequila to take a shot, take a seat, or like whatever. And then the donut walls.

Meghan Ely:

That's so funny. Oh gosh, you know I have my own homemade donut wall. Just putting it out there for the kids in the neighborhood. I just put it out there. My husband made it.

Leah Haslage:

Stop it! Oh my god, you're the coolest neighbor.

Meghan Ely:

What's interesting is we're talking about this evolution and no idea is original. And so if you really sat here and said, okay, well, if this is what we're doing with the interaction now, that stems from things being handed out and all those things. And don't get me wrong, those champagne walls, all those things are very cool, but you also go to the logistics of what if not everyone grabs one, then it starts to get warm. There are things that go with it, but yes, that's where it stemmed from. It's like, we've seen the interaction over here. Can we move the interaction somewhere else and give them a bit of a razzle-dazzle, a little surprise and delight?

Leah Haslage:

So you saying nothing's new actually goes to my next point that I wanted to make. So 2024 to me was the year of the champagne towers and the small round or heart-shaped cakes that said, just married. Very 1930s, 40s, 50s, right?

Meghan Ely:

Or even 80s in some respect.

Leah Haslage:

Yeah, the 80s brought back the champagne tower. Yeah. So the champagne towers we're now seeing are going to like the espresso towers, the aperol spritz towers.

Meghan Ely:

Yeah.

Leah Haslage:

Where are we going with this? Is this going to stay or do you think people are going to be done with the sticky mess but beautiful photos?

Meghan Ely:

I think there's going to be a point where it's going to be done. Only because we see champagne towers or similar in everything. I mean, you know, we handle submissions. You throw a rock, you're going to land on that. One of the things I've already mentioned is like trends, fad shifts. The other question is, it's not just logistics and money. It's also, well, how done is this at this point? You've got to think about it like this. I mean, let's be honest, there are plenty of listeners out there who have some sort of secret Pinterest board. They're playing for their wedding. They're not engaged yet. That's fine. Shout out. Yeah, shout out. That's totally fine.

Meghan Ely:

I am guilty.

Leah Haslage:

Yeah. A lot of people do that. They're not used to have a board called pre-engaged, basically, which is so brilliant. And so they're seeing things from a year ago, then they get engaged in six months, they get married in 12 months later after that. So they're pulling from a while ago, but there's a point, they've just been everywhere, it's saturated, they say, okay, I'm moving on. So I have a feeling the towers have seen their day, you're gonna see them this year, especially, and they're gonna carry into 2026, especially in smaller areas.

Leah Haslage:

But they're just changing from champagne to other…

Meghan Ely:

Other things. There's espresso and things like that. But after a while, someone's probably going to say, oh, I just paid for 100 of these and five were drunk. Unless you really know your audience. And I do think we'll go more towards the interaction of having someone on site.

We also saw one that was a very, like, kind of, it was a light trend, but I could see it kind of permeating back, is people having custom bars. So it's like, yeah, you've got a bar, and it's gorgeous, and all the things, and you can get whatever you want over there. But then you've got this one bar, I saw one a couple years ago, and it felt like you were in Ireland. And it was only Guinness, only Jameson. It just had that dark and moody. It was very cool. So we might see things like that. I do think that they will cycle in and out. And I do think that we're gonna stop stacking things after a while for a number of reasons.

Leah Haslage:

You mentioned that like the 50s and then you point out how the 80s right there with those champagne towers, a trend going into 2025 are… cakes are no longer going to be like the single, just married, small cakes. Now we're going to be grand again.

Meghan Ely:

Yeah, they're grand again. And they're showstoppers. That's what it is. And listen, I love the Lambeth. I don't know about you. Are you a frosting person?

Leah Haslage:

No, I'm cake. You can have all my frosting. I will scrape it off my plate and give it to you.

Meghan Ely:

Next time I sit next to you, I'll just spoon it off. So my husband and I, I knew this was going to work because he's not a frosting guy. And I'm like, what are you doing? You're a psycho leaving all this stuff. So I loved Lambeth. I love that buttercream. I was like, yes, like this is great. And that was really fun to see because I'm old enough now at 43 to say, oh, I remember that like the first time around. But the show-stopping, and what I love about show-stopping, and you said something interesting, show-stopping doesn't always mean super tall, right?

What I've seen, show-stopping is really turning it into art form. We're seeing a lot of structural details, but I've seen some gorgeous cakes where it's broken up. So you've got like three or four different ones here where people can take a look at. It's very cool. And you get these, it's very beautiful on its own, but they are just one layer. And so show-stopping can be done for an intimate wedding, a hundred percent. So I love seeing that.

Leah Haslage:

Speaking of show-stopping, drapery is coming in.

