Guest post by Amelia Selby
Your wedding is a once-in-a-lifetime occasion, and a day that you want to be truly unforgettable.
We know this, and it is exactly why our motto of ‘Why do ordinary?’ is well and truly at the heart of our marriage offering.
“Booking a wedding venue with Oliver’s Travels gives you the freedom to design your dream day your way – no restrictions, no preset packages, and no compromises. Unlike traditional package wedding venues, it’s a blank canvas where creativity meets flexibility, allowing you to bring in your own vendors, control your budget, and create a celebration that’s as unique as your love story” says Evie Carrington, Oliver’s Travels’ dedicated Weddings Consultant.
Evie has worked at Oliver’s Travels for over 5 years and has worked with over 9,000 happy couples to find their dream wedding venue. She’ll also be celebrating her own wedding in late 2025, so you can guarantee she knows a thing or two!
We’ve now compiled a destination weddings report that includes all the trends we believe will be popular in 2025 and beyond – from rustic, agricultural settings to small, intimate events.
Oliver’s Travels wedding venues in:
“Wed-cations”
Couples are moving their focus towards a more ‘holiday’ style of celebration – dubbed a ‘wed-cation’.
“People have been more open to hosting holiday-style weddings, where they stay for longer in a chosen destination with a close-knit group of their nearest and dearest. We’re seeing lots of wedding parties now booking for a whole week and hosting the celebration mid-stay!”
Multi-day wedding celebrations are becoming more and more popular, particularly for marriages abroad, and it is a trend that will continue to grow throughout 2025.
This is evident in the rise in popularity of our one-week minimum-stay wedding properties, highlighting that couples want to celebrate with their loved ones for at least seven nights or longer.
In fact, as many as half (48%) of all wedding bookings we’ve had this year have been for a full 7 days, which is the highest figure we’ve seen over the last five years.
For any soon-to-be-weds considering a ‘wed-cation’, these are some of our favourite properties to extend the special day:
Villa Jolivet
Villa Jolivet is a beautifully restored Provencal farmhouse that is located in France’s Languedoc region. It’s a romantic setting for a wedding with pretty patios throughout the grounds, authentic stone and vaulted ceilings, and rustic agricultural surroundings.
The historic property has a capacity of 200 wedding guests in total, who can be hosted for the special day in a beautifully decorated marquee on the extensive grounds. There is space for up to 19 guests to stay at the farmhouse as well, who will enjoy exploring everything it offers during their seven-day stay.
I Tebaldi
I Tebaldi is an exquisitely restored, 16th-century home that now makes for an intimate wedding venue close to Florence. Romantic terraces and gardens scatter the grounds, along with quintessentially Italian olive trees, that can be enjoyed with views of the rolling hills and nearby woodlands.
The beautiful grounds are ideal for a reception for up to 50 people. Then newlyweds, and their nearest and dearest, can retire in the eight bedrooms (that sleep up to 18 people) and make the most of the breathtaking views from the infinity pool during the rest of their one-week, minimum, stay.
La Dolce Vita
Another Italian beauty, La Dolce Vita is an ideal ‘wed-cation’ destination – this time on Sicily’s eastern coast. From its vast terrace, your wedding party can gaze out to the Sicilian countryside, which has barely changed for over a century, while they sip on local wine in an authentic setting.
The farmhouse accommodates up to 80 wedding guests outdoors, with the stone patio being the ideal place for dining and dancing with no time restrictions into the evening. The property then has space for 16 guests to stay in six bedrooms for the rest of the week.
Micro-Destination Weddings
This prioritisation of spending quality time with loved ones is a clear trend for 2025, as we’ve also witnessed an increasing trend for smaller destination weddings in general.
“Our new average guest list size is closer to 60 people whereas the average guest list was nearer to 100 people before the pandemic.”
Micro weddings and elopements are becoming increasingly popular – something accelerated by the pandemic but is continuing to rise due to people prioritising more intimate events with their loved ones.
“Micro-weddings – typically with 50 or fewer guests – have risen in popularity since 2020 due to their intimate, cost-effective nature. Initially driven by pandemic restrictions, couples embraced the charm of close-knit gatherings, focusing on meaningful connections, personalised details, and unique venues. This shift highlights a preference for authenticity and heartfelt celebrations”
For example, 20% of wedding bookings we had in 2020 were for properties with 20+ bedrooms, whereas this figure is just 8.4% this year.
If any couples are looking to keep their destination wedding small and intimate, these are some of the best properties available:
Villa Cecconi
Any couple looking for an intimate Italian wedding venue should look no further than Villa Cecconi, a 14th-century former watchtower in Chianti wine country. Your wedding party will enjoy the large swimming pool, shaded patios, outdoor pizza oven and accommodation spread over three stone buildings.
Large in scale but intimate in capacity, Villa Cecconi is big enough for just 30 guests but your nearest and dearest will be able to dance the night away on the star-lit patio. Twelve bedrooms then welcome guests back to rest their heads – and tired feet!
Château Belles Vignes
Château Belles Vignes is another ideal wedding venue for soon-to-be-weds looking to keep their special day small and intimate. Although the property can host weddings of up to 300 guests, smaller gatherings can make the most of discounted mid-week rates for groups of 40 or less at a fraction of the regular weekend price.
Guests will enjoy exploring the beautiful grounds, including the castle’s small museum where its rare pieces testify to its long history. The château can host up to 30 people to sleep on-site – split across the main building, lakehouse and a few B&Bs.
