What Type of Wedding Should I Have

One press names a type of wedding, with who is there, where it is held and how it runs.

Barn weddingIn a big wooden barn in the country, with long tables, string lights and dancing on the barn floor.

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How it works

Not sure what type of wedding you should have? Press the button for one kind to consider, from an elopement to a weekend wedding. Each card says who is there, where it is held and how the day runs.

Read the full guide

Press, then talk it over

Each press shows one type. Say out loud what you like and dislike about it before you press again: the reasons matter more than the draw.

Narrow it by size or setting

After your first press, the list under the button narrows the draw: Just the two of you, Small, Big, Outdoors, Away from home, Formal or Relaxed. A wedding can be several types at once, such as a small destination wedding or a civil elopement.

Tips

Types mix. Press twice and try the two together: a brunch wedding in a garden.

Questions and answers

What are the different types of weddings?

By size: an elopement, a micro wedding, a double wedding. By place: a destination, backyard, beach or barn wedding. By style: a white wedding, a black-tie wedding or a picnic. A wedding may fall into several categories at once.

What is the difference between an elopement and a micro wedding?

An elopement has no invited guests and is often a surprise. A micro wedding is planned and announced in advance for a small number of family and friends, usually no more than 10 or 15 people.

What is a destination wedding?

A wedding held at a place most of the invited guests must travel to, often a vacation setting, where they tend to stay for several days. It is not the same as an elopement.

Is this a quiz?

No. It draws one type at random and scores no answers, so it cannot say which wedding suits you. Use it to start the conversation.

All 41 types of wedding

Just the two of you 4

Adventure elopement The two of you marry somewhere remote and outdoors, and the journey there is part of the day.
Civil ceremony A ceremony led by a civil official such as a judge or a mayor, often at a town hall or a courthouse.
Elopement Just the two of you, often as a surprise to everyone else. Family and friends hear the news afterward.
Sunrise wedding The ceremony at first light, somewhere with a clear view east, and breakfast afterward.

Small 12

At-home wedding In your own living room, with the furniture pushed back and only the closest people around you.
Backyard wedding At your own home or a relative's, with the ceremony on the lawn and dinner under a tent or the trees.
Boat wedding On the deck of a boat, with the ceremony once it is out on the water.
Brunch wedding A morning ceremony followed by a late breakfast, with everyone home by mid-afternoon.
Handfasting The couple makes the pledge with their hands joined, clasped or bound together with a ribbon or cord.
Micro wedding Planned and announced like any wedding, but for a handful of guests, usually no more than 10 or 15.

Show all 41 types of wedding (31 more)

Small, continued

Picnic wedding A ceremony in a park, then blankets on the grass and food from baskets.
Potluck wedding Every guest brings a dish for a shared table, so the meal is made by the people you invited.
Rooftop wedding High above a city at sunset, with the skyline behind you and room for a small crowd.
Surprise wedding Guests are invited to a party and find out on arrival that it is a wedding.
Tea party wedding An afternoon ceremony followed by tea, small sandwiches and cake in place of a dinner.
Vow renewal A married couple says their vows again, often on a milestone anniversary, with family and friends watching.

Big 10

Ballroom wedding Indoors in one grand room, with round tables, a dance floor and a seated dinner.
Barn wedding In a big wooden barn in the country, with long tables, string lights and dancing on the barn floor.
Camp wedding Guests stay in cabins for a weekend of campfires and games, with the ceremony outdoors.
Collective wedding Many couples are married at the same time in a single ceremony.
Double wedding Two couples, often siblings or close friends, marry in one ceremony or one straight after the other.
Festival wedding A field, a stage, live bands and food stalls, with guests in boots and some of them camping overnight.
Sequel wedding A large celebration held some time after a much smaller wedding, for the guests who missed the first one.
Tented wedding One big tent on open ground, so the whole day happens in one place whatever the weather does.
Weekend wedding The couple and their guests celebrate over a whole weekend, and the ceremony is one part of it.
White wedding The traditional formal Western wedding, named for the white dress and often held in a place of worship.

Outdoors 6

Beach wedding On the sand near the water's edge, with guests in light clothes and plenty of them barefoot.
Farm wedding In a field on a working farm, with hay bales for seats and the animals looking on.
Garden wedding Among flower beds and hedges in late spring or summer, with chairs set out on the grass.
Lakeside wedding On a dock or a lawn at the edge of a lake, timed for the evening light on the water.
Mountain wedding The ceremony at a lookout or in a high meadow, with the view behind the couple.
Woodland wedding Under tall trees in a forest clearing, with a path between them for an aisle.

Away from home 1

Destination wedding Held somewhere most guests must travel to, often a vacation spot, with everyone staying for several days.

Formal 5

Black-tie wedding An evening wedding where guests are asked to come in tuxedos and floor-length gowns.
Highland wedding The groom and some of the wedding party wear kilts, and the bride may wear a tartan sash.
Historic house wedding In the rooms and gardens of an old estate, with the ceremony on the terrace or in the hall.
Military wedding Held in a military chapel, with one or both of the couple in dress uniform.
Winter wedding Held in the cold months, indoors and by candlelight, with evergreens in place of summer flowers.

Relaxed 3

Dessert reception wedding An evening ceremony followed by cake, sweets and dancing, with no seated meal.
Humanist wedding A ceremony with no religious content, led by a humanist celebrant and built around the couple's own story.
Themed wedding The couple picks a theme, such as a favorite decade, and the guests dress for it.

How this list was compiled: Our own list of 41 types of wedding, written on 2026-10-01; every line is ours. 15 of the types are named and defined on English Wikipedia, and each of those lines was checked that day against the article on the item (x.src): the Types section of Wedding (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wedding#Types), Wedding vow renewal ceremony, Handfasting and Collective wedding. A script checked that the words behind each of those lines are in the article. The other types are everyday names for a setting, a size or a style, described plainly by us. Nothing here is about what a wedding costs, how to marry legally or where to book; no business is named; and no faith's rite is listed, because a random draw should not hand anyone a faith. The tags under x (size, setting, formality, length) are filled only where the article states them, for a quiz the plan may build later. Licence: own work