Meghan Ely:

So drapery I'm excited about because I get excited when something comes into play that I've never super been on board with, but can be convinced to be on board with. Does that make sense? So drapery, when done really well, is extraordinary.

Leah Haslage:

If done wrong, you look like you're in…

Meghan Ely:

If I'm wrong, it dates it. It dates it. And maybe there's a part of me that, you know, people would rent our ballroom and then drape the whole thing. And I'm like, but now you don't even know what the ballroom, like this could be a 7-Eleven and you would not know the difference. Like, I don't understand.

And so it's great to see that it's coming back in abundance. It's like, you're either going to see a little bit of a minimalistic, but it's very artistic. It's one of two things. You either have the RDI and then someone to help execute it, or you bring in a designer for that sort of thing. You bring in a planner with the design background to really make that work.

Leah Haslage:

And how does the drapery really add to the wedding? How does it create that mood?

Meghan Ely:

Well, I mean, it's so elegant, first of all, and it really can push. And I am not artistic in this way, so I want to be careful what I'm saying. But when it's in abundance, it can be a showstopper unto itself. If you have a preconceived notion of what the room's supposed to look like and it's transformed, that just takes your breath away, right? And that's what that can do. There's an opulence to it, of course, as well.

With draping, people have different thoughts on this, but when you get a space, you're kind of tied to the look of it, right? And I have a linen friend, Nina, who always said to me, just get whatever linen you want, stop paying attention to the carpet. And so I respect that side of it. But the fact of the matter is, if you wanna push towards a certain palette, or really you have your heart set on this space, but the color palette's not gonna work as well, drapery can help even things out a little bit. You know what I mean? Like it can create more of a palette so that you can bring in the colors that you want.

So it serves a few different purposes, but what we're seeing right now is the abundance of it and the transformative quality that it has. It really does add that ooh and ah factor when people walk into a room.

Leah Haslage:

And if you don't have the budget to do the full room, you can use drapery in other ways, like an archway in your ceremony. Or to highlight a special area in your reception, like the cake area, desserts, or something like that.

Meghan Ely:

100%. I talk about it being in abundance, but it does not have to be. It certainly can be used in a way that makes the most sense for your space and for your budget.

Leah Haslage:

We'll be right back after a quick break.

Leah Haslage:

Let's talk about Kevin, our friend, for a second. When asking about upcoming trends, he mentioned the floral installations and that we're going to see that. Are you seeing that also more for 25, 26?

Meghan Ely:

So what we're going to see is there's this evolution, right, where it was minimalistic and the tight, tightly held bouquets and the single this and whatever that, and then you move to this like abundance and that was a lot to do with Meghan Markle, right? Like they had that crazy amount, but it was a lot of structure to it.

And so what we're seeing now with the flowers, we're still seeing it in abundance, which I'm super excited about, but instead what we're gonna do is it's wild and eclectic. Now, it's not to say you don't just take a bunch of flowers and throw them in a space and call it a day. I promise you, it's not that, but this wild and eclectic, I've seen some gorgeous photos coming out where it's just in abundance, but it's like, did I walk into a forest?

Leah Haslage:

Like a dreamy fairy tale.

Meghan Ely:

Yes, dreamy fairy tale. That's like the perfect way to put it. Now, I still joke when I see some incredible setups down the aisle, I'm like, how's the photographer actually going to be able to take pictures of the couple? Because it's like, I'm behind this sea of… But we're seeing that. We're seeing, Festoons and Flourishes, we work with them and they have set up a magnificent wedding. And it's like the center of the room of the reception. And it was just wild, like literally and figuratively. And so it's fun to see that it's less structure, but it still has the same purpose. It still is stylistically meant to be a certain way, you know?

Leah Haslage:

What else are we seeing in florals and that end of design?

Meghan Ely:

I would say if you want any kind of structure, like the thing that's popping out a lot are baskets for the wedding party.

Leah Haslage:

Like 90s baskets?

Meghan Ely:

Almost, but a little more elevated and it's going to have a little bit more structure to it. I do think that that's going to be one of those things that once it's saturated, it's like, okay, that's probably going to be done. And then I would say this isn't quite floral, but it mixes with floral. Uh, produce. Produce is back, but produce is back in a way that I mean, I've spent years seeing apples and citruses and da-da-da-da-da, and I have to say this, what is with people when they get fed at a wedding, yet they still grab food from the center? Can we talk about that?

Leah Haslage:

I don't understand that either. Don't touch the centerpieces. And also, I'm going to say this right now, don't steal the damn centerpieces.

Meghan Ely:

Yeah, don't take them either. What's wrong with you?

Leah Haslage:

Back in my past life, when I got married, people were literally trying to take off with the centerpieces.

