The Instagram wedding: why multi-day celebrations are reshaping culture and entertainment

Across the wedding and entertainment scene, a growing trend is reshaping how couples mark their vows: more than one ceremony, sometimes staged weeks apart or even in different countries. The pattern has drawn attention from celebrities and ordinary couples alike, as weddings extend beyond a single day into multi-event spectacles that blend vows, receptions, and getaways. In recent months, public figures have publicly stretched their nuptials across venues and continents, illustrating how far some are willing to go to curate a narrative for social media and memory making. Charli XCX and George Daniel hosted a sun-drenched celebration in Sicily just months after their first wedding at Hackney Town Hall in east London. And Spice Girl Mel B tied the knot with hairdresser Rory McPhee in an extravagant three-day ceremony in Morocco weeks after they exchanged vows at St Paul’s Cathedral in London. These high-profile examples mirror a broader shift that observers say has seeped into ordinary couples as social feeds overflow with images of multi‑day celebrations.

A growing portion of couples now plan more than one day of festivities. Research by the wedding planning app Bridebook shows that one in seven official wedding ceremonies — meaning the legal paperwork and the formal vows — now takes place on a different day from the main celebration. More than a third of Gen Z and Millennial couples report planning weddings that span more than one day. The pattern often expands beyond the ceremony itself to weekend-long pre-events, such as extended hen weekends, destination soirées, and welcome gatherings, followed by a “Day Two” or post-wedding activities that stretch into a long itinerary. The result is not only more planning and coordination but also more opportunities for photographs, outfits, and moments that can be shared online.

The extension of the wedding weekend has ripple effects for guests as well. For many invited friends and relatives, attending a multi-day event means taking time off work, arranging travel, and booking accommodations across multiple venues. Industry observers point to the broader cultural moment in which the wedding is less a singular rite of passage and more a curated experience that travelers, influencers, and media markets can document and monetize. The trend has coincided with the rise of lavish, destination-style celebrations, including long-form hen dos abroad and the emergence of “mini-moons” in nearby resorts, followed by longer honeymoons in far-flung locales. All of this compounds the overall price tag attached to weddings, a point stressed by researchers who track household spending tied to weddings.

Critics contend the multi-day approach is less about a couple’s intimate union than about meeting an idealized, Instagram-worthy standard. The argument is that the wedding industrial complex has normalized extensive, weekend-long events that elevate cost and complexity for everyone involved, and that social media amplifies the pressure to stage the most photogenic moments twice or thrice over. Observers note the practical toll on guests, who must juggle travel logistics and expenses while trying to participate in every meaningful-sounding moment. The broader narrative is less about tradition and more about content, curation, and the chase for the most shareable moment. In this view, two dresses, two makeup artists, two hair stylists, multiple venues, and a sequence of carefully timed speeches become part of a single storyline: the Instagram wedding as curated spectacle.

The financial dimension is nontrivial. Data from the Money and Pensions Service show that wedding guests spend, on average, more than 2,000 pounds a year on wedding-related costs. Travel and accommodation account for the largest share of those expenses, followed by outfits and gifts. Critics argue that when a single day can balloon into a weekend or a weeklong itinerary, the burden on guests grows proportionally, particularly for singles who may feel pressured to attend every event. Proponents counter that for some couples, extended celebrations allow meaningful participation from loved ones who might be dispersed by geography or circumstance. The debate highlights a tension between personal celebration and collective logistics, a tension that has intensified as social platforms influence what is considered a memorable or acceptable wedding.

The trend is not limited to public figures. Laura Connor, writing for a Daily Mail Femail column, describes how more couples she knows are choosing not one but two weddings, often with separate venues and extensive itineraries. In her account, she notes that the desire to curate a visually stunning, content-rich experience can overshadow the more traditional aims of a wedding — to publicly declare a partnership and celebrate with close friends and family. Connor also reflects on her own recent experience and contends that social media pressure influenced decisions about how to structure her own celebration, including a cross-channel travel plan across borders and a post-wedding Day Two in a different locale. While she acknowledges the joy that such celebrations can bring for some, she also raises concerns about the strain on guests and the potential for the day to become more about sharing and appearance than about personal connection.

For many couples, planning multiple events reflects a combination of aspiration, practicality, and circumstance. Some see it as an opportunity to include more loved ones who would otherwise miss a single-day event, while others view it as an extension of a once-in-a-lifetime celebration into a longer, more immersive experience. Still, the growing prominence of Instagram-style weddings means that the pressure to deliver a flawless, photogenic weekend remains a salient factor in how couples choose to celebrate. As with any major life event, the core question remains: what kind of celebration feels most authentic and sustainable for the people involved? With data suggesting that multi-day weddings are on the rise and that guest costs are rising in tandem, couples appear to be balancing personal meaning with broader cultural and economic considerations as they plan their happiest day — and the days that follow.