Sarah Schreiber
There is a point in every season where the conversations around design, guest experience, and industry expectations become louder, more nuanced, and more revealing. This episode with Sarah Schreiber captured that point with clarity. Sarah, a former editor at Brides and Martha Stewart Weddings, has spent more than a decade shaping how weddings are documented and understood. Today, she brings that perspective into her consulting work, advising creative professionals on curation, copy, and brand presence. What emerged in our conversation was a thoughtful, candid look at where weddings are heading and what couples want most.
Listen to the full episode via Spotify or Apple.
A Color That Missed the Moment
Pantone announced its Color of the Year while many of us were together in Charleston: Cloud Dancer, a soft, muted white. It immediately sparked debate.
Sarah said what many were thinking:
“I just don't think you can call your color of the year white… It just feels so wrong for this moment.”
Color is resurging across the industry. Maximalism, layered palettes, and bolder design choices have been defining the celebrations that stand out. Naming a white tone as the defining color felt disconnected from the energy creatives are bringing to their work.
The announcement revealed something larger: couples and designers are craving expression, not neutrality.
Who Shapes Trends Now
One of the clearest themes in our conversation was how dramatically the trend cycle has shifted. Publications once set the tone. Today, they follow it.
As Sarah shared:
“Vendors are the ones creating trends… Media doesn’t have the budget to do it anymore.”
Trend forecasting now comes from:
Designers experimenting with color, texture, and scale
Planners rethinking pacing and guest flow
Photographers shaping visual language
Social platforms that surface new patterns rapidly
Runway design, red carpet moments, and architectural storytelling
Nothing stands alone. Visual culture moves collectively, and weddings move with it. Which means creatives are no longer interpreting trends — they are defining them.
The Trends Worth Watching
When asked what she loves most right now, Sarah pointed to the intentional changes in how couples host their weddings. Gen Z is rethinking structure entirely.
“They’re getting married at different times of day… They’re flipping the order of things… creating a timeline that resonates with them and is actually more fun for guests.”
She also noted the rise of:
Dessert moments that feel interactive rather than ceremonial
Embroidery, engraving, and other personal touches rooted in meaning
Activation-driven experiences that invite participation rather than observation
What she’s ready to leave behind:
“Draped tablescape tablecloths that are bunchy… calla lilies… neckties.”
And perhaps most importantly: designs that photograph beautifully but fail at hospitality.
As I shared during our conversation, design must never disrupt function. Guests should move intuitively, dine comfortably, and feel cared for at every point. A celebration is not a static visual—it's a living experience, one that requires seamless pacing and unobstructed service.
Authenticity, Legacy, and Designing With Meaning
We spoke about authenticity often, not as a trend but as a grounding principle. Gen Z couples are clear about what feels meaningful and what does not. They are willing to preserve traditions only when they hold real emotional value.
Sarah shared how this balance matters:
“A wedding is a double family event… Some traditions are wonderful. They connect you to a lineage of weddings that came before you.”
Her story about her own father — and the irreplaceable family portraits captured just months before his passing — underscored how powerful these moments are. Reinvention has its place, but so does legacy.
Authenticity is not about discarding tradition. It is about honoring what holds meaning and reshaping the rest.
What Couples Want to See Online
The shift in client behavior is unmistakable. Couples are interviewing more vendors, asking more pointed questions, and expecting more clarity before the first call.
As Sarah explained:
“Social is your first line of defense… They want to know they can trust you before they have an intake call.”
Couples want:
Clear articulation of values
A sense of your process and approach
Evidence of expertise
Distilled, easy-to-digest information
Work that reflects intentional curation, not volume
The modern audience responds less to perfectly curated feeds and more to thoughtful, transparent insight. They want to feel understood, informed, and supported long before they inquire.
Publication: What Still Matters and What Doesn’t
The publication conversation was refreshingly honest.
Sarah put it simply:
“Publication is an internal game… Couples aren’t looking at these sites anymore.”
The challenges are clear:
Slow turnaround times
Exclusive embargoes that delay marketing
Less relevance to modern couples
An industry leaning heavily on platforms that no longer influence consumer behavior
Her recommendation is direct: post your work, share your projects, and don’t wait months for permission to tell your own story. The value of publication today is largely internal — recognition among peers, not a meaningful driver of client decisions.
Talking About Money With Confidence
One of the most pointed sections of our conversation revolved around pricing.
Sarah reframed the scale of a wedding in a way couples rarely hear:
“You are literally taking 200 people out to dinner and inviting them to a concert… Why don’t people think that’s going to be a million dollars?”
Misinformation thrives in silence. Vendors often avoid money conversations out of discomfort, but clarity is a form of service. Clients cannot make informed decisions without honest framing, and withholding that information reinforces mistrust.
Transparency, delivered with confidence and care, is one of the most meaningful tools a planner can offer.
Reinvention as a Professional Constant
Sarah’s own career pivot came suddenly when she was let go from her editorial role. Her openness in sharing that moment allowed the industry to show up for her.
“I couldn’t go sit in an interview for another corporate job… It felt inherently wrong.”
That moment of vulnerability created the foundation for her consulting practice, where she now helps creatives refine their brands through curation, copy, submissions, and long-lead strategy.
Her story is a reminder that reinvention — sometimes welcome, sometimes unexpected — is often the beginning of more aligned work.
What She Leaves Us With
Sarah ended our conversation with three guiding principles:
“Hype each other up.”
“Mistakes happen… It’s how you move forward.”
“It is genuinely never too late to reinvent.”
These themes carried through every part of our discussion. Clarity. Generosity. Evolution. They are the qualities shaping the future of our industry and the experiences we create for the people who trust us.
Weddings are changing. Expectations are changing. And the professionals who thrive will be the ones who lead with honesty, design with intention, and serve with both imagination and discipline.
Listen to the full episode via Spotify or Apple.
If you would like to talk with us about planning your next event, HERE.
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