Meghan Ely:

They've never been brought out in public before. Like, what is wrong with you? Is this your first time being in a public setting? So anyways, so we're seeing that though, and you know, it's like, I saw, we saw this beautiful, it was on Instagram, it was this beautiful welcome party in Lake Como, and it was all beautiful strawberries and heirloom tomatoes, and it was just done so exquisitely, so that was fun.

Okay, I'm going to say something controversial. And I have to say, so you and I are chatting because I give a talk on trends, but I soft launch it every year too. And I soft launched it to Kevin's group actually, but this is not sponsored by Kevin today, but we're going to talk about him a lot. And so there was a slide that I tested and because the group knew me very well, Antibride showcased this brussel bush instead of like a croquembouche which is which I've been obsessed with since I saw it I think Celine Dion in her 90s wedding had one.

Leah Haslage:

And that was from the time I saw Martha Stewart like right before that Martha Stewart I had seen make one on like PBS when she had like her small little show before she was truly Martha. Celine Dion's wedding had a big croquembouche.

Meghan Ely:

And that, I was very young, and I saw that wedding and I was like, I need to be a part of all of this the rest of my life. Like, whatever this is. It would hurt. Remember her head thing that she wore?

Leah Haslage:

Yeah, she said it caused a headache the whole day. She's a fellow Aries girl, and we do things like that. Beauty is pain.

Meghan Ely:

It was put together, and it was just so funny to see how creative it could be. And people, like, did not love it, but I loved it. I was like, do something different. Like, let's try this and see. Like, the right couple's gonna come along and be like, yeah, let's do it.

Leah Haslage:

I mean, there might be that couple though, like if you're obsessed with Brussels sprouts or you're vegetarian or I don't know.

So something else quirky, speaking of veggies, so pearls are still really popular in wedding dresses, but now pearls are coming onto fruit and vegetables.

Meghan Ely:

Yes, pearls last year, we're seeing, it's like delicate ribbons this year with what they're doing but people have not kicked out the pearls yet. They're pearling the produce and so it's kind of interesting to see and it's one of these things not everyone's gonna do it but it's kind of fun to see because it is about if you're looking at like a broader base trend it's the textures.

Leah Haslage:

Oh yeah.

Meghan Ely:

You know, it used to be my colors are the blush of actual, my colors are this and this. And I loved that back in the day, but now people are getting into textures and prints and things like that. And so pearls can be a texture as part of that, you know?

Leah Haslage:

Yeah, textures are huge. In our next episode with Rebecca Somnitz, owner of Something White Bridal, we talk about that with dresses. Like, it's huge.

Meghan Ely:

Just beautiful.

Leah Haslage:

And flowers, we're also seeing paper flowers.

Meghan Ely:

What I love about paper flowers is this is not its first rodeo, right? But technology has gotten better. And so now we're getting like oversized florals. Paper flowers have come up a few times, but primarily it was like 2008, 2009 during the recession, it was awful, but people were going more DIY. They were going more rustic.

Leah Haslage:

That was the burlap and mason jar era.

Meghan Ely:

I just can't, I just can't, y'all. And so for me, I was just like, I just can't do this. But what's cool is they've come back, they're gorgeous, they're oversized, they're mixing with florals, they're extraordinary, and I just love seeing that.

Leah Haslage:

Something that I know I don't really think about as much as I probably should consider when it comes to the wedding space is stationery. And stationery is really having a moment again.

Meghan Ely:

It really is. And I was so fortunate that we work with Memento Design. So I went straight to Kelly over there. I was like, girl, tell me all the things. And so what we're seeing, and of course, don't get me wrong, things do carry over. I do want to say, you know, like minted and brides ruled out with that kind of orangey color for color of the year. So you're going to see those bright colors and things. But what Kelly told me over there, which I thought was fun, is yes, it's going to be that delicate ribbon. Like instead of like, you know, we talked about the pearls. And they're getting a ton of requests for incorporating the couple into the stationery so it's really very sweet. Last year it was all about incorporating the venue into the stationery which is very cool, the location. So she showed me one, it was also Lake Como, and the couple was going off on a boat and they were in their outfit but you couldn't see their faces and then their little doggy was with them too. I mean you know I'm always going to be very happy with the idea of incorporating pets. Like may that be a shift, and I think it will be, because of the consumer behavior. Like people are not having kids, or they're having kids later, and their pets are their babies, which I get because I have an 11 year old, but I also have three babies, my cats, and so that's a big, you know…

Leah Haslage:

You get it.

Meghan Ely:

Yeah, I get it. I get it better than most.

Leah Haslage:

With that, you talk about Lake Como just now with the stationery. How are destination weddings like now evolving with the new year and couples personalizing it more, aside from the stationary aspect.

