Celebrity Event Planner Marcy Blum Shares Her Top 5 Wedding Trends for 2023

Dennis Kwan

With wedding season just around the corner, Marcy Blum is sharing her expertise on the biggest trends in 2023.

Citing everything from architectural structures to family-style meals, the highly sought-after celebrity event planner, who has worked with many of your faves — including LeBron James, Nate Berkus and Jeremiah Brent, Bill Gates' daughter Jenn Gates and Nayel Nassar and Kate Bock and Kevin Love — says this year's "I dos" won't disappoint.

Bye-Bye to Traditional Bridesmaids and Groomsmen

"If people are having attendants and there are traditional men's and women's sides at the altar, people are really diversifying their wedding parties," Blum says. "While a lot of people aren't having any attendants at all, if they are, they have some men on the women's side and women on the men's side. It's very cool and it makes a lot of sense, because traditionally speaking, your brother, if he were in the wedding party, assuming you were marrying a man, would be a groomsman instead of one of your attendants."

Incorporating New Elements

"Wedding decor in general is getting a lot more architectural and interior design oriented," she says. "We're doing a lot of lounges. So rather than long tables or round tables, we're building lounge vignettes, and everything is custom-made to go with that. Nobody wants it to look or feel like an old-school wedding. The romantic look of candles in all shapes, styles and colors dominates wedding decor, and wireless table lamps are also being utilized to create romantic ambience.

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International Affairs

"I would say 80% of my events, not just weddings, because we plan all sorts of events, are in Europe this year," Blum says. "After being at home for two years during COVID, people want to get as far away as possible. Couples mistakenly think it's less expensive when they're starting, but that's not true. France is big, certainly Lake Como, Positano, Ravello, Capri, and the Cotswold's or English countryside, which is interesting. The locations are idyllic, but it can be ridiculously pricey and or very difficult to produce."

A Focus on Ceremony Music

"People never used to pay close attention to the ceremony music, particularly if it wasn't in a house of worship," Blum shares. "They would opt for the easiest fall back — just get a few pieces from the reception band to play for the ceremony.  Now people are focusing on what is meaningful for them musically for the ceremony."

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Family-Style Food

"I really started my career making sure that weddings and social events served interesting and delicious foods," Blum shares. "Since buffets are considered inelegant for many formal weddings, family style has made a comeback after COVID, during which everyone was afraid of sharing food. It's a way to get a menu of different dishes served without having to ask guests a lot of questions of what they want to eat. An alternative is a multi-course tasting dinner of small plates often with wine pairings. It's fun and interesting and makes the food an integral part of the wedding. While signature drinks named after the couple have been done to death, a variety of interesting drinks either passed or served at the bars are a favorite of the clients we are working with. Influenced by hip and innovative cocktail bars, mini martinis, negronis and other classic mixed drinks served with a variation (tequila old fashioned for example) are wildly popular."