Akinseye advises couples to focus on the underlying emotional impact rather than copying specific elements.
“Understand why certain moments resonated and translate that feeling into something authentic to your own celebration,” she said.
Experience designer Julie Comfort noted that creating impactful moments does not always require a larger budget.
“Couples are realizing they don't have to go over the top to make an impact, they just have to be more thoughtful, intentional, and generous with how they host people,” Comfort said.
Comfort explained that specialized design techniques are increasingly moving from commercial events into private celebrations.
“A lot of the experience design techniques we use come from the art and theater world to create anticipation, surprise, magic and drama,” she said.
As digital fatigue increases, the focus of event design is shifting away from social media exposure toward genuine interaction.
“Presence and connection,” Comfort emphasized.
Guest Experience and Intimacy
A wedding guest described the indoor transformation of the basketball arena in a social media post before deleting it due to strict non-disclosure terms.
“A small portion of MSG was cordoned off, devoid of any notion that a basketball or hockey game ever shared that space.
Somehow magically, someone created an outdoor garden at a lush countryside retreat,” the guest wrote.
Despite the grand scale of Madison Square Garden and the large guest list, the specific layout maintained an unexpected feeling of closeness.
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“They say there were around one thousand attendees, but surprisingly, it all felt intimate and small,” another guest said.