Meghan Ely:

That's more of a shift. What we're seeing is, and this has really been in the last five to seven years, that people are reimagining what destination weddings could be. Now, is there always going to be a place for people running off to Mexico and the resorts and the all-inclusives? A thousand percent. Like, I'm on board for that. I understand the appeal to that. Like, I've attended these things and it's a lot of fun.

But destination weddings are really weddings that take place more than 100 miles from where you live. And so there are so many different things. Like when Zika happened, people were flocking to different areas that wouldn't have as many bugs and mosquitoes and things. And then with COVID, people were going to areas where maybe they had looser guidelines, things that worked. And so that's going to be the continued move for people is that they're looking to have their destination weddings unapologetically at places that may not have been seen as a destination. I mean, Europe is always going to be popular, right? We've also seen an amazing push. Like, I've had the pleasure of attending some really great conferences out in the Middle East. And, you know, DWP does a great job. They're based out of, I believe, they're based out of Dubai. And just to show the tourism and Abu Dhabi and all these places.

Leah Haslage:

Yeah, Dubai is hot.

Meghan Ely:

Yeah, literally and figuratively. And it also depends on, we're seeing more, it's also where the planes will take you. Some friends in Morocco were especially excited because there was more direct New York to Casablanca. And so it also depends on the logistics of that. But people are reimagining where they can go.

You have to remember that these couples are, as a whole, they are typically older, they're more educated, and with that comes more travel too. And so they don't feel tied to a location necessarily. Now with that being said, if I may say, on the other side of it, they could still get married at home, which is great, and create it as a destination for their guests, right? So I'm here in Virginia. Virginia can absolutely be a destination. Charlottesville continues to be huge. It's about an hour from here.

Leah Haslage:

It's a big vineyard area, isn't it?

Meghan Ely:

It's a huge vineyard area and in a lot of history and all those things. And so, you know, people could really turn that into a long weekend. I always keep my eye on Destination I Do, which is a great media outlet that really just, oh God, I love Jennifer and all those guys over there, to show you all the things that you could be doing. We're working on an article with them right now about cozy winter locations. And that's so much fun, right? Because that can be a destination for people. I want to be in the mountains and ski areas or whatever.

Leah Haslage:

And there are more winter weddings happening now.

Meghan Ely:

Yeah, because I think logistically it needs to be more manageable in areas that can actually handle it. Now, you've got to be careful with travel with that because I have certain travel rules for myself, certain times of year where I'm not going to go to because it's just going to get delayed a hundred times.

Leah Haslage:

You don't need a blizzard.

Meghan Ely:

Yeah, no, nobody wants that. So when they say a father of the bride, though, he's like, it's white, it's snow, it works, you know, but you're like...

Leah Haslage:

So going to 25, 26 weddings, is September, October still the hottest months to get married right now? Really, it's the May, June, September, October, mostly. You know, you would say Arizona is going to look different. Texas is going to look different. It just really depends here. So I would say those traditionally, so if you are newly engaged, which I bet you're gonna have a bunch of newly engaged Bridechillas, and you're looking at October 2025, you need to like, well, finish listening to this episode and then go find a venue. And have some flexibility.

Leah Haslage:

Absolutely. Yeah, because it's still, you have to consider like, I think we're out of that post COVID, all the weddings that had got delayed, there's a clog in the system, right? All the weddings that got delayed, and then you had all the newly engaged during COVID. So then everyone was clamoring to get their 22 weddings because 20 and 21 kind of had all these, you know, for those that didn't end up just eloping or doing whatever. I think we're filtered out of that now. But you still have to consider that there's only so many Fridays and Saturdays during the year if you're going to do a weekend wedding. And there's X amount of people looking to get married. and your venue only hosts X amount of events. So you really, really as soon as you get engaged, like enjoy your engagement, but if you know you want to get married in the next six months to a year, you have to immediately set that budget and get that venue. There is no time to dick around.

Meghan Ely:

A hundred percent. And I would say that, you know, you want to be careful with that and you want to have a level of flexibility. Like what are your must haves? Like, and it's okay if you can't get it. It's okay if you can't get everything, you know?

Leah Haslage:

Yeah that's a really good point. Any other major advice like that while we're on it, just start off this year driving it home?

Meghan Ely:

I will tell you what I told people when I was doing weddings, I'm like, listen, commit to your three must-haves. The three must-haves could be small things, it could be big. Like for me I wanted a cake that was a Death Star from Star Wars The end, like I thought that was hilarious and fun and different, like that was one of my habits. So you commit to your three must-haves if it's a certain location, certain style of photography, and then if you can have those, great, and the rest of it is just like literally icing on the cake.