Château d’Ax
This 14th-century château in the Dordogne countryside is a simple, rustic venue full of character and perfect for small intimate weddings. The area boasts so many wineries that you and your nearest and dearest won’t struggle to keep your glass topped up at Château d’Ax.
Stone walls, ancient brick fireplaces and charming spiral stairs suggest a storied past. It’s a romantic venue where family and friends can make cherished memories, with the castle having the capacity for 30 guests inside but up to 60 outside within its grounds.
Off-Season, On Trend
We’ve seen a big shift in seasonality too, with many couples for 2025 and beyond considering getting married outside of the peak summer months.
“There has definitely been a big shift in favour of the shoulder seasons, especially September. A big contributing factor is that summer is peak season and prices are undoubtedly higher, so people are keen to avoid this.”
At Oliver’s Travels, we have a range of properties that offer discounted rates for shoulder season.
“Also, recent summers have also seen record temperatures across Europe, with lots of heatwaves, so people are likely now more conscious of this.”
Couples planning destination weddings are increasingly steering clear of peak summer months as skyrocketing rates take their toll. A compelling shift emerges when comparing bookings: in 2019, June and September saw a 54% increase in bookings over July and August.
Fast forward to 2025, confirmed upcoming bookings for June and September currently mark a staggering 143% rise over the summer’s bookings. Interestingly, lower-season months like April, May, and October are now gaining popularity, offering significant villa rental savings during the shoulder season.
Rustic, Outdoor Settings
The type of venue that couples want for their destination wedding has changed in recent years too.
“Outdoor weddings became a big thing during the pandemic – because, essentially, they needed to be like that. However, couples appear to be sticking with more alfresco settings that reflect nature and a simpler lifestyle.”
At Oliver’s Travels, we’ve seen an increase in enquiries for rustic farmhouse venues, with at least 75% of 2025 bookings having a rustic agricultural setting.
“Not only does this type of venue offer a romantic vibe, they also provide more of a blank canvas for creativity and allow couples to transform the space how they want.”
We offer a wide range of rustic farmhouse venues for soon-to-be-weds and below are some of our favourites:
La Felicite
La Felicite is a beyond charming, converted farmhouse in France’s Pyrénées foothills that blends authentic, rustic character with understated luxury. Throughout the farmhouse, its authentic features shine, such as exposed beams and vaulted ceilings.
Alongside the gorgeous 16th-century property, you’ll be able to enjoy the beautifully renovated Grain Store, Pigeon House and original Bread Oven. For the wedding itself, the old tobacco drying barn is the ideal place to tie the knot with French doors that open onto the glorious valley and add to the rural ambience.
Villa Monte Nero
Another rustic gem is Villa Monte Nero, in Italy’s Tuscany region. The old stone farmhouse has been recently renovated to a luxurious standard while keeping the original rustic features – think original vaulted ceilings, terracotta tiles and stone walls.
It also sits on its own estate, where the outdoor swimming pool and dining area offer views of the surrounding countryside and olive groves. This makes for the perfect rustic wedding setting, where you can watch the sunset over the agricultural landscape before dancing the night away beneath the stars.
Farm-To-Table Feasts
Keeping on the agricultural theme, we’ve found that couples looking to get married in 2025 and beyond are to be heavily prioritising the food and drink served on their big day.
“Informal dining, regional produce and local wine have become top priorities, and we’re seeing a lot of interest for properties located on a vineyard or working farm.
“Much of this stems from people being more conscious about where their food comes from. Really, it’s no surprise that being more aware in our day-to-day lives is flowing over into our most important one too!”
Wedding catering is moving towards fresh, high-quality food that supports local agriculture, with a trend of organic and farm-to-table menus that use locally sourced ingredients.
A lot of our properties are set within agricultural settings, and here are some of those with the most charming food and drink offerings:
La Masia Forn Teuler
La Masia Forn Teuler is a converted barn located in the Alt Penedes wine region. The beautiful property is owned by a professional chef who runs the venue to showcase the wonders of Spanish and Catalan cuisine, using the original tile and kiln ovens that still exist in the house.
Weddings here get the opportunity to choose from a range of local dishes for their special day, which includes produce from the well-developed kitchen garden and resident chickens as well as local suppliers and farmers of the Catalan region. A curated wine list is also on offer and is full of local organic bottles.
Villa Vigneto Estate
Villa Vigneto Estate is a farmhouse located in the Tuscan foothills, sitting amongst the vines of an organic winery that produces the finest wines and the silkiest olive oils. As you can imagine, getting married at Villa Vigneto is a charming affair, centred around the delights of the regional produce.
Celebrations are accompanied by the Chianti wine produced from the surrounding fields, which guests can sip as they look out over the wooded hills and olive groves – it doesn’t get much more local than that!
Getting married?
We hope these trends for destination weddings in 2025 and beyond have offered some inspiration and guidance during your planning process as we know it can sometimes feel a little overwhelming to know where to start.
By embracing trends, you can make sure that you have a memorable experience, with a fresh twist, but also that your wedding stands out from others your guests have been to.
However, we know that every couple is different. No ‘one-size-fits-all’ and your wedding day is very personal to you, which is something we pride ourselves on at Oliver’s Travels.
We offer a curated selection of over 500 stunning wedding venues across Europe, each with a distinct charm and unforgettable atmosphere so you’re sure to find the perfect one for you!
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