(NEXSTAR) — Going into a new year, thousands of Americans are likely continuing wedding preparations for 2026 during the holidays. Wedding work is never done and wedding trends never stop fluctuating.
Wedding resource and news outlet The Knot recently released its “Future of Marriage: 2026 Trends to Watch Report,” a mega-report compiling findings from multiple surveys the company took through 2025. The surveys included polling of nearly 2,000 engaged, dating and/or single people of various ages, racial groups, ethnicities, sexual orientations and income levels — all to take the temperature for 2026 weddings.
And there are a few things you’ve seen at weddings over the past several years that you may be seeing less of next year.
Overwhelmingly, the wedding tradition that ranked highest as being “out,” is one that goes back a long time: the bouquet and garter toss. Sixty-seven percent of engaged couples told the Knot they think this reception mainstay will drop off in 2026. This one isn’t surprising. The bouquet and garter toss have been steadily losing favor with couples over the past decade.
Back in May 2015, Jezebel did some major reader polling on the topic, with its results showing an overwhelming 81% saying they think the bouquet toss is outdated. Many wedding havers and wedding guests — particularly women — say the tradition not only puts a spotlight on single women that they may not want, the idea of “fighting” other women to be the “next” to get married feels antiquated. Even if choosing to sit out during the event, some single women may feel pressured by others at the event to do it against their own wishes.
The garter toss, meanwhile, has fallen even further out of favor, with many finding that while they can be done tastefully, the groom fishing under the bride’s dress to remove lingerie can easily become “tacky” or even uncomfortable for the bride and guests. The idea is pretty well-hated, even deemed “gross” over on Reddit wedding pages.
Last year, the Knot published its “14 bouquet and garter toss alternatives that aren’t cringeworthy,” featuring ideas like a “wedding favor toss” or a bouquet “passing of the torch,” where the married couple presents the bouquet to a couple they know is engaged, as a wish of good luck.
For the full report on the Knot’s 2026 wedding trends (including what kind of decor is “out”), visit the Knot Worldwide.