Leah Haslage:

So for me, a big must have with weddings, not just my own, I kind of want to preach it to everybody, but I can't make you do anything. But I think photography and videography is so important. Your budget may not be able to get the photographer you want, but you can still find a great photographer and videographer in your price range. And a lot of people wanna skimp out on the cost of videography and end up regretting it.

Meghan Ely:

It's the number one regret.

Leah Haslage:

Please consider it because this is, your day goes by so fast.

Meghan Ely:

What we see in statistics, number one regret of couples is that they didn't put time, money, effort into videography. Because listen, I love me some photography. Okay, I get it. And you all have different styles, you wanna be able to capture it. There is no replacement to having video of your grandparents. And frankly, they won't always be there. And I say that speaking from experience. My cousin Kelly got married a thousand years ago when I was like 11 and I was in her wedding and that really started my love of weddings. And I went back and saw part of the video and I got to see a grandparent who's not here anymore talking with me and it's just so special. And to capture that day, I just, I wish people would prioritize that more than they do, because there's nothing that can be done after the fact. You can't go back and capture that day. So please consider, it's just such an important… and believe me, more and more people are hiring content creators for their wedding, and I get that. That is not a substitute for the video, though. It just isn't, you know?

Leah Haslage:

No, it's like Diane, when we had her on about content creators, you know, she said the content creator is great. It's going to be here to stay. It's actually really growing, but they're the ones capturing you as a flower girl, picking your nose, you know, behind the scenes. I think that's the example she gave. The content creator will get some great shots of like the grandparents or whatever, but it's not the same as that video and seeing them in action and your day goes by so fast and you're so caught up in different moments and talking to everybody that you blink and the day is done. All that work for six months to two plus years is over. So having that video to go back and see you guys doing your vows and everyone getting emotional and dancing on the dance floor.

Meghan Ely:

The emotion isn't, it can be captured to a degree in photography, but really videography is what sets it apart.

Leah Haslage:

What are we seeing trending in photography and videography for 25-26 weddings?

Meghan Ely:

So I can speak primarily on the photography side, if that's okay. First of all, we continue to see, as couples make more decisions that are personalized to their wedding, right? We have continued to see the increase in usage of flat lays. In the editorial side, flat lays is like all the details put together. And that's lovely. We are going to continue with that, even though that's great for editorial, I think couples like to see the actual details from their day. But I see some cool people, great photographers out there playing with shadows with the look of it. Because you know the flat lay look is like the camera above looking overhead. For anybody listening, you may look at a wedding, some wedding feature in a magazine, they're often there. And so what's great with what we're seeing is we're seeing the playful use of shadows, right? We started seeing that with some of our photographers, Mandy Johnson's one of our photographers, and she was killing it with that.

We're seeing people capture and it's a little messy. So yes, you've got the portraits and all the things and the required but then they get some really great photos of like place settings after the fact not with like lipstick all over the glasses and stuff but like a little disheveled because the area's been loved and people are having fun and it's kind of cool to see that storytelling.

Now, I do have a wild card. May I share it with photography? Wild card means I have no statistics to back this. But I look at something and think, this is it. This is my little thing that I'm going to see. And I'm right a lot of the time. One of the prevalent longstanding themes the last several years is the use of nostalgia. And it makes sense. Nostalgia is statistically, we hear from all the studies and stuff, it's comforting to people. And we have been in weird times. And so people want to either look back at different decades, or they'll go back and do like a summer camp theme something. Like those are both nostalgic, bringing back childhood favorites. You know, that's great. I love that. Well, that has been played out pretty considerably in the last three years.

Hear me out. Are you ready? Hong Kong style wedding photography. You gotta look it up everybody. So in the 80s what couples would do is they would do their beautiful wedding and then the photographer would take them out to, it could be like a grocery store, to a fast food restaurant, never a nice restaurant, like it'd have to be fast food and they look very serious and they're in their element but wearing these outfits and it's very out of place and it was tongue-in-cheek, it was funny but not hearty har har and it was just a style they did and this is starting to not only make a bit of a comeback, but it's making its way into some of the U.S. stuff that I'm seeing. And I'm like, yes.

Leah Haslage:

So like being all dressed up in your tux and dress at In-N-Out Burger?

Meghan Ely:

Picking up your dry cleaning. Like that's what, and I just think that it's kind of an interactive, fun, tongue-in-cheek, we're not taking this as serious as you think we are sort of thing. And there are photographers out there you're starting to see with this. And I'm like, I think this is a thing more than I realized.

Leah Haslage:

I am here for this. I'm so excited.

Meghan Ely:

We're going to see. We'll come back in a year and talk about it.

Leah Haslage:

So what about Save the Dates? Are they changing up?

