DESPITE a decline in marriages and a rise in divorces in recent years, Jamaica’s wedding industry is reporting strong interest for 2026, with planners pointing to a shift in how couples choose to celebrate — moving from larger to smaller, more intimate ceremonies.

The industry players say enquiries for next year are also high. December is emerging as a favourite month for nuptials, and destination weddings continue to fuel demand even as couples scale back guest lists and budgets.

Kara-Ann Boyne-Anderson, creative director at Petals and Promises, said her 2026 calendar is already full, with as many as two weddings scheduled per weekend and a noticeable rise in destination ceremonies.

“Couples are signing up to have their destination weddings because we do mostly destination weddings. We do have locals as well, and we find that both are just gearing up to celebrate their weddings with intention. Gone are the days when weddings were just events. They are now experiences and, therefore, you find that a lot of clients are planning far ahead enough to be able to manage a budget as well as to make decisions on the intentional items that are included in celebrations,” said Boyne-Anderson.

She noted that demand is higher than last year, with approximately 80 per cent of her clientèle coming from Canada, the United States and other Caribbean countries.

Julian Hylton, chief executive officer of Future Events, and founder of Terri Events, along with wedding planner Terri Myrie, reported a surge in enquiries for 2026, though confirmed bookings have not yet matched 2025 levels.

Myrie said there has been a marked shift away from large-scale weddings toward more intimate celebrations, with couples increasingly opting to take on elements of the planning themselves.

“With TikTok and all of these trends going on, and the push for DIY [do-it-yourself] projects is there. Generally, I don’t see very big weddings happening. When I’m thinking big, I’m thinking 200 to 300 guests. You’re seeing weddings more in the 80 to 120 range and, of course, you have micro weddings, which are about 50 or so…Majority of people are not going 200 or above,” said Myrie.

She added that many brides feel the effects of “wedding tax”, where suppliers increase prices for weddings, prompting them to adopt a more hands-on approach or seek vendors within their budget.

Hylton said she has also adjusted her business model to accommodate couples who want greater control over costs.

“What [couples] are looking for is, ‘Can I get your venue and do everything else?’ For us, because of the type of service that we offer, and similar to other vendors, we do get those requests. Other vendors, they might tell you that, ‘Hey, you can’t carry any food’, for what they might be doing and so they might do 10 [weddings] for the year, compared to if they were allowing persons to come in, they would have maybe done 40 weddings,” said the founder of Future Events.

While bookings may be pacing differently this year, planners agree that momentum is building. Hylton noted that December has become a particularly popular month as couples take advantage of time off work or the opportunity to escape colder climates for destination ceremonies. September and October are also seeing increased interest as the year progresses.

“Compared to last year, we started off slow, but I know the slowness is due to the fact that persons are scaling back. We are looking to hopefully execute at least 40 events or 40 weddings for the year,” she said.

Overall, the wedding planners said they are not discouraged by the annual decline in marriages, noting that despite the statistics, love and the desire to wed remain strong.

According to data from the Statistical Institute of Jamaica, marriages in Jamaica have been trending downward since 2022, when more than 15,000 unions were recorded. The figure declined to 14,167 in 2023 and fell further to 12,470 in 2024.