A bride always wants to be on trend for the biggest day of her life and we’re here to help. Each year we take a look at what’s hot and what’s not in weddings and bring you the best of everything out there.
We check out the European wedding fashions, American fashions and go further afield to find the loveliest, most imaginative trends we can and bring them right here for you. Use them for inspiration, adapt them and make them work for you. That’s what they are here for, we hope you like them!
Flowers
The English garden look is so in right now. The rich colours, natural, earthy shapes and the variety of flowers that fit the mould make it a great theme for your wedding flowers.
Florists are stretching themselves trying to make premium flowers look freshly cut from the garden. Gone are the perfect cuts, expensive settings and matching colours and in is a seemingly eclectic mix that looks for all intents and purposes that they were picked that very morning. Highlights include peonies and roses, both of which make for a lovely mix of colours.
Food
The hottest wedding trends in terms of food is a curious mixture of formality and rustic. The formal sit-down dinner is in right now, with premium place settings, gold-plated cutlery, fine china and crystal glasses. Yet so is local produce, from local growers and in-season vegetables.
Foods on trend at the moment include pork, asparagus and anything that grows locally to you. According to caterers, brides are demanding something a little different than the usual roast beef dinner and so they should!
Drink
Champagne will always be in, at least as far as we’re concerned! However, other tipples are also making their presence known this year. Surprisingly, tequila is a wedding favourite we didn’t expect to see this year.
Cocktails are still bang on trend, especially champagne cocktails and unusual mixtures. Like the food, brides are increasingly requesting drinks to surprise and excite their guests rather than the usual fare. That includes Gin infusions, artisan cocktails and anything that gets people talking.
Wedding Cakes
The centrepiece of any evening has to be the wedding cake. Tall and slender is the look right now, with either bold colours, patterns or a single focal point. While the base of wedding cakes are still sponge, brides seem to be asking for exotic flavours like mango and passion fruit to accompany their cake.
Wedding cakes with bold patterns use flowers, rich colours, monograms and all-over appliques to create a truly unique look. On the other side, those cakes with a single focal point use a bow, flower or other decoration to make that statement.
Music
The trend of wedding music right now is personalisation. Gone are the set playlists or music themes and in is a flowing series of tracks from a huge variety of artists. We live in the iPod generation and brides could have several thousand songs on their phone. They want that kind of freedom on their big day too.
Another trend is to have a DJ and a live band who play together. It’s difficult to pull off, but if you can find an act that can do it, it creates a great atmosphere.
Facilities
The reception lounge is another trend that’s been with us for a couple of years but is still going strong. It’s somewhere away from the noisy reception room where guests can relax, chat and enjoy a cocktail or two along with finger food, games, a photo booth, drink stations or whatever else you want to provide.
Less is more though, so lots of seating, but only a couple of things to do, otherwise nobody will talk to each other!
DIY Weddings
Another trend we’re seeing a lot of is a DIY wedding. This hearkens back to the 1930s and 1940s where the bride and her family would make the dress, decorate the cake, create the table settings and use local artisans to provide the food, drink and entertainment. This local approach is about as hot as can be right now, only it’s usually all created by the venue and made to look rustic.
The DIY look doesn’t mean you have to do everything yourself, just that the theme looks like you have. Right on trend are cupcakes, mason jars, bicycles covered in flowers, bunting, tents and anything you could imagine from a wartime wedding.
Looks
There are so many wedding looks right now that it’s difficult to pick anything in particular. Vintage is hot, Bo-ho is hot, classic will always be hot, 1920s and 30s is super-hot.
Weddings are taking a welcome return to elegance, which we love. As part of the 1920s and 30s themes, we’re seeing old Hollywood and other influences make a return once more. That means lovely dresses, sharp suits, clean lines, simple themes and a timeless elegance that just shouts the end of austerity.
So that’s our pick for 2014. We know we’re halfway through it but you can expect all of these influences to carry on into next year. The influences driving these trends, the global economic climate isn’t going to change soon, so you can safely plan your wedding using any of these and still be considered the hottest event of the year!