Meghan Ely:

Yeah, and I have a fun story with it. So Save the Dates, again, going back to the not taking themselves as seriously, right? So with the, you know, adventures of TikTok and Reels, and the short form video is how Gen Z consumes their media. And what they're doing is, their save the dates are these very casual, informal videos of them, stone-faced, sunglasses, it's a trend right now. And they're opening, and there's always the same song from Michael Buble, and they're opening up, you know, just handwritten, and it's save the date, and they're very serious, like stone-faced the whole time, and people will walk up to them and like toss confetti at them, all this.

And I have to tell you, and I will say, so for our trend talk this year, I went to Terrica, who is my co-presenter and she knows when I text her and I go, okay, so hear me out. That means I got an idea, right? And she's like, oh Lord. I said, I want to recreate that with us. And so we got my friend Chris Hartman to come. He's a filmmaker out of Dallas and we went into a parking lot. at our parking garage, I should say, in Las Vegas during Winning MBA, and we filmed it. And we had someone dump confetti on us. I actually had confetti cannons, but found out I couldn't bring them on the plane, so they're in my office behind me.

So we filmed it. It had over 10,000 views. People were here for it. So it was really funny to see. But I love that. I mean, yes, there's the logistics of, OK, but then everyone thinks they're invited. And I get that. But really, I just love, love that so much in terms of doing something fun and different.

Leah Haslage:

That is super fun. Actually, and with that, how has technology changed and evolved in going into 25, 26 weddings? Like, are we still seeing the wedding website? Is that growing even more? Social media is playing an influence.

Meghan Ely:

We’ve seen the interaction of like, what's our hashtag for our wedding and things like that. It's bringing in the content creator. It's having the story play out more elegantly on social media. I mean, there is a social element to it. You're seeing people, even micro-influencers, like bringing it to TikTok, like sharing their story, all of those things. And there are people who are loudly budgeting for it too. It's one of those things where you loud budget, like in talking out loud about how I'm saving for my groceries, well now it's going to the weddings as well, yeah.

Leah Haslage:

Let's talk about fashion a little bit.

Meghan Ely:

Okay.

Leah Haslage:

I know you're more like the decor and like that and things, but you are seeing some trends in fashion. I know basque waists have been filtering. Are you still seeing that look?

Meghan Ely:

Yeah, we're seeing the drop waist is really big on the runways right now. Edwardian style, which I mean, we all know Bridgerton is still like having its moment, you know, in different ways. So really Edwardian, a little bit more coverage.

Leah Haslage:

Less of the naked dress?

Meghan Ely:

Yes, we're not the Carolyn Bessette of the 90s, which was iconic by the way.

Leah Haslage:

Oh, one of my all-time favorite weddings…

Oh, yeah it's the coverage like Kate Middleton more that we're seeing as well. What I think is really coming out is this reimagined suiting. So people are just having so much fun with suiting, my favorite is the embroidered suits right now. Like, oh my god the embroidered suits are just phenomenal.

Leah Haslage:

And this is gender fluid, no matter your gender. Like the suit is hot for both.

Meghan Ely:

Absolutely, no matter what you identify, and it's so fun to see when it comes to embellished and embroidered suits. And I'm going to give you a name, Addicted Bespoken, which I have no connection to other than a massive fan. Look at Addicted Bespoken on Instagram. People will see what I'm talking about. So imagine for years where people would just, they'd have some fun with the custom suits and the lining would be specific to them or whatever. But now it's like this gorgeous, different, I mean, so what, like some have their dog embroidered on their jacket. And I'm like, yes, it's just incredible what I'm, what I've been seeing,

Leah Haslage:

You know, make me think of watching like Grand Ole Opry and that in like the 1950s and sixties of like, George Jones and all that, that kind of like Western feel you see.

With suits, like moving into grooms, where grooms are finally getting a spotlight. Like before it was just so basic. I mean, I don't want to say basic, but let's be real. It was like black, navy, gray. You had like the formal tux or you had like a suit or like, yeah, the texture started to get some more play. But now grooms are having a moment and I'm here for it and I hope it stays.

Meghan Ely:

And I'm so happy for that. You know what I mean? And again, it goes back to the embroidery. We're seeing these really cool pin boutonnieres instead. I mean, I've loved for the last few years, I love the floral boutonnieres and the people wearing actual flowers all over them. Like, I've loved all of that. I've been here for it. And so it's great to see, you know, now with the, again, reimagined suiting, it's going to be the embroidery.

Leah Haslage:

So I'm loving this idea you mentioned on the lapel instead of the traditional boutonniere, the pin.

