The Best of BRIDES Real Weddings in 2024

We featured 165 Real Weddings in 2024 (that translates to roughly 5,000 photos!), and every single one of them reminded us that there are endless ways to tie the knot. From an elopement in Spain followed by a stateside ceremony for family and friends and a week-long celebration that kicked off with a four-day safari to an intimate party at a Victorian home by the sea and an event with a double ceremony that spoke to the duo’s respective cultures, our events are proof that couples are, first and foremost, planning nuptials that speak to who they are—and working traditions into that framework later.

For as nuanced and unique as the majority of our 2024 weddings were, it was fun to take a look back and pull out some patterns. According to our data, June (during which 28 percent of all our celebrations took place) was the most popular wedding month, followed by September at 13 percent and May at 12 percent. On the fashion front, 41 percent of our brides chose an A-line gown, making it the go-to wedding-dress silhouette of 2024—and while the majority wore a varied mix of designers, we did see some overlaps: Monique Lhuillier, Pronovias, Galia Lahav, and Vera Wang were at the top of the list. As for bridesmaids’ big-day looks? We tracked every celebration’s bridesmaid ensembles and found that most women of the hour are still dressing their best friends in mismatched looks in a myriad of colorways—instead of just one. 

Speaking of color: We did the same for each wedding’s overarching color palette and found that neutrals reigned supreme (25 percent of our parties featured a white or cream focal shade)—but punchier hues, like pink (18 percent), blue (eight percent; Marseille Bleu, the color Minted and BRIDES projected to be the 2024 wedding color of the year, showed out!), black (five percent), and red (five percent) were fast to follow. 

As for where these events took place? Of the many parties we ran, 127 (or 78 percent!) took place within the United States, while 35 (which translates to 22 percent) happened abroad. (That data tracks with the continued rise of the post-pandemic destination wedding, an event type we expect to see even more of in 2025 and beyond.) Italy and Mexico were—by far—the most popular destination wedding locations in 2024; back at home, we ran the most celebrations in states along the country’s perimeter, like California (35 percent), New York (nine percent), Virginia (six percent), Florida (six percent), and Texas (six percent).

One of our favorite statistics to come out of our 2024 real wedding analysis, however, didn’t have anything to do with location or logistics at all—instead, it focused on what we consider to be one of the most emotional parts of a celebration. Of our 165 couples, a whopping 77 percent of them opted to share a first look, which means that we can say with confidence that this pre-ceremony trend is officially a modern-day wedding tradition.

We expect to see more trends-turned-traditions (couples are wedding their way, remember?) become established over the next few years, but before we step into the future, we’re pausing to honor the events of the past. In this collection—which doubles as a 2024 Real Wedding highlight reel of sorts—you’ll find the emotional moments from ceremonies and receptions that had us wiping our eyes, the floral decorations that took our breath away, the details that had us shaking our heads (so genius!), the wedding dresses that stopped us in our tracks, and the cakes we wish we could have sliced into ourselves. It’s funny: Looking back at another year of epic celebrations only has us more excited and inspired for the year ahead—and we hope you feel the same.