It’s engagement season! And you know what that means, time to start planning! With each wedding season that’s come and gone, we’ve learned a lot about what works and what doesn’t – both aesthetically and practically. Based on our work with couples in the last three seasons here are our favorite new wedding trends for this year:
Save The Weekend
As our friends move further and further away we find that weddings end up being about more than just the ceremony and reception, it’s almost like a big weekend-long reunion for all your friends and family. More often than not, couples are making agendas for the entire wedding weekend including dinners, brunches, and even some outings and activities that allow your guests to explore the local area. It can add a little more effort to your planning but getting help planning a weekend’s worth of activities will make your wedding that much more memorable and create more opportunities for timeless memories to be made.
Money Saving Destinations
Not quite the same as a traditional destination wedding (though we do love an overseas wedding that highlights a beautiful part of the world), this is a trend we’re seeing with couples opting to get married somewhere that isn’t particularly meaningful to either of them but is affordable, fun, and new to them. Forego the typical spots and check out the unique and affordable destinations around the US. Check out some amazing shots of the mountains in Utah or the Coast of Oregon and soon you’ll be picturing them as the perfect backdrop for your big day.
Here is a list of the 10 most affordable places to get married in the USA.
Small Intimate Ceremonies
The past few years have seen some giant bridal parties (we worked with one that had 10 bridesmaids and 9 groomsmen!) however it seems the trend is shifting towards not only smaller wedding parties, but smaller ceremonies. We’re seeing a lot of people have small intimate ceremonies with only immediate family invited and following up with a quick informal ceremony with all their guests or simply inviting guests only to the reception. Sometimes the small intimate ceremony is months or even a year before the formal gathering of friends and family!
No kids allowed
We don’t mean this in a discriminatory way, we know kids can be the most fun, however we have so often seen kids who get a little grumpy or tired right when the party starts to kick off which can lead to stressed out parents who have to leave early. We love kids and think they can be some of the star strutters down the ceremony aisle, but we’ve seen a shift towards kids-free receptions and we’ve met a lot of happy parents who are so pleased that the wedding organized a babysitter with kids activities for the evening relieving them of parental duties. Adding a few babysitters and finding a dedicated area, room, or just a hotel suite for the kids to be supervised in can save a lot of stress or worries around inviting new parents to your big day.
Alternative Centerpieces
Yes, there is sometimes nothing prettier than a gorgeous vase of flowers, we won’t deny it. However, in recent years as people become more eco-conscious there has been a shift away from the traditional floral centerpiece with the notion being that it’s only on the table for a few hours, you’re only seated at the table for maximum one hour, and at the end of the night you don’t even take them home as you jet off to your honeymoon. Lots of couples are opting for more creative centerpieces that are a direct representation of them. We’ve seen gold painted books with candles, we’ve seen a giant cheese and charcuterie board down the center of the table, and we’ve seen potted plants that go home with guests as gifts! Don’t feel tied down to classic flowers just because it’s tradition, this is a fun place to get creative and show off your personalities.
