Your Wedding Shouldn’t Look Like Everyone Else’s—And That’s Okay

There, I said it. And I say it as a bride-to-be myself, more as a reminder to myself than anything else. It’s so easy to get caught up in the inspiration vortex of TikTok, Instagram, and Pinterest. While these platforms can be great for ideas, tutorials, and quick fixes (because let’s be honest, no one has time to read a 2,000-word blog post just to find recipe instructions), they can also be completely overwhelming.

Lately, I’ve been noticing how fast wedding trends take off. One day it’s a unique idea, and the next day, it’s everywhere, recycled across thousands of weddings that all start to look…kind of the same.

It’s not that borrowing a trending idea is bad—sometimes the trend fits your style, your budget, and your vision perfectly. But when you start adopting trends just because they’re popular, you risk losing the very thing that makes your wedding yours.

The Lifecycle of a Trend

I came across this Instagram graphic recently, by @bloom.and.blueprint, that maps out the lifecycle of a trend in fashion. It made me realize how much this concept applies to weddings too.

Just like in fashion, wedding trends follow the same cycle:

First, the “cool” people (or influencers) do it.
Then, everyone loves it or hates it.
Next thing you know, it’s being implemented at scale—every TikTok bride has a version of it.
Soon, it’s literally everywhere.
Eventually, it becomes “overdone.”
Finally, only the “uncool” people are doing it until it disappears…and maybe becomes nostalgic years later.

Sound familiar?

There is a creator on TikTok who jokes that the basque-waist dress is becoming the “mason jar centerpiece” of our generation and honestly? Fair. But both have classic roots. Mason jars have been around forever, just like basque waists, which date back to the Victorian era. But just because something is timeless doesn’t mean it’s immune to trend cycles. They both come in and out of fashion, and right now, basque waists are having their moment the same way mason jars once did. It doesn’t make them bad, just trendy.

Back in the early 2000s, weddings were often a little quirky as my middle school wedding Pinterest board can prove—sometimes really quirky. But they were also deeply personal. No one was comparing dresses, centerpieces, or signage on TikTok. If you liked cowboy boots and short bridesmaid dresses, you just went for it.

And that’s what’s missing today: uniqueness.

So how do you protect your personal style while navigating the overwhelming world of wedding content?

Here’s another reminder, from the same Instagram post, that can help you pause and think before copying a trend:

Ask yourself:

Does this suit me, or do I just like it on others?
Does this fit my lifestyle (and wedding vision)?
Do I even like this, or am I just overexposed to it?
Am I afraid of missing out?
When this goes “out of style,” will I still love it?

Planning your wedding should be exciting, not exhausting. So take the trends with a grain of salt. Keep what speaks to you. Toss what doesn’t. And remember that your wedding doesn’t need to be Instagram-perfect. It just needs to be you.