I'm a luxury wedding caterer in the Hamptons. Here's the biggest difference between Gen Z and millennial weddings.
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- Gen Z couples tend to prefer simpler wedding menus, a luxury wedding caterer told BI.
- Older couples prioritize personal preferences and don't people-please, unlike Gen Z couples.
- "They really, really know what they want," Hamptons wedding caterer Lexi Ritsch said.
When it comes to planning a wedding in the Hamptons or another luxurious locale, millennials know exactly how to curate a personalized wedding menu.
That's according to Lexi Ritsch, the cofounder of Hamptons Aristocrat, a catering, events, and design company based in the Hamptons, New York, and Palm Beach, Florida.
She told Business Insider the biggest difference she's witnessed between Gen Z and millennial weddings comes down to life experience.
"I find the younger crowd to be slightly more vanilla in their choices, more simple, because I don't think that they've really experienced their culinary potential yet, maybe," she said.
Ritsch said her typical Hamptons clientele falls in the millennial age range — according to the Pew Research Center, millennials are anyone born between 1981 and 1996.
Courtesy of Hamptons Aristocrat
"I would say most of my wedding couples are slightly older, and it might be a Hamptons thing," she said. "Obviously if you're doing weddings in the Hamptons, unless it's your parents' house, you're further down in your life typically."
The Hamptons are considered one of the wealthiest enclaves in the country, and its residents include a host of celebrities and high-profile individuals. In 2022, East Hampton reported a median household income of $94,375 and the median property value was $2 million, according to Data USA.
By the time people enter their 30s and 40s, the age range Ritsch most typically deals with, they have a distinct idea of what they want for their wedding menu, she said.
And unlike some Gen Z couples, they might be able to afford exactly what they want.
Gen Z couples opt for 'safer' options like plated chicken and fish
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Ritsch said this can be due to a lack of culinary experience, or a lower budget than couples in their 30s and 40s.
"At 23 years old, have you eaten at a Michelin-star restaurant?" Ritsch asked. "Have you been to a James Beard award-winning restaurant? Have you had those types of experiences?"
The couples that Ritsch works with in the 30-to-50 age range, however, are "passionate about what they want to serve" and are willing to splash out a little more on the food to have exactly what they want for their wedding menu.
Millennial couples take more risks with their menus and don't people-please
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"I think at that point in life, you know what you want, you know how you want it, and it makes the planning aspect so much better," Ritsch said. "There's nothing I hate more than someone who can't make a decision. So with the older crowd, it's great because they know what they want, and they make their own decisions."
Ritsch said younger couples often want to please and placate their guests and their parents, who might even be paying for the wedding.
However, she said older couples are more headstrong and willing to make less traditional wedding menu choices, perhaps by opting for more exotic dishes or a tasting-menu-style service.
"They really, really know what they want," she said. "And they're willing to take risks because it's more about them and what they want to eat."