06/15/2009
Creative Lighting
Creative Lighting
Small Ceremonies
Monograms
Retro Theme
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Wedding Trends You Love

Since my last post was met with some mixed reviews I'm going to go ahead and post about some of the more recent wedding trends that I love.

Vintage and Retro Themes I have become addicted to Offbeat Bride, a great blog dedicated to all things non-traditional for weddings. I love, love, love the weddings with retro and vintage themes. Though I don't think I could ever pull-off a pin-up style wedding I give major kudos to those who have. I'm much more of a vintage gal myself and as you've noticed from my previous blogs I love hunting for vintage items to add to my reception decor. I certainly hope that brides can continue to include more "offbeat" styles to their wedding.

Monograms I love their simple elegance and how you can use them to tie your wedding theme together. Monograms are easily a DIY project and can be transferred from your invitations to your wedding cake to your favors! Plus, there is no "wrong" style for a monogram so add your own flare!

Creative Lighting and DraperiesI have fallen in love with different lighting styles for receptions, especially projected images on dance floors and spotlights on ceilings. I love the look that lights give when they are softly lit from behind a long curtain and since you can rent lights or pay someone to set up a light display for the evening it isn't a budget breaker!

Small, Intimate Weddings Many 2009 brides are opting for small private ceremonies and nixing the bridal party (or at least cutting back to only one bridesmaid). My fiance and I are one of these couples. Not only does it fit my FH's more laid-back personality to just share those moments between ourselves, but it's also helped us scale back the amount we'll be spending. :)

There are many other trends I love too. Such as using a unique coffee-table style book or photo album as a guest book. I've even seen a bride on WBC who used a photo quilt in place of the guest book. I also love that many brides are remembering lost loved ones on their wedding day. I, myself, will be saving a seat for one of my friends (a victim of suicide) and my grandmother.

Are you rolling with any recent wedding trends or hoping to start one of your own?
wedding, trends, love, monograms, lighting, draperies, vintage, retro, theme, small, private, ceremony
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's wedding
sisan
 |  Gardendale, AL, USA  |  06/15/2009  | 
We're using coffebeans in vases as our centerpieces and foregoing the candles. I know it's been done but not a lot of people do it and we are putting our own twist on it. Crap the monogram is something I should've put in your dislike blog. haha.
mommybride's Purple wedding
mommybride
 |  Pacific, MO, USA  |  06/15/2009  | 
I know a lot of people use monograms (we aren't), but I do think they are a good idea. It's something personal and easy.

I like the coffee bean idea! I could definitely go for that! lol
brandbre's Purple wedding
brandbre
 |  Stone mountain, GA, USA  |  06/15/2009  | 
I LOVE vintage weddings!! IMO it can NEVER be overdone. I also like small weddings and wedding parties. I only have one best man and two maids of honor. Also my guest list is only 65!

I love mermaid/trumpet dresses. They are so classy!

I also like brides who nix the veil.
jeremyandkayla's White wedding
jeremyandkayla
 |  Honolulu, HI, USA  |  06/15/2009  | 
yay for small weddings, we are doing away with our 300 person wedding and replacing it with 50 people-75 tops.  :)

i also like the idea of incorporating sports teams, etc on garters, monograms are pretty though i wouldnt put them EVERYWHERE, and i like the different shapes of cakes
bananapants's Green wedding
bananapants
 |  Minneapolis, MN, USA  |  06/15/2009  | 
Amen on Offbeat Bride sister!  Have you read her book?  The Unbride is a favorite too.  

Actually I love wedding blogs in general, and reading about real weddings on them.  I find much more inspiration there than I do in the bridal magazines.  And inspiration boards?  Please.  How did brides do it before the internet?  I'm happy I'll never know.  

As for actual wedding trends...I think the biggest thing is that couple's feel more free to make their wedding a reflection of themselves, whether it's in song selections, the formality (or lack thereof) of their day, creating new twists on old traditions, choosing a colorful wedding dress, going hog-wild with a theme, being socially conscious with charity donations instead of favors, going green, etc.  

And right now I'm personally LOVING the non-matching wedding party trend that seems effortlessly chic.  My parents' kind of did that with their wedding (they did the ever-popular rainbow look), and I'm happy to put an updated spin on it!
sapphire2009's Blue wedding
sapphire2009
 |  Cary, NC, USA  |  06/15/2009  | 
- I'm seeing more people using banquet/rectangle tables which is something I love (perhaps because we're doing it too?) since you can have so much more variation in the centerpieces etc.
- I'm also a fan of the more simple, modern designs that are coming out at the moment- ie. blocks of color, table runners, clean lines etc. and moving away from all the "traditional" white wedding type thing. I love wedding dresses with color on them (not the ones that are totally colored though).
- coordinating, but not matching bridesmaids dresses (another thing I'm doing)
- softer, less defined bridal hairstyles. there's nothing attractive about helmet hair. lol.. I like that a lot of people are forgoing the veils.
- incorporating a touch of crazy using ties, shirts, shoes, etc.
- RECEPTION DRESSES!! I cannot tell you how much I love this idea. haha. I'm so not a one dress bride- over 150 dresses and there wasn't a single one I fell head over heels for. So, I need 2 dresses instead. haha.
- tea length dresses. so super cute.
- cocktail receptions. I find seated dinners to be so boring!
- after parties.
-monochromatic color schemes
- dessert buffets in lieu of a large wedding cake
- charity donations in lieu of favors
oh i could keep going for HOURS.. lol.
sapphire2009's Blue wedding
sapphire2009
 |  Cary, NC, USA  |  06/15/2009  | 
ooh, i thought of some more.
- lounge areas in the reception
- trash the dress, day after & boudoir photo shoots
's wedding
Nocturnius
 |  Orlando, FL, USA  |  06/15/2009  | 
Well, I plan on using lighting. I just love how lighting transforms a venue. It can make it look like a completely different place.