Meghan Ely:

And it's fun to see. And some of them, of course, are very expensive and some of them are just very elegant, not necessarily expensive. It's an heirloom. And something that we've seen over the years is the creation of heirlooms for a wedding. That is more of a shift because for years it was like, well, I was wearing the heirlooms from my grandparents. It's like, yeah, but now it's going to be, you know, I'm creating the heirloom. Which I love, you know?

Leah Haslage:

Yeah. And it goes to nostalgia, right? You wear the nostalgia, but you're going to create the next nostalgia.

This is my little hot take. You mentioned, like, the big flowers. Like, you mentioned, like, how flowers were seeing a moment. I do not like the huge, oversized boutonnieres. Some people that are, like, eclectic or trendy can pull it off, but overall, my eye just looks at it. I can't look at the groom. I just look at that.

Meghan Ely:

Help me, help me with this. So what about, and you can, we can still be friends, but what if it's the flowers and it's just very elegantly across instead of a handkerchief? Do you like that?

Leah Haslage:

That, I don't mind.

Meghan Ely:

But you don't like if it's like-

Leah Haslage:

With like the full thing just taking up the whole thing.

Meghan Ely:

Oh, I love it. Like turns into a sleeve.

Leah Haslage:

To me it's like the chest version of Carrie's bird hat. In Sex and the City, the Movie.

Meghan Ely:

Which is a travesty.

Leah Haslage:

Okay, so with that, final question. Meghan, what is your all-time favorite movie or TV show wedding dress?

Meghan Ely:

This is hard. I'm going to give you a couple answers. The beautiful and the unusual. Now, I will say the best dress of all time is Grace Kelly, the end. Anyone can come and fight me on it, like, and I will win every time.

Leah Haslage:

I mean, she's still influencing.

Meghan Ely:

Yeah, she is. And that is the most iconic thing I've ever seen in my life. Like, like, like extraordinary. I'll see. This is not an easy one. I'm going between a couple. Sex and the City is beautiful. It's fun to see all those things. And there's in, you know, I know everybody wants to say Audrey Hepburn. I'm gonna let other people say that because she's, of course, iconic too.

So I really love, and it's right up there. I love Runaway Bride. I love Richard Gere. I love Julia Roberts. When she comes in, no, she had multiple dresses in the movie, but she comes in the dress on the horse. I love that neckline. Now, I don't know, I'd have to really look at the full dress again, but I would say that neckline is extraordinary on her. The flow of it is, I'd say that is one of the most perfection, quintessential wedding dresses.

Now, if you're like, what's the unusual answer? I'm gonna say this. I think she's one of the prettiest brides I've ever seen. It's the most unusual look, but when Miranda got married on Sex and the City, she wore a burgundy velvet suit. And she had the best eye makeup I've ever seen. And her red hair was harrying. And I think she is one of the prettiest brides I've ever seen. I'm getting a little goosebumps.

Leah Haslage:

No, I co-sign. I co-sign with you. I actually brought up that wedding on a past episode with Jessica Bishop and Sari from Budget Savvy Brides.

Meghan Ely:

Perfect.

Leah Haslage:

Because we were talking about small weddings and unique moments and stuff. And I brought that one up because that is a standout. I'm so glad you said that because I think that one gets forgotten and it should not. Like, that look on her, the simple park wedding in the fall.

Meghan Ely:

Oh, it's perfect.

Leah Haslage:

It's perfect. And it's so her and Steve's personality.

Meghan Ely:

She is literally the most beautiful bride I've ever seen on TV. Like, I'm sorry. I just, I love that look. I think it's, especially if you know the character, she never dressed that softly. And so it was a real departure for her character.

Leah Haslage:

She's still in a suit, which was still her, but it didn't feel like a suit.

Meghan Ely:

Yeah, it was so soft. And her eye makeup is extraordinary in that. I just think she's so beautiful. And so I love... Shout out, Cynthia Nixon, wherever you are. Prettiest bride ever. But no, I think Julia Roberts for the movies. I mean, there's so many. I could go into a hundred different…

Leah Haslage:

We're definitely going to have more of an episode on this.

Meghan Ely:

You have to tell me yours for now, though.

Leah Haslage:

I'll get into mine, but Runaway Bride, I totally agree with you. I love that look, her soft, flowy hair. When she tries on the one dress, again, there's multi-dresses in that movie, right? When she's with Richard Gere in the wedding shop and she's like the bell and swishes, I do enjoy that dress on her. It's not my dress of choice. I enjoy the dress on her until she goes to get married in that dress. And they put her hair in that god-awful, trying-to-be-50s, 60s hairdo. It ruined the whole dress and look.

Meghan Ely:

I didn't love that.

Leah Haslage:

No, it changed the dress.

Meghan Ely:

Wait, so which one's your favorite then? Hold on.

