Weddings may be bigger business than ever, but interestingly, the US marriage rate has slowed slightly since 2022, per Euromonitor, with forecasts from 2026 to 2030 steady at six married people per 1,000. In Western Europe, Eastern Europe, and Japan, the declines are steeper.
So, what gives? Well, despite a continued decline in wedding rates, newlyweds are skewing older as people hit milestones later in life amid today’s challenging macroeconomic environment. In fact, the Gen Z contingent is more likely to prioritize self-development and independence, ensuring financial security before settling down. Fflur Roberts, Euromonitor’s head of luxury, points to a global climb in the average age of women at their first marriage, which is projected to continue well into 2030. With this comes a shift in consumer demands. “Older couples typically tend to prioritize quality, craftsmanship, personalization, and non‑traditional aesthetics over volume‑driven, lower‑cost options,” she explains. “As a result, value growth is shifting away from mass‑market wedding retail and toward premium, luxury, bespoke, and boutique segments.”
So the bridal economy in 2026 will be a tale of two halves. As noted in a study from wedding planning platform The Knot, 2025 saw a K-shaped split in US wedding spend, whereby higher earners double down on discretionary spending, and lower earners pull back on luxuries — a pattern expected to continue this year.
Luxury or otherwise, most weddings are now multi-day events (almost 71% span two to three days, The Knot found), each carefully divided into rehearsal dinners, welcome drinks, an afterparty, and the day-after brunch, among a host of growing segments. Additionally, the market for destination weddings is, per Research and Markets, forecast to climb from $47.85 billion in 2026 to $82.92 billion in 2030, a 14.7% CAGR, which can be put down to reasons including growing demand for experiential and exclusive celebrations. These are all dressing opportunities high-net-worth (HNWIs) and ultra-high-net-worth individuals (UHNWIs) — many of whom partake in a circuit of jet-set weddings all year round — will be planning for.
In this playing field, market differentiation is key. “At Harrods, bridal is approached as a lifestyle category, not a single purchase,” says head of buying Poppy Lomax. “Our role is to curate a complete bridal ecosystem — one that reflects how modern weddings are actually lived.” She cites the engagement moments, bachelorettes, civil ceremonies, destination weddings, the night before, the day after, pre-wedding dinners, and the honeymoon as potential dressing occasions, describing what she calls the “bridal era” — a sustained celebration period, which drives significant commercial opportunity.
