Okay, BATCH Fam, you’ve been voting in our polls, delivering verdicts to bridesmaids behaving badly, and laughing at how ridiculous some people’s problems are. But have you stopped to realize you’re actually helping fellow brides-to-be make choices that have been keeping them up at night? 

Your votes are steering your peers through hard decisions and setting trends for those that haven’t encountered them yet. Who should pay for the bride’s AirBNB during the BATCH party? Hell if we know, but you guys let each other know your thoughts and feelings loud and clear.

And what’s cool about the BATCH Fam is that we’re not just brides! In fact, right around 50% of this audience is made up of Maids-of-Honor, bridesmaids, close friends, and even grooms. So when you pass through our polls, you can take the results to heart because they’re not biased like you might find on bridal brands.

So let’s get into it—here are some trends we’re seeing based on an average of 2,700 votes per Instagram poll and various surveys we’ve conducted with our parties over the past year (sample size 4,000+).
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Scottsdale Celebrations

Scottsdale is gaining momentum as a top bachelorette destination. Almost 8% of our audience is heading there, up 3% from the last time we asked this in April. This moves Scottsdale up 3 spots in our Top 10 list to #2. Could those stunning desert sunsets take the top spot by the end of 2021? Watch out, Nashville!

Top 5 destinations for BATCH app users:

1. Nashville
2. Scottsdale
3. Las Vegas
4. Miami
5. Austin
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The at-home/outdoor BATCH party

45% of you said you have plans to attend 2 or more BATCH parties within the next year, which proves the tradition isn’t going anywhere soon.

The big change—no surprise here—is that groups are flocking to AirBNBs with Instagram-worthy accent walls, swimming pools, and enough beds to accommodate a small army. Pre-trip covid tests and consistent temperature taking are now staples for safety, and Maids of Honor are turning to private chefs and over-the-top decorations to keep the celebration feeling extra special.

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The most sought-after group activities? Casual outdoor fun (think picnics and paddle boarding), open-air party buses, and local sightseeing tours. We’ve also seen a surge in professional bachelorette party photoshoots. Wedding-album-quality shots of you being loved by your besties? We’re here for it.

Making the tradition nontraditional

It looks like around 5% of you ended up canceling your bachelorette party altogether, which is understandable considering you’re probably on your 2nd or 3rd wedding date. However, more and more brides-to-be are refusing to let the celebration go, and are considering having a big bash with their buddies after the wedding.

When covid first started mangling plans, only 67% of you were in support of this idea, but the last few times we’ve asked, over 80% have said you’d be down to join a nontraditional BATCH.

Since you’ll be married by then anyway, a lot of people are considering throwing one big, joint bachelor/ette party. A three-story AirBNB with a mega-pool? Okay! But be warned, 32% of our audience thinks this idea is “weird.” Sure, you’ll have to figure out what to do about all those significant others in your wedding party, but it’s definitely an option that could work for some groups.

Throwin’ bones at the honeymoon fund

Honeymoon funds started in the 90’s as a service provided by travel agents, but have grown in popularity over the past few years now that wedding websites make it easy for you to set up your own donation registry. Cash funds are also becoming more popular, especially now that many couples are feeling the financial impact of the pandemic. 

Fuck a toaster, if you’re a couple that needs cash, don’t feel bad for asking! A soaring 85% of your peers want you to know that it’s okay to ask for money as a gift.

Canned cocktails 

Okay, this is definitely a random one.

Not only were there a few thousand different seltzers to sip over the summer, but wines and cocktails are poppin’ their tops, too. This is especially important to those planning events with crowd safety in mind. Canned drinks eliminate the handling of glassware, ice, garnishes, and straws, and that’s why we think 68% of you chose this option over having a beverage dispenser at your wedding.

Seating chart of musical chairs

This is always tough. You have to cut a few people from your guest list because your venue’s state rolled back a phase. A bridesmaid tells you she doesn’t feel comfortable traveling to your wedding. Your friend couldn’t make it to your BATCH, yet she’s on Instagram partying with a different friend.

