Wedding planning · 2027
Three wedding ideas we’re rethinking for 2027
Our view on mood boards, photography briefs and the way guests experience a wedding.
Looking at other weddings can introduce you to a colour, a venue or an idea you hadn’t considered. The difficult part is deciding which of those ideas belongs at yours.
For 2027, these are three planning habits we’d reconsider and the alternatives we find more useful. They’re our preferences as photographers, rather than rules about what a wedding should look like. The photographs here illustrate the ideas we like; they aren’t examples of what to avoid.
01
Rethinking the copied mood board
A whole wedding can look convincing in one set of photographs because its venue, season and suppliers all suited the design. Copying the same flowers and table settings into another room may produce a very different result.
References work better when you can explain what you like about them. Otherwise, your team is left guessing which parts matter.
What we like: colour chosen for the setting
Colour gives you plenty of room to express your taste. You might like the contrast of pink stationery against green linen, or red flowers against an ornate fireplace. The useful starting point is the relationship between those colours and the place where they’ll be used.
Bring your stylist a few references from weddings, interiors, clothes or art. Explain what catches your attention, then ask how those ideas could work with your venue and season. A smaller brief with clear notes gives a creative team more to work with than dozens of conflicting images.
02
Rethinking the long photography checklist
A family photograph list is helpful. A long sequence of recreated reactions and exact poses can be harder to accommodate, especially when it leaves little time to respond to the wedding itself.
There may be a particular photograph you’ve wanted for years. Tell your photographer about it, along with the people and details that are essential. Then discuss what can realistically fit.
What we like: a clear brief and room to respond
We enjoy making deliberate portraits. Choosing the light, setting and composition is part of the work, and clear direction can make those photographs stronger.
We also want to notice what happens outside the portrait session. A useful brief identifies important people, meaningful details and a few visual references, without prescribing every frame. Agree the time for portraits, then give your photographer scope to respond to the people and setting on the day.
03
Rethinking decoration without a practical plan
Flowers can look extraordinary while blocking a guest’s view across dinner. A packed programme can sound exciting while leaving very little time to eat or talk.
Before approving a design or adding an activity, work through how people will experience it. This often reveals small changes that make the idea better.
What we like: design that helps people enjoy the wedding
Comfort and design can be planned together. Fans on ceremony chairs, shaded drinks areas and tables with clear views can all look good while serving a useful purpose.
Start with seating, food, water, access and the weather plan. Then work through flowers, lighting and music with those needs in mind. Walk the route from arrival to dinner and ask where guests will go, wait and sit. If you add an activity, make it easy to join and comfortable to decline.
Keep the ideas you actually want
You don’t need to change a detail you love because a trend list says otherwise, including this one. Use inspiration to find possibilities, then choose what suits your taste, guests and venue.