SaskatchewanIt’s wedding season in Saskatchewan, and some couples are choosing to tie the knot in non-traditional ways.Couples are choosing smaller guest lists, more intimate settings: wedding plannerWedding planner Bri Blazeiko says couples are opting to include more of their personalities into the festivities. (Stacia Whelan Photo)It’s wedding season in Saskatchewan, and some couples are choosing to tie the knot in non-traditional ways.Planners say many weddings are more focused on the personalities of the couples.Weddings are becoming more niche and creative as well. Back in July, CBC published a story about a Regina couple that was wed on Mount Kilimanjaro — the highest mountain in Africa.Whether you’re having a backyard wedding or a four-person ceremony at a high altitude, individuality has become key.Pandemic’s effect on weddingsBri Blazeiko, a Regina-based wedding co-ordinator for Ele & Co. Wedding Planning, said COVID-19 played a huge part in the size of weddings and the people invited to them.”I think that we’re seeing now a mix between big and small weddings. But historically speaking, big weddings would have been 350 to 500 people attending. And now we’re seeing bigger weddings considered to be 150 to 200 guests.”Kelsey Bone, left, and Scot Pominville tied the knot on Mount Kilimanjaro on July 3. (Submitted by Kelsey Bone)The wedding planner said people had to be choosy with who they saw during the height of pandemic regulations. Now, she said, people are more intentional with who they want to be a part of the big moments in their lives.”What I’m seeing is that if people haven’t connected in over a year, they probably aren’t inviting you to their wedding. Whereas years ago it would be friends of friends, and great aunts and their kids, and their kid’s kid,” Blazeiko said.LISTEN | What wedding trends are taking over in 2025? Blue SkyWhat wedding trends are taking over in 2025?It’s wedding season and today we were joined by a wedding planner and photographer who have their pulse on what’s popular with couples who saying I do. From dirty soda bars, to on-location tattoo artists, and weekday weddings to save a dime.The larger the guest count, she said, the more expensive the wedding is because of food, decor, additional transportation and more.But these decisions aren’t necessarily because people don’t have money. It’s because they’re focusing more on themselves as a couple.”I think it’s because they are more intentional of where they’re spending their money. They want to buy a house. They want to travel the world. And spending so much money on a wedding delays those big life experiences.”Current wedding trends include pets taking part in ceremonies, brides wearing multiple dresses throughout the day, the bride and groom attending cocktail hour, outdoor tent weddings and Pinterest design inspiration. (Shutterstock, White Willow Photography, Heather Wilkinson, Reuters)Bride and groom experience more importantAnother trend Blazeiko has noticed is couples wanting to feel like guests at their own wedding, rather than just the focal point of the occasion. She said they tend to care less about what other people think and more about what they want.”Maybe they’re building their own venue from scratch, like a tent wedding — which is popular — and they get to pick the flooring and the chairs and the decor.” I think it’s because they are more intentional of where they’re spending their money. They want to buy a house. They want to travel the world. And spending so much money on a wedding delays those big life experiences.- Bri Blazeiko An example of that is enjoying the cocktail hour themselves, when traditionally those have been just for the guests. She said they want to be with their best friends and soak up the environment together.As for the reception bar, Blazeiko said some couples are inviting volunteers from animal rescues, sports clubs and other organizations to bar-tend for donations. It’s also common for the bride and groom’s pets to be included in the ceremony.Say yes to the dress(es)Blazeiko said the weddings she’s been working on lately have brides that still wear traditional long white or ivory dresses for the ceremony. But changing into different dresses throughout the wedding is a big trend now.”I actually just had a wedding where she had three dresses. She had ceremony, dinner and first dance, and party dresses,” Blazeiko said.Bri Blazeiko of Ele & Co. Wedding Planning says couples are still hiring florists and planners more than doing their own decorating DIY style. (Stacia Whelan Photo)The planner said the less-is-more mentality is big right now.”We just don’t see [the ball gown] anymore. There’s not even a ton of options like that big ball gown and huge dresses in stores. I think we’re looking more sleek, more minimalistic.”Pinterest great for inspiration, bad for pocketbookAngela Hodel, a Regina-based owner of the event and wedding planning company Imagine Events, said many couples come to her with ideas taken from the Pintererst app — a discovery engine for finding ideas and photos on fashion, style and event inspiration.But Hodel said these ideas are not always achievable.”A lot of people will make that dream Pinterest board. But people don’t really factor in the actual cost of things,” she said.”So when they’re looking at those beautiful pictures of those floral arches, you know, they want that … and then when they get stamped with the $3,000 to $5,000 cost from the florist … they’re a little shocked.”Blazeiko said she sees a lot of couples doing DIY decorations, and the outcome can be wonderful. However, she said many end up breaking off more than they can chew and add more stress.”I think it’s great if you have the time and space for it. But I think a lot of people underestimate the amount of work that goes into planning a wedding,” she said.Wedding planner Bri Blazeiko says smaller, more intimate wedding has been a trend since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. (Stacia Whelan Photo)Pinterest releases an annual wedding report. According to the data, there were more than 3.8 billion wedding-related searches from May 2024 to April 2025, and more than 13.4 billion wedding ideas were saved globally over that period.At the end of the day, Blazeiko said social media trends and ideas are still great for inspiring a couple that wants to be sincere, personal and unique on their big day.”My best piece of advice or reminder to couples is that it’s your wedding, so do what you want and the people that love you will stand by you,” she said, adding that getting married is the happiest moment for couples.Everything else is just the icing on the wedding cake.ABOUT THE AUTHORLaura is a journalist for CBC Saskatchewan. She also hosts and newsreads on CBC Radio One. Laura is the community reporter for CBC’s Land of Living Stories series and the arts and culture radio column Queen City Scene Setter, which airs on CBC’s The Morning Edition. Laura previously worked at CBC Toronto for network radio, and as a journalist at CBC Vancouver. Some of her former work has appeared in the Globe and Mail, NYLON Magazine, VICE Canada and The Tyee. Laura specializes in human interest, arts and health care coverage. She holds a Master of Journalism degree from the University of British Columbia. Send Laura news tips at laura.sciarpelletti@cbc.ca With files from Blue Sky
Thinking outside the ring box: the latest wedding trends popping up in Sask.
