New Trends in Weddings
Millennials are changing the world and it is no more apparent than in the traditional weddings. In fact, the word “traditional” can be thrown out the window. From traditional media to traditional weddings, millennials are blazing new trails and asking the “WHY” question throughout it all.
Photographer: Mary Mathis
Why do I have to get married in a church? Why do we have to wear tuxes? Why do I have to spend money on a rehearsal dinner? Why do my senior pictures have to look so stiff? According to the New York Times, wedding guests are likely to find informal mixers instead of rehearsal dinners, social media concierge rather than a wedding planner and churches being replaced for more photo-friendly locations. The emphasis is on being “more memorable and photo-worthy” with a custom hashtag.
My daughter is a wedding and senior picture photographer. The emphasis is on personality, style and casual comfort. She describes the photos as model-like shoots where the location could be in a farm field, downtown alley, in a swimming pool or literally in a lake. The photos are not shot in stuffy studios under fake light. The photos are more authentic and unique. They show well on Facebook and in a frame on mom’s mantel, but they must look good on social media.
As one hotel owner described this change, “All rules are out the window.” If you are wondering why millennials are not flocking to your organization, you may need to throw out the rule book and turn up the event book.
Mark Mathis
Mark wrote his first direct-mail fundraising letter in 1981 for the University of Iowa Center for Advancement. The effort raised a few million dollars in undiscovered wills and legacy gifts. From that day forward Mark discovered a love of the big idea that moves the needle.
After 12 years at KWWL, Mark became a business owner as a co-founder of ME&V — rebranded as AMPERAGE in 2015. After 25 years of leading creative teams in video production, graphic design, PR, writing and web development, Mark transitioned out of ownership in 2021. Today he serves in an employee role as special projects consultant.
He is creatively ambidextrous — son of an artist and engineer — and famous for distilling complex ideas down to a few words and a few visuals. Mark is a writer. When he found that many nonprofits struggled with complex branding puzzles, he wrote the book, “NonProfit-NonMarketing .” He also wrote a novel called “Reenactment.”
Mark is an active blogger OneMinuteMarketer® with nearly 1,000 readers each week on LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter. One of his most popular YouTube videos is on “How to Look Good on Zoom.”
One of Mark’s fondest business memories was being named to INC 500 two times and attending the INC 500 conference with other winners. Mark is considered by some a Civil War expert (and that explains his novel). Mark also served as an adjunct professor in the business and in the communications departments at Wartburg College.
Mark is a graduate of the University of Iowa and is currently vice president of the University of Iowa Journalism and Mass Communications Advisory Board.
Mark is married to state Sen. Liz Mathis, and the two love to travel, even when it means being trapped by a volcano in the Czech Republic for three weeks.