The biggest wedding cliché of all time, according to a wedding planner

A top wedding planner explains the biggest wedding clichés and reveals the most popular current trends to The Independent

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Wedding season is commencing for another year which means it’s time to play wedding bingo: ‘naked’ cakes, first dances to Ed Sheeran’s Thinking Out Loud and mini bottles of gin as presents for the guests will almost definitely occur.

Just like in fashion and food, nuptial trends come and go, but according to one top wedding planner, the most enduring cliché is the bride walking down the aisle to Pachelbel's Canon in D.

Robin Weil, CEO of weddingplanner.co.uk, told The Independent he hasn’t seen any dip in its popularity during his time in the industry: “It's clearly a timeless piece of music and considering it's from the 1600s, that's pretty impressive!”

It’s a piece of music that almost everyone will recognise, even if they don’t know it by name.

“If you don't work in the industry, you probably wouldn't realise how popular it is so I don't feel that guests will judge couples for choosing this, just industry experts!” Weil explains.

That said, there are certainly some people who would never choose Pachelbel’s Canon in D largely because it’s so popular:

“For me, one of the most important things about our wedding day is that it's a true representation of me and my fiancé and of us as individuals, so I wouldn't want to walk down the aisle to the same song as millions of others,” 24-year-old Anna, who’s getting married later this month, explained to The Independent.

“It's important that every element of our day is special and particular to us,” she said.

And Weil agrees: “It's always lovely to hear a piece or a song that really means something to the couple. Whether that's the Game of Thrones theme tune or the traditional Wedding March, I think the song for walking down the aisle should be a really personal choice.”

But despite its ubiquity, Weil believes Pachelbel’s Canon in D isn’t necessarily a bad choice: “Other than the fact it sounds beautiful, particularly when played by a string quartet, it also works well logistically as it provides many convenient places for the musicians to stop playing based on the phrasing.”

It’s not the only enduring wedding cliché though - Weil says the other most popular thing couples do is perform a choreographed first dance.

“The first dance in general tends to bring a lot of pressure for any couple,” he points out.

“Most people aren't too comfortable with being the centre of attention particularly when they are dancing so getting this right not just for the day but for any footage that may go around (on social media) seems to be a pretty crucial point.

“Usually couples go for fast songs if they are choreographed and we've seen a lot of mash-ups and medleys. Thinking Out Loud was certainly very popular last year!”

But whether Thinking Out Loud will have an appeal as enduring as Canon in D remains to be seen.

Weil says there are three main current trends riding high in the wedding world:

1. Food trucks

Weil believes food trucks have become so popular because pop-up restaurants are on trend and they allow couples to choose their favourite cuisines easily.

“They're also quite an affordable way of feeding your guests so it fits in with the idea of the savvy bride!” he adds.

Whether as the main meal (commonly hog roasts) or a snack later in the evening (pizza vans are popular), food trucks have become a wedding staple.

2. Colour pops

The backlash to pastel has begun, according to Weil. “As the popularity of DIY weddings continues to grow, this has given rise to a trend of colour clashing,” Weil says. “The brighter the better it seems!”

In a world where your Instagram feed seems to be full of identikit weddings, couples are looking for more ways than ever to stand out, and Weil believes one of the easiest ways to do that is by being daring with colour.

3. Ditching traditions

Brides and grooms are increasingly walking down the aisle together.

“As feminism becomes more prominent, there seems to be a real split between those who want the special moment of walking down the aisle alone or with their father, vs sharing that special moment with their partner and showing times have changed,” Weil says.

And who knows how far our disdain for traditions could go - will brides one day stop wearing white? It's not unheard of, but perhaps it could be the wedding trend of 2025.