Viral Weddings, Celebrity Guests, Destination Events: Lauren Grech Of LLG Events Discusses New Trends To Look ...

Photo Credit: Shawn Connell

If you’ve somehow missed the piping hot weddings of the year, then you’re probably living in a social media blackout zone (and seriously, how did you even find this article?). It is not even peak wedding season and three weddings have already broken the internet. One of which is not even a wedding but the lavish pre-wedding festivities of Anant Ambani and Radhika Merchant. Meanwhile, TikTok is still not over the surreal wedding of Madelaine Brockway and Jacob LaGrone, dubbing their Paris nuptials for the wedding of the century. These were not like other weddings; they were full-blown multi-day festivals, creating a new trend in the industry. Inclusive of celebrity performances, acrobatics, drone shows, 6-star luxury, yes, that’s right, I said 6 stars and custom bridal couture with the world’s leading designers.

Picture this: a five-day celebration starting with a soirée at Chanel’s Haute Couture Headquarters in Paris, an overnight stay at the Palace of Versailles, a welcome dinner at the Paris Opera House, an intimate Maroon 5 Concert at the reception, a concluding drone fireworks show, and private jet transfers for all guests. This was the reality for guests of Madelaine Brockway and Jacob LaGrone’s wedding. They even threw a bachelorette party in Utah at one of the world’s priciest hotels, ringing up a cool $89 million for the entire affair. Yes, you read that right.

Here to break down the trends that came from these latest celebrations is a top NYC wedding planner behind one of the viral weddings, Lauren Grech, Founder of LLG Events.

Photo Credit: Greg Finck

Interviewer: Can you tell us a little about yourself and what is LLG?

LLG: LLG started as my initials, lol, but it became so much bigger than that. To put it simply, LLG is a bespoke wedding and event planning design firm based in NYC. We transform ballrooms, jungles, backyards, hotel rooms, beachside estates, lakeside villas all over the world. And I mean literally, all over the world. From Bora Bora to Ireland to Peninsula Papagayo to the Plaza Hotel, we push boundaries everywhere we go. We are a luxury wedding brand known for producing some really cool sh*t and for making the seemingly impossible, possible..Don’t come to us for basic reasons; our motto is this or better.

I:  I love it!! You seem so passionate about luxury weddings and events. Can you tell us a little more about what makes a luxury wedding, well, luxury?

LLG: Luxury is so overused. I honestly dislike the word. I prefer to at least use the words bespoke luxury, which – to me – means access. Access to new experiences, innovative designs, and up-and-coming artists and chefs. As well as access to new venues, hotels, and events that you normally do not frequent. Your wedding and event should be a reflection of you, an elevated extension of the way you live your life. The new version of you that you want to present to your friends and society. Luxury is the right personalization, intentional design, and precise touches that are incorporated throughout your event.

I: Okay, let’s dive right into the weddings everyone is talking about! Rihanna’s performance at the Ambani pre-wedding and Maroon 5’s appearance at the Brockway-LaGrone wedding might suggest we can expect to see other celebrity performances at weddings down the road?

LLG: Absolutely! I think we are just seeing the beginning of celebrity entertainment at events. Requests for private celeb performances have become increasingly popular. At LLG Events, we’ve been getting a lot of requests for EDM DJs. We just brought Nora En Pure to Costa Rica for the closing party of our 4-day destination wedding. One of my friends, SJS Events, just had 50 Cent at her 20th Anniversary Party at the St. Regis in New York City and 2 weeks later at a wedding in Marrakech. You can definitely expect to see more celeb appearances across this wedding season.

Photo Credit: Anastasiia Ostapovich Photography

Photo Credit: Sylvia Guardia Photography

I:  Any predictions as to the celeb talent at the Ambani wedding this summer?

L:  I’m excited to see who’s performing at the Ambani wedding this summer…I hope it’s Taylor Swift!

I:  Let’s talk about the fashion, specifically, Nita Ambani, the mother of the groom, was iced out in colored diamonds and emeralds, Is this look here to stay?

LLG: I am ALL IN on the colored stone trend. Nita’s jewelry looks will be setting a new standard in the luxury diamond rental market. As you mentioned, most couples choose a natural-colored diamond; however, the elegance and decadence Nita exuded by wearing Rubies and Emeralds at her son’s pre-wedding show that these stones are just as timeless. I think these stones can really enhance any mother-of-the-bride/groom look for a wedding.

I: You mentioned the luxury diamond rental market. What’s that?

LLG: We work with several privately owned diamond rental companies that lend their diamonds to our clients. We set up one-on-one appointments for our clients to try on these pieces prior to their wedding day. We then ship them anywhere in the world, depending on where our client is getting married. What I love is that they can wear items they may not want to own but certainly want to flaunt on their wedding day lol.

I: What are your thoughts on pre-wedding festivities, it looks like this is becoming more popular?

LLG: Definitely! I personally wanted to be a bridesmaid at Madelaine’s wedding haha. She brought her bridal squad to Chanel for a private tour and design party which I would LOVE to do! Pre-wedding festivities can be as simple as welcome drinks or a full blown festival on the beach, but they are certainly here to stay.

I: Since 2020, destination weddings have kind of been a no-go (understandably). Now, years removed from COVID, it seems like they are officially making a comeback. Were these weddings outliers or are you seeing the demand for destination weddings return?

LLG: I love how both the Ambani wedding and Madelaine Brockway’s wedding were both destination weddings in their own way. The Ambanis chose to give their guests a taste of India, literally from the music, cuisine, performances, and attire; it was a way for people to explore their home country. Madelaine brought her wedding guests from the United States to Paris, a city that she loves. She wanted to tell her own story in Paris and make it her own. That’s why she invited her wedding guests on a multiple-day journey through some of the city’s most iconic locations. Both destination weddings are two very different experiences. Most of my clients are in between having a destination wedding in their hometown or bringing their family and friends to a city that has meaning to them as a couple. It’s a personal decision that we help guide our couples through. We can certainly say destination weddings are back.

I: You recently had a wedding go viral from The Plaza Hotel, which we absolutely loved! What are some of the trends people saw from that wedding?

LLG: This wedding had a different type of entertainment, which I think everyone loved. Part of our design for the wedding was to recreate The Plaza Hotel lobby. We wanted it to feel like you were walking onto a movie set. As part of the wedding check-in, guests were greeted by 6 bellhops in custom white and gold costumes. Except the twist was that these bellhops also happened to perform for Radio City and did a little kickline number for our wedding guests as a surprise during dinner. The post has over 3M views and counting!

I: Final question, and feel free to plead the fifth. Do you buy the common superstition about not planning a wedding in an election year, or do you think it’s overblown?

LLG: I think people get spooked during an election year and want to be cautious about their investments. However, I think it’s the perfect time to plan your wedding for a 2025 kickoff!

I: Thank you so much for sitting with us and sharing your thoughts. How can our readers learn more about you?

LLG: You can follow me on Instagram: @llgevents.

Photo Credit: Shawn Connell

To learn more about Lauren Grech and LLG Events, visit the website and Instagram.

Written in partnership with Tom White