2022 Wedding Trends in Malaysia

The new year has officially kicked off! As 2022 makes its way into our lives, now’s the time to see where things are headed for weddings in Malaysia this year.

Although the pandemic has sadly not reached its end yet, there is, however, some good news to it – weddings are seeing new trends as couples get more creative with planning them around the new normal. While many things may have changed along with new SOPs and all, it’s not impossible to plan a wedding that’s just as wonderful and memorable now.

If you and your partner are keen on tying the knot this year, read on to see just what the latest trends are for a Malaysian wedding in 2022!

1. Small-scale weddings

In light of pandemic regulations and tighter SOPs, it’s no surprise that smaller weddings have been getting more popular. Now, couples no longer necessarily want a monumental guest list and the entire extended family in attendance.

Instead, many couples are making the move to host smaller yet more meaningful and intimate ceremonies, such as small garden or outdoor weddings where only important family members or close friends are invited. 

With fewer guests and less headache of planning a grand large-scale wedding, it’s likely that more and more couples will now choose to devote more attention to creating a more special and intimate ceremony centered around themselves and their close friends and family. 

2. Weekday weddings

Compared to pre-pandemic times, weekend weddings are harder to achieve now due to lockdowns and new SOPs. It’s not just the venue, other elements like photographers and musicians are harder to come by too – everybody wants to get hold of the weekend slots.

Fortunately, there is a silver lining to this as weekday weddings will likely start trending this year as couples become more open to having their wedding on a Monday or Friday. Besides opening up more scheduling options, prices for booking venues and vendors are also typically lower during this time, making weekday weddings ideal for planning a budget wedding.

Besides, since weekdays aren’t as in demand as weekends, it’s easier to secure the vendors and venues you really want with a weekday wedding.

3. Multiple celebrations

Before the pandemic hit, large crowds of guests and blowout celebrations were fairly normal occurrences for weddings. But with SOPs and restrictions to venue capacity and social activities, this has led to the rise of having weddings split into multiple celebrations. 

In practice, the spaced-out nature of multiple celebrations means that there will be a smaller number of guests present at each one. Not only does this allow for more flexible planning of each celebration, but it also allows couples to have more opportunities to meet and spend time with one another.

Plus, this way, couples can also invite more guests without having to worry as much about cramming everything and everyone into a single event. For example, a couple can have a formal celebration with family and another intimate one with close friends, which can even be split into multi-day experiences as needed for the best experience.

4. Destination weddings

Thanks to increasing vaccination rates and gradual loosening of travel restrictions, the bliss of having a destination wedding away from traditional ballrooms and indoor venues is slowly making a return among couples. 

It’s not hard to see why, either! From outdoor and hilltop weddings to coastal celebrations or even getting wed at sea, destination weddings often offer beautiful and picturesque views that make for truly memorable celebrations. Plus, it’s a breath of fresh air and change of scenery that everyone sorely wants after not being able to travel for so long. 

And, as an added bonus, more destination weddings are also a boon for the tourism industry, which is sorely in need of some support. With a destination wedding, it’s a win-win for everybody!

5. Digital wedding e-invitations

While traditional cardstock-based wedding invitations do have their sentimental value, digital wedding e-invitations are popping up as a new and favourable alternative!

Compared to their physical counterpart, wedding e-invitations offer a myriad of useful features like photo galleries, audio, RSVP functions, and buttons among others that a card won’t have. Besides allowing for an engaging and appealing invitation to be made, the digital nature of e-invitations means they are also cheaper and more convenient to create and send out to guests, making it well-suited for use in a budget wedding.

Plus, with the pandemic looming about, handing out physical invitations does pose a risk of transmitting the virus to others. As digitally-delivered invitations don’t have this issue, it’s likely that e-invitations are going to see more use as the safer method for inviting guests.

6. Wider range of colours

Weddings have traditionally always emphasized the use of rather neutral colours like white, black, and maybe pink. However, such restrictions of colours likely won’t stay for long as couples start embracing bolder colour palettes.

Shades of green, touches of red, hues of blue… not only do they provide for a new and pleasing theme, but the different colours also let couples have a new way to express and symbolize meaning – such as joy, happiness, and contentment – through elements like wedding décor, invitations, and attire.

But this doesn’t mean that neutral palettes are past their prime, though! These colours still make for a timeless aesthetic that won’t go unappreciated. Just that, with other shades of colour making an entrance, it can be a good idea to start expanding your range of colours; perhaps even by using both neutral and bolder colours!

7. Breaking tradition

Just like life taking many new turns, couples are no longer letting themselves be bound by tradition as much anymore. 

Rather than planning generic cookie-cutter weddings, many couples have now been planning more individualized and personalized ceremonies themed around their personal traits and styles. Some examples of doing away with traditions or mixing things up include: 

• Having mixed-gender wedding parties
• Opting for more modern wedding readings
• Going for an alternative wedding cake

With the way things are headed, couples are now more conscious and intentional in regards to how their wedding goes and the elements it will have. It’s a growing trend for couples to have a greater expression of individuality than to do the same thing as everybody else.

8. Alternative wedding elements

Dresses and flowers are a mainstay at any wedding, but with more and more couples wanting to tailor their wedding to their personal tastes, it’s likely that more alternative wedding elements are going to pop up in weddings!

Rather than the usual and seen-all-too-often decor, couples are expressing their individuality by opting for alternative elements instead. These can extend to:

• Bouquets and flowers (e.g., using different blooms)
• Wedding attire (e.g., differently-styled dresses or even non-wedding dresses)
• Tabletop décor (e.g., movie props for a movie-themed wedding)
• Artistic light installations

The list goes on, and it can be anything! With the way things are going differently for weddings this year, going for an alternative route is only going to get more popular.

9. Sustainable practices

Sustainability isn’t just a fad for other parts of life. Nowadays, even weddings are picking up on the trend of sustainability as going green becomes more prevalent.

It doesn’t take much to have a sustainable wedding, even if you are planning a budget wedding. The key thing here is to switch out or go for more eco-friendly or sustainable alternatives, and the best part is that there’s often no real compromise in quality in doing so!

For the most part, sustainable practices can include any of the following:

• Choosing vendors with greener production methods (florists, etc.)
• Shopping for gifts locally
• Using greenery and plants as venue décor & wedding favors
• Minimizing the use of single-use items (e.g., going for e-invitations instead of physical cards)
• Sourcing for local and seasonal food and flowers
• Recycling or repurposing flowers after the wedding

By undertaking initiatives like these, couples will get to host a greener and sustainable wedding in an age where sustainability and environmental-friendliness matters more. If anything, going green makes for a naturally-beautiful wedding theme on its own.

Final thoughts

While the pandemic might have certainly put a hamper on many things, this doesn’t mean you have to put off your plans for getting wed this year! It’s just that Malaysian wedding trends are taking a new turn, and these don’t necessarily have to be bad.To all the couples planning to get married this year, we hope that some of these trends above will prove useful in guiding you to planning the best ceremony of your lives. If you happen to need some digital wedding e-invitations, you can always reach out to us at Artisense for some of our finest e-invitations for your wedding. Happy planning!