Celebrity weddings such as Dua Lipa and Callum Turner's, which combined a civil ceremony in London with three days of festivities in Sicily, or the rumors surrounding Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce's potential wedding in New York, illustrate a growing trend: the wedding as an expanded narrative. This concept transforms the ceremony into a sequence of experiences, styles, and moments that begin before the 'I do' and continue afterward, also changing the perception of anonymous couples.
A study by the hotel group Hyatt reveals that the ideal wedding for 2026 will be more intimate and experiential, with an average of 118 guests and a desired budget of 44,687 euros. The shift in mindset is reflected in the prioritization of personality and details over automatic protocol and the banquet as a mere formality.
Bodas.net's '2026 Wedding Sector Report' indicates that 17% of couples who married last year belonged to Generation Z. This tech-savvy generation is more prone to organizing engagement parties and pre-wedding photo shoots, making the celebration begin before the appointed day.
Seventy-four percent of Spaniards would choose to marry in their own country, preferring venues like estates, palaces, urban hotels, or resorts. According to Hyatt, 54% of Spaniards would opt for a hotel or resort, where the location answers more to the question 'what do we want to experience and make our guests experience?' than a simple 'where do we get married?'.
Estates are the most sought-after venues for the banquet (28%), followed by restaurants (13%) and halls (12%). Preferred styles include garden or outdoor (41%), classic or traditional (35%), and rustic or country (23%). When choosing a hotel, Spaniards prioritize price, capacity, flexibility, and accommodation rates.
Tradition is being updated: 91% of Spaniards still want photos with family and friends, 90% the exchange of rings, 84% the banquet, and 81% the evening party. New gestures are emerging, such as incorporating content creators (39%) or the pet (36%). The pre-wedding period is also being reinvented with wellness retreats or spa weekends.
The honeymoon is also transforming, with formulas like 'early moon,' 'mini moon,' or 'buddymoon.' Couples are adapting weddings to their lifestyle, seeking personalization over templates, even in destinations like all-inclusive resorts or beaches.
