Battle of the Bands: The Truth About Millennials vs Gen Z Wedding Music Choices
If you're planning your wedding right now, what you might not realise is that you’re also part of one of the most exciting cultural shifts in weddings! Whilst it’s true all couples dream of creating the most unforgettable day for their wedding, the priorities for Millennials and Gen Z are often quite different, especially when it comes to music and entertainment. If you’re wondering where your wedding planning compass is pointing, this blog is for you (and we’ll keep quiet about which generation we fit into!)
The Millennial Mindset: Polished and Personalised
Millennials (roughly age 30s to mid-40s) really perfected the art of the personalised, yet polished, wedding. Their focus has been on taking traditional elements of their wedding to the next level - and ensuring a good time for more of their guests.
The Music Vibe: Reliable Crowd-Pleasers
The Investment: Millennials were often willing to invest heavily in large, established 8-10 piece function bands. The goal was to cover as many genres as possible and keep a big crowd happy on the dance floor all night long. What legends!
The Aesthetic: Their style often leaned towards rustic chic and elegant neutrals. The music often stuck to tried-and-true popular hits that everyone knows and loves.
The Content: Their planning process was heavily informed by the inspiring visuals on Pinterest, resulting in beautifully "polished" wedding photos and professional, long-form videos. Millennials knew how to create an Instagram grid-friendly vibe!
The Gen Z Revolution: The Authentic Aesthetic
Gen Z (roughly age 20s to mid-30s) is taking a different approach - planning their weddings with more of an emphasis on authenticity, boldness, and shareable moments. Financial pressures are also making them think about how to make their budget go further.
The Music Vibe: Niche, Interactive, and Viral
The Investment: Due to higher costs, Gen Z often opts for Micro Weddings, so they can make the most of their hard-won savings. They go for niche, hyper-specific acts or high-impact, interactive performers (like a fantastic roaming brass band or a specialist Indie-Pop cover band). They favour the quality of their musicians over having a higher guest count.
The Aesthetic: Say goodbye to neutrals! Gen Z is known for embracing maximalism, bold color palettes, and retro/vintage vibes (think Y2K and '80s). The music needs to be able to match this aesthetic, often demanding a clever mixing of genres. It’s not just music, it’s a movement!
The Content: The focus is on candid, immediately shareable content suitable for TikTok and Instagram Reels. This has spurred the demand for Content Creators who deliver 24-hour video edits. The music must be performance-driven and visually engaging to help create those instant viral moments. It’s all about the impact and impressions!
Where Do You Spend Your Energy?
If you are a Millennial, you are more likely to prioritise...
A seamless professionally delivered soundtrack that keeps everyone happy - from the aunties and uncles to the uni friends!
The impact on your music choices is...
Hiring a versatile, large function band that guarantees a full dance floor all night long with tunes that everyone loves to shake their stuff to.
If you are a Gen Z, you are more likely to prioritise...
A totally unforgettable experience that says something about your story as a couple and creates visual moments your guests can’t help but snap and share!
The impact on your music choices is...
Investing in a specialty niche band or an interactive performer (like a DJ with a live saxophonist) is the ideal way to match your bold aesthetic.
So What Now?
Ultimately, what we’ve seen is that both generations are throwing amazing parties to celebrate their weddings. Whether you are looking for the reliable crowd-pleaser or the hyper-specific viral moment, ensuring your music is authentic to you is the key to creating the right vibe for your wedding day. And that’s exactly what we love to help you do. With our wide range of acts and packages, we can tailor something to ensure you create the perfect soundtrack to your big day. Book a call and tell us all about what you’re planning!