Damn, covid. You are just breaking up the rules, huh? The good news: most of you (MOST…) are being very understanding when it comes to your loved ones not making it to your wedding celebrations. We wouldn’t call this a statistic by any means, but 2 weeks or before seems like the sweet spot for letting people know you can’t make it. Once it’s within that 2 week window, though…the gloves come off. 

Invitation etiquette has also seen some changes. Too many of you are finding yourselves in awkward positions, like sending someone a Save-the-Date but not being able to follow up with an invite. Or what about that whole Group-A/Group-B strategy? Don’t beat yourself up too much. When these types of questions have come up, the Fam has been very forgiving about your wedding plans changing. I mean, 63% of us are even sending you a gift, still!

Now here’s where it gets sneaky. Some of you are using covid as an excuse to let an invitation or two slip for friendships that don’t seem as close or coworkers you don’t see now that there’s no office.

Don’t worry, we won’t tell.

The decline of obligation

78% of you recently voted that you don’t feel you need to go to someone’s bachelorette party just because they attended yours. Now, we’re not disagreeing with you, but we do think that number would probably be much lower if participating in anything outside your own home wasn’t a health hazard these days.

But, be careful. Statistics will never change the fact that all of our friends are different. When asked, 29% reported having lost a friend to a wedding or wedding-related event. That’s almost 1 out of 3! You spilled the tea and we heard stories about bridesmaids behaving badly, covid causing wedding plans to overlap for friends (yikes), and people just not showing up for you when you thought they would.

Our advice (and this is backed up by many DMs from you guys): tread lightly. People are definitely being more forgiving when it comes to their wedding era, but also quick to toss friendships that don’t seem that important anymore.

It’s (not) all about the details

It’s all the tiny details that will end up costing you a fortune at your wedding. But lately, some of the details don’t seem quite as important. If you’ve postponed your wedding and now your dress seems out of season, you’re okay with that. If the bridesmaids dresses should be shorter now that it’s summer...big deal, they’ll just sweat a little. Your dream venue canceled and can’t accommodate until 2022? Oh well, there’s a park nearby.

You’ve postponed, you’ve cut guests, you’ve canceled vendors, you’ve replaced bridesmaids. You couldn’t care less if the ice sculpture is missing a finger.

But one detail you are harping on: those +1’s. Your fiancé’s buddy met a girl on Bumble last week? Good for him! She ain’t coming.

Cornhole and comedians

You guys were looking for ideas on what your guests could do at your wedding if they aren’t big into dancing. We heard a lot of great ideas, but cornhole was overwhelmingly the most popular addition to your weddings. You’re also throwing in other lawn games like giant Jenga and scavenger hunts, but we heard some other inspiring ideas as well.

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Live painters, cigar rolling stations, ice cream bars, dueling pianos, magicians and even stand-up comedians were some of the trends we’re seeing. Unfortunately, my dad thinks he has the stand-up already covered. 😬

Not trying to please everyone

Of course we want everyone to enjoy our weddings and have an amazing time celebrating with us, but there just comes a point when we have to realize we can’t please everyone. BATCH Fam polls may seem like a simple break in your work day or something fun to read while scrolling before bed, but the fact is, the outcomes always prove to us that there’s no right answer to a lot of these things that stress us out.

We’ve seen votes split right down the middle on things like who should pay for the bachelorette party? Should we provide transportation for our wedding party from the ceremony to the reception? Is it okay to have a wedding on a Friday night if most of the guests need to fly there? Should I feel bad there’s a 2 hour gap between my wedding and reception?

These things will keep us up at night, but listen...go to sleep. You can’t please everyone. And look on the bright side...at least for the BATCH party, you can get the inside scoop from your MOH.

But just for fun, here are some votes that never get split down the middle. The BATCH Fam always favors mismatched bridesmaids dresses, prefers no kids at the wedding, hopes for an open bar over a cash bar, and believes hiring a videographer is always worth it. And, the bottom line for most polls: it’s your wedding—do what you want.

Want to help set the trends and be a part of the conversation? Follow us on Instagram to join the BATCH Fam!