I think what people actually responded to in the recent Dua Lipa wedding photos wasn’t really the celebrity of it all.

It was that it looked cool without trying too hard.

Which, ironically, is quite hard to do.

For years, wedding fashion drifted into this strange place where everything became a bit too polished. Dresses too structured. Styling too curated. Weddings designed more for Pinterest than for actual human beings attempting to eat canapés in 28 degree heat while somebody’s uncle asks where the toilets are.

But recently, things seem to be shifting back toward personality.

And honestly, thank god.

The thing I liked most about the photographs wasn’t perfection. It was movement. Fabric that creased naturally. Hair reacting to wind instead of industrial levels of hairspray. People looking like themselves rather than “bridal versions” of themselves.

Fashion is becoming less about looking expensive and more about looking believable.

That’s a much harder thing to fake.

I think couples are getting braver now. There’s less pressure to look like a wedding brochure and more interest in looking like themselves on their best day. Slightly undone tailoring. Interesting textures. Vintage references. Smaller sunglasses. Silk that catches light properly. Shoes people can actually walk in.

There’s also been a noticeable move away from the idea that weddings need to feel formally luxurious to feel meaningful.

Some of the most stylish weddings I photograph are actually the simplest.

Good light through old windows. Linen tablecloths slightly wrinkled by dinner. A black suit that fits properly. Somebody carrying their heels by 9pm. Film photographs with soft grain and imperfect edges. The atmosphere doing most of the heavy lifting.

That’s the sort of thing people remember.

And from a photography perspective, this newer approach works beautifully with documentary coverage.

Natural styling moves properly. It reacts to weather and light. It allows moments to happen instead of constantly needing adjustment. You can feel the difference in photographs immediately. The images breathe a bit more.

Editorial wedding photography works best when there’s something real underneath it.

Otherwise it just becomes fashion cosplay in a field.

I also think this is partly why film photography has found its way back into weddings again. Modern wedding fashion has texture now. Silk, lace, wool, old jewellery, softer makeup, real skin tones. Film responds beautifully to all of that because it renders atmosphere rather than clinical perfection.

Digital captures detail. Film captures feeling.

Ideally, I like using both.

The funny thing is that despite weddings becoming more fashion conscious again, the overall feeling is actually becoming less formal. Couples want things to feel stylish, yes, but also relaxed. Personal. Human.

Less “look at us.”

More “this felt like us.”

And honestly, I think that’s why these kinds of weddings resonate so much online now. Not because they’re expensive or celebrity-adjacent, but because they feel attainable emotionally. People see them and think:

“I’d actually want to be there.”

Which is probably the highest compliment a wedding can get.

Photo by the very talented – @madison_phipps