I like signature drinks. Whether they were picked because they match the color sheme, they're the bride and groom's favorites, or because it's what the twosome were drinking the night they met, it's just a cool idea.

Off-the-wall themes. I was working with a friend of mine to design their wedding day, and we picked a coffee theme because she and her FH met in a coffee shop. The more we came up with (shades of brown and ivory for the color scheme, coffee beans in the invitations and centerpiece vases, a gourmet coffee station), the more I thought "wow, this is really cool." Too bad "science class" would be a supremely weird theme (that's where I met my husband!)

Color transition. Because I am a color FANATIC. If I could literally use every color in the existing spectrum for a wedding, I would...

Bridesmaids in matching color, matching fabric... but different dresses. I just like the look. I also love all-white weddings (where even the guests are asked to wear white!) For some reason, it looks really festive to me. If I were a bride that wanted to be the only one in white, I'd probably do this for an engagement party instead of the wedding.

Photojournalism!

Letterpress... I love letterpress EVERYTHING. Boxed invitations - they're like getting a little gift in the mail! They're so exciting to receive as a guest. Using neat fabrics and papers, rhinestone accents.
's wedding
Nocturnius
 |  Orlando, FL, USA  |  06/15/2009  | 
Oh, I forgot!

Welcome hous before the ceremony, and after parties. Very cool!
ikaufman08's Chocolate wedding
ikaufman08
 |  Cleveland, OH, USA  |  06/16/2009  | 
sand ceremony, i love the new idea, as i posed in the previous blog, but its very unique bc u can have ur own wedding colors. and you never know how the sand will fall once you start pouring...

the lighting in vases are kool too, im not doing that but they are cool....

the bridcage veils look kool, not my style but kool too... im more of a classic vintage bride in sence that my dress is all lace with lots of pearls on it...

the one trend i love is going away with guestbooks but rather having a picture frame, or plate, where the guest sign. I am using an all glass picture frame with a 8x10 pic of us from rehearsal dinner, everyone will sign the frame with a brown marker and once i get my wedding pics back i will put a pic of all the guest and us in it... (yes im taking a wedding group photo) :)
ikaufman08's Chocolate wedding
ikaufman08
 |  Cleveland, OH, USA  |  06/16/2009  | 
forgot to add , this is not a wedding trend but more of an engagement/guy trend.... engagement bands for guys... i think its sooo kool my FN has one and everyone gives him a hard time about it, or they used to until u sent him an article about it and lets just say everyone was like wow! we are outdated!! hahah.... so yes engagement bands for the men.... love it!
mommybride's Purple wedding
mommybride
 |  Pacific, MO, USA  |  06/16/2009  | 
My FH has an engagement band too! :)
tiggre99's Red wedding
tiggre99
 |  Herndon, VA, USA  |  06/16/2009  | 
now this is the kind of post I like to see....

*I love anything non-traditional.
*A bit of color in the wedding dress (mine will be all red with a splash of white and gold lace)
*Sand Ceremony (it's a great alternative to the unity candle--our wedding is outdoors and we will be doing this.  We are including our parents and the pastor)
*We are having a small wedding of 40 and only 1 MOH and 1 Best Man
*I will be having a locket with a picture of my grandfather and friend who passed away 3 years ago attached to my bouquet in memory.
*I am doing the quilt guestbook...which I thought was a great alternative to the traditional guestbook.
*We are doing cupcakes--for one I think cakes are way too expensive (silly bakers!!)  and since we are traveling 4 hrs to our venue and taking the cupcakes with us, this makes a great alternative, not to mention we don't have to worry about someone cutting the cake.  
*I love how nowadays, anything goes with a wedding--it's no longer the traditional white and sit down dinners.  The bride and groom can incorporate their own ideas, colors, decorations, and anything they like.  Because after all it is about the bride and groom.
futuremrsweikle's Pink wedding
futuremrsweikle
 |  Newnan, GA, USA  |  06/16/2009  | 
-I like that it's more accepted to be a tattooed bride these days.
-I love that weddings are so colorful now! I'm not into the traditional all white wedding.
-Loose hairstyles are great!
-Being able to express yourself at your wedding.
-I love the new trend of walking down the aisle to a meaningful song rather than a traditional one.
-Round colorful bouquets wrapped with ribbon and/or other decoration.
-Colored wedding dresses, either just some color or full color.
-Birdcage veils.
-The retro look.
-Other table shapes besides round
-Mermaid/trumpet and sheath dresses.
-Boudoir photos.

I could keep going, there are so many new trends that I love!
's wedding
nmiller20
 |  Buffalo, NY, USA  |  06/18/2009  | 
I love patterns...and I actually like candy buffets if they are done right , dont get me wrong I have seen some creepy ones...but I like the ones that are really and extention to your day.
I love simple gowns, and natural make up!

Lighting ooh is fab it can make you feel like its summer when it a blizzerd outside..it puts you in a different mood! love love love it!
bethann0508's White wedding
bethann0508
 |  Northridge, CA, USA  |  09/23/2009  | 
i love the lighting and draping! in fact i really need it for my ceremony! (not a gorgeous room)
does anyone know any companies or anything that does this in the bay area? (preferably not super expensive)
smarie333's Blue wedding
smarie333
 |  Orange park, FL, USA  |  11/19/2010  | 
I love calendar guest books...where the guests sign their name on their birthdays!

I also love feather bouquets because you can keep them forever :)

Hmm...I love anything tiffany blue because it is my favorite color

I love my wedding dress.

I love beach weddings. :( sad that i cant have one.

I love lots of things :)
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