I'm a wedding planner. Here are 2 trends that will start to disappear this year, and 6 you'll see everywhere.

Couples are becoming less shy about asking about the cost of wedding-related goods and services and the reasoning behind pricing. The average US wedding costs just under $30,000 — a huge chunk of change in any economic climate.

You can spend money on the things that actually bring you and your partner value by making a mission statement in which you prioritize what you'd actually like to splurge on for your wedding. Use that mission statement to assess what brings you and your partner joy as you plan.

Many weddings I'll be working on in 2023 will invite only 60 to 70 guests.

As someone who had 19 others at her own wedding, I wouldn't call an event with 60 people tiny, but it's a noticeable shift from an era of 100 or 200 plus guests.

The most efficient way to spend less money on a wedding is to buy fewer things. Though it might sound simple, it's tough to do in a world in which traditional wedding advice tells you to buy 15 vendors at a minimum of $2,000 a pop.

Identifying the top, middle, and bottom five vendors for your wedding can go a long way to simplifying the day and your budget.

The COVID-19 pandemic gave many wedding vendors a crash course in asking tough questions of their clients. In 2023, vendors who've remained in the wedding industry are more committed than ever to only working with people they connect with outside of a dollar amount.

Don't be surprised if a vendor websites ask you things like, "On a scale of one to 10, what do you rank [insert wedding activity]?" or if interviews with them are as much about you and your partner as they are about the service.

I've seen more conversations about sustainability in the wedding industry, a trend that many would argue is long overdue.

For example, the documentary series "Sustainably Wed" asks how a wedding can be more sustainable in terms of the environment and mental health. Additional tools like Less Stuff, More Meaning's carbon-footprint calculator give couples the information they need to make choices that are in line with their values.

Though the trend of setting COVID-19 boundaries that exceed legal mandates like requiring masks or testing at the entrance to a wedding has faded, conversations about health and safety always remain prominent.

Discussing any health or safety concerns is essential for couples who want to center VIPs who are particularly vulnerable to COVID-19 and other illnesses. COVID-19 safety policies and interview questions will help everyone share important information in 2023 and beyond.

Wedding shows or, to use the gendered term, bridal shows continue to exist, but many couples are instead turning to resources like inclusive wedding-vendor directories, Google reviews, and Reddit to get the answers they need.

For many, 2022 was the year of too many weddings so, in the aftermath of the boom, couples will be more conscious of when they set the date.

If you're planning a wedding, go at a pace that best serves you and your partner. Many venues and vendors continue to have ample availability into 2023.

There's also no reason to move a date to 2024 unless you and your partner want to get married in that particular year.