Leah Haslage:

Oh, of all time?

Meghan Ely:

Yeah, yeah.

Leah Haslage:

It's so hard. So with movie, the first one that comes to mind is Maria in Sound of Music.

Meghan Ely:

Oh yeah, with the high collar and the coverage. You can be beautiful without showing your boobs.

Leah Haslage:

Yeah, yeah.

Meghan Ely:

Sorry. I should say that…

Leah Haslage:

No, it's true. And there's so many different wedding dresses playing in my head. But when it comes to TV, again, it's hard. My favorite show of all time is Friends, so I do love Monica's dress. I do feel like it was clean and simple, which fit her clean nature. The satin wrinkles and there's a few things off. I don't know. It's really hard for me to pick my TV, I guess. movie, it has to be Sound of Music, I think, because it's just so classic.

Meghan Ely:

It is.

Leah Haslage:

It is underrated.

Meghan Ely:

And let me be clear, too. I want to go back and say, listen, someone can show a lot of skin and be beautiful on their wedding day, too. So I don't want to say you have to. But it is refreshing to see someone who 's just so elegant in her own right. You know, so I love seeing all that.

Leah Haslage:

I mean, I could go on and on about this, but I'm going to actually like go restudy my favorites. And then you and I are going to rendezvous back and talk about this because there's a lot of influence in TV and movie fashions because like when I think of my favorite wedding dresses, I think of like celebrity weddings that comes to mind Yeah, that's what I think that's why Celine Dion is is that your favorite celebrity wedding of all time?

Meghan Ely:

but I would say it was one of the most influential to me because of the croquembouche in the headpiece and the dress and all the things but it you know

Leah Haslage:

Mine, of all time, is Cindy Crawford to Randy Gerber. Before that, my favorite was Grace Kelly. But I never really dreamed of my wedding dress first. I always dreamt about my first red carpet look. But then when Cindy and Randy got married, she did a simple spaghetti strap.

Meghan Ely:

Was she on the beach?

Leah Haslage:

She was on the beach, barefoot. It was an off-the-rack, I think, John Galliano. Oh. That or Gaultier. I think it was John Galliano. And then he was just in a simple, like, button-up and black linen pants. And it was gorgeous. Natural hair and makeup.

Meghan Ely:

It doesn't have to be flashy. You know? Yeah.

Leah Haslage:

And a close second is Carolyn Bessette Kennedy and JFK Jr. It's a close second for me. It really was. They happened around the same time.

Meghan Ely:

Nothing is more 90s than that wedding and that look. It's true. And that's actually my favorite.

Leah Haslage:

Her gloves are back in style.

Meghan Ely:

Yeah, nothing is better than that location that they had for their ceremony. There's nothing, and you didn't even see the inside of it. You never saw the inside, just a small church, small wedding. But that's perfect. For those who would do it in a church, that's perfect, you know.

Leah Haslage:

Her dress put Narciso Rodriguez, the designer on the map, no one knew who he was. All right, we're going to deep dive more. I'd love to know what everyone else's favorite celebrity wedding is and TV movie wedding. So like, please reach out to us. Like, let us know.

Meghan Ely:

Yeah, let us know.

Leah Haslage:

All right, Meghan, always such a pleasure to talk to you.

Meghan Ely:

So good to talk to you. And can I just do a quick shout out for anyone who's like, I don't know what they're talking about. I need more visual. May I just say I actually bought 2025weddingtrends.com. And so you can download my slides over there. So I just wanted to tell people, like, listen, it is usually meant for wedding pros, but if any of your people want to go see what we're talking about, like, go ahead and check out 2025 Wedding Trends.

Leah Haslage:

We'll have that link in the description for sure. Any other way we can get ahold of you, Meghan? How can we follow you?

Meghan Ely:

Yeah, go find me over at OFDconsulting, OFDconsulting.com. As long as TikTok's around, I'm there too, but I'm just watching cat videos. So don't actually follow me over there.

Leah Haslage:

Thanks, Meghan. Talk to you soon.

Meghan Ely:

Thanks.

Leah Haslage:

Thanks for joining us today! Be sure to subscribe wherever you get podcasts so you never miss an episode. Give us a follow on social media and visit thebridechilla.com. To leave a question you'd like to hear answered on the show, head to speakpipe.com/bridechillapodcast, also linked in the description.

Bridechilla is a production of Evergreen Podcasts. Thanks to our producer and engineer, Gray Sienna Longfellow, and our executive producers, Brigid Coyne and Gerardo Orlando. And of course, a special thanks to Aleisha, our OG bridechilla, and Meghan Ely of OFD Consulting. I'm your host, Leah Haslage. Until next time, Chillas!

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