Civil weddings are on the rise

In Malta, the number of civil weddings in 2016 officially exceeded the number of weddings at the altar. The number of foreigners choosing to marry in Malta may go some way towards explaining that figure, but the truth is the number of church weddings has been in decline for some time, with more millennial couples choosing a secular or humanist ceremony.

Millennials are getting married at an older age

Just a few generations ago, it was quite common for couples to get married in their late teens and early twenties, but nowadays more and more millennial couples are putting off marriage for a number of reasons – either because they want to focus on their career, or because marriage simply isn’t a priority to them at that point, or because The One may be just a swipe away on Tinder.

Pinterest and DIY are all over the place

Pinterest revolutionised the way millennials approach hosting an event, and nowadays, with a bit of patience and imagination, you can add some really special hand-made touches to your wedding, be it hand-made invitations or home-made souvenirs. Plus, everything is more expensive these days, including weddings, so if you can save some pennies by doing it yourself – why not? Just take it easy with the glue gun.

It’s all about social media

It went mainstream in a big way around 10 years ago, but social media has affected almost every aspect of our lives these days, from the way we interact to the way we shop, and weddings are no different. From couple hashtags to keep everyone’s wedding Instagrams in the same place, to custom Snapchat filters, millennial weddings have tech elements to them that our parents couldn’t have dreamed of.

Pop culture has a strong presence

While I’m sure all parents were obsessed with a TV show, a movie or a band in their youth, it would have been considered pretty unusual to make it the theme of their wedding reception. (Also, back then Amazon and Aliexpress didn’t exist, so they had nowhere to get cool props from.) On the other hand, a lot of millennials are obsessed with pop culture, from music, to TV shows, to films, and that love is translating into some spectacularly out-there weddings – from Game of Thrones-themed wedding dinners to Hogwarts-inspired décor.

They’re a lot more informal

While a wedding day remains one of the most important days in a person’s life, a lot of millennial couples have decided to do away with the formality of the occasion, and make it more like a fun party for close friends and family. Hence the rise of trends such as digital invitations, mismatched bridesmaids’ dresses, pets at weddings, sneakers for the bridal couple, and bridesmen and groomsladies. Here’s to making our own traditions!