Beyoncé’s disco-inspired “Renaissance” album. Amazon Prime’s “Daisy Jones & The Six” set in the rollicking landscape of Sunset Strip in 1977. Dead & Company’s final tour this summer. Bell-bottoms, maximalist design and plenty of marijuana. It can seem like the ’70s are everywhere again.
And this includes weddings. “With trends, whether it’s fashion or music, it always trickles down to events,” said Sarah Mastriano, the owner of A Lovely Universe Events based in Red Bank, N.J. She considers the recent ’70s resurgence a reaction to pandemic times when so many weddings were forced to become pared-down, or even virtual affairs.
“We were all locked up for so long that now couples are really emphasizing the experience of the guest,” Ms. Mastriano said. “If they’re going to come out of their house and almost put their health at risk to be in a big crowd, it better be interesting and fun.”
When Hilary Katzman, 34, and Bryan Kayne, 30, both product managers who live in Manhattan, were married on May 6, the couple tasked Ms. Mastriano with creating “a love fest” for their 160 guests.
“I’m a Grateful Dead fan to the extreme,” Mr. Kayne said, and they sought to bring the band’s attendant culture of love and kindness to their nuptials.
Accordingly, the couple wanted their wedding to be rooted in their values of peace, sharing and vulnerability. Porta Asbury Park, a restaurant on the Jersey Shore, proved their dream venue, partly because of the giant disco ball installation over the dance floor.
In addition to a nine-piece band called Daddy Pop that played disco tunes, jazzy ’70s yacht rock and the Grateful Dead, the couple incorporated nostalgia into many aspects of their wedding — from disco ball stirrers and tables named after Grateful Dead songs to rainbow-colored attire for their 30-person “inner circle” and a tie-dye tuxedo and a silver sequined dress serving as the couple’s second looks.
Michelle Angelosanto of Modern Rebel, a wedding planning company in New York City, is gearing up for a similarly themed soiree at Brooklyn Grange Sunset Park in July for Priya Mapara, 32, a digital product designer, and Luke Waring, 33, a software engineer.
The couple, who live in Brooklyn, told Ms. Angelosanto they wanted the celebration “to feel really relaxed, groovy and inclusive,” she said. “That just naturally lends itself to a ’70s aesthetic.” For this wedding, there will be a rust red, burnt orange and lavender color palette, large and small disco balls and lounge spaces with rattan benches and rust orange velvet chairs.
Anshul and Keats Kamble called their wedding, which took place Dec. 4 at the Evergreen in Portland, Ore., “muted disco.” Post-Covid, the ’70s represented a break from hardship, said Ms. Kamble, 26, a business analyst at a health company, adding that disco “feels like a little escape.” A big dance party was paramount.
Mr. Kamble, 28, a social media marketing strategist, honored his Mumbai roots with an ivory sherwani (a long coat) with floral embroidery at the ceremony. For the reception, “I wanted to hard launch my marriage chain,” he said of the traditional gold necklace given to him by his grandparents. “So I wore a monochrome forest green suit with the chain as the main accessory.” Their wedding planner, Candida Bell, lead planner of Bridal Bliss in Portland, called the suit “very John Travolta ‘Saturday Night Fever.’”
The bride wore a puff-sleeve gown for the ceremony and changed into a shorter dress with patent leather go-go boots.
Along with disco balls in their floral arrangements, a playlist heavy on disco originals and ’70s remixes like “September” by Earth, Wind & Fire and disco ball key chains for their 120 guests, they rented a vintage phone where guests could leave them a voice message. Now, a vinyl record of these audio missives resides on their bookcase.
Nora Sheils, the founder of Bridal Bliss and a founder of wedding software company Rock Paper Coin, also in Portland, believes that nostalgia plays a big role in the ’70s resurrection. A lot of couples getting married today would rather look to the past than the future, she said, noting that the ’70s “super carefree” nature strikes a chord with many. She also points to ’70s songs like “Dreams” by Fleetwood Mac resurfacing on TikTok. Other songs having a moment include “What You Won’t Do for Love” by Bobby Caldwell and “Angie” by the Rolling Stones.
Wedding industry vendors have taken note of the craze. Minted Weddings, a design marketplace for artists and makers, reports that 10 percent of designs in its 2023 wedding collection integrate a ’70s design motif; this represents a 107 percent increase from last year.
Caroline Duggan, an owner of Baumbirdy in Chicago, which sells its paper goods on the platform, has found much inspiration in the time period, saying “brides today want to create that mood for their guests, like a visual filter for their day.”
Ms. Mastriano sees this trend as a “return to letting loose, having a little sparkle in your life. People are telling me ‘I want my wedding to feel like a healthier version of Studio 54.’”
