Trendy Wedding Preparations On A Budget
Weddings have moved a long way from the ceremony of strict tradition it once was into a more trendy and hip event.
When young people are celebrating their love, they want the reception to be a representation of who they are.
Young and trendy with lots of personal styles without breaking the budget.
This, along with the desire to save money wherever they can, leads the more creative couples to take a DIY approach to their wedding.
Even if they don’t want to do everything themselves, couples are certainly moving more towards the unique than the traditional.
With years of experience running a wedding venue, I have seen many trends come and go. Below are my top 9 picks for creative wedding reception trends that will boom in this year.
1. Hand-Dyed Silk Runners
Silk runners add a note of softness and elegance in your decoration.
It is one the leading trends I see at wedding receptions at the moment and I expect it to continue strong into the year ahead.
They give the tables a lovely and soft look that creates a wonderful sense of coziness and intimacy between guests.
The hand-dyed look also gives a homemade look (especially if they are homemade, obviously). Here is a good guide for doing your own dying.
2. Asymmetrical Flower Designs
Flower arrangements are one of the more traditional features of a wedding ceremony and reception.
This can often feel a bit stuffy to modern couples and one way I have seen them begin to break away from the floral element without doing away with it completely is asymmetrical arrangements.
The distinctively off center look can be very striking when done professionally and at its best can be tailored depict blooming of flowers, branches of trees or foliage.
If you wanted to create the look yourself I would recommend checking out this online guide and here on Pinterest.
3. Airbnb your honeymoon (or destination wedding accommodation)
Airbnb is fast becoming the norm for the younger generation when they book accommodation and it won’t be too long until that is the case for honeymooning couples too.
While there will always be couples that want the fancy hotel or resort experience for their getaway after tying the knot, the expansion of Airbnb is offering more options and unique experiences than ever used to be available.
With the growing popularity of vacation weddings it is also a great idea to Airbnb a place for the wedding party to stay together.
This proves a very popular option for young couples as the ‘at-home’ feel helps to lower stress levels and makes the experience feel a lot more natural.
4. Street Food Dining
This trend has been slowly gathering momentum for some time and I don’t see it slowing down anytime soon.
With food trucks a popular and growing dining option everywhere in the world, catering your wedding with a variety of food trucks is an option that creates a wonderful atmosphere.
It also solves the headache that can result in trying to design a menu that will please all your guests.
From Indian snacks to spicy gyoza to wood fire pizza or gourmet burgers food trucks are fun, social and not going anywhere anytime soon.
5. Long Tables Dining
I personally love the new trend of long guest dining tables instead of the more traditional round option.
They make so much more sense from a room layout perspective.
The reason I think this trend is booming is the increased casual nature of weddings.
Long tables encourage conversation between guests, putting each person in a closer proximity to more people.
It also helps the reception feel more like a shared experience instead of islands of 6 to 8 people.
Not to mention the headaches it solves in segmenting your guest into groups of even numbers.
6. Give Welcome Packages and Hangover Kits
With it becoming more common for weddings to be something people travel to for a whole weekend, many couples set up group accommodation options.
When this is the case it is a fun option to put together welcome packs for their rooms.
You can put together a package of use local sweets and small souvenirs, schedule for the wedding ceremony and other personalized items.
Some couples go for a humorous approach with gifts like hangover kits to let your guests know they should get ready to enjoy themselves.
You can buy the bags online and working out the contents is a great way to get creative and put a bit of your personality as a couple into your wedding favours.
7. Textural Fabric
It is so easy these days to hire or buy any type of material for your wedding and couples are taking advantage of this to create looks with a lot more texture and depth.
If you have a strong creative streak mixing and matching intelligently makes it relatively simple to create a completely unique look for your wedding reception.
I have seen this done in simple ways for incredible results.
8. Keepsake Details Into Your Wedding Trends Design
Every couple wants their wedding to be remembered.
A trend that reflects this is incorporating keepsake elements into the design of things like chair covers, cushions, tea lights, coasters and more.
When a couple has a good eye adding a custom touch to elements of the wedding beyond things like menus and placeholders can really make a fantastic impact.
These elements can be used as practical gift for guests or for larger more expensive items that can become a permanent memento for the couple themselves.
9. Neutral Colours
Neutral is a colour trend that is really catching on this year.
The ability to match neutral colours is one of the best ways to show off your creative eye and will also give your wedding a modern and relaxed feel.
This is particularly effective when paired with a rustic look and when featured in outdoor settings.
The low-key subtlety can show a beautiful attention to detail and a sense of quiet class that really lets your personality shine through.
A final note: if you are planning to take on a lot of the design elements of a wedding by yourself just know – it will be a lot of work.
It is a good idea to have a good deal of planning help, including at least some amount of professional help.
Make use of online planning tools to tap into the expertise of professionals and couples that have gone before you!
Amanda Webb
Amanda Webb is a professional wedding ceremony and reception venue manager from Victoria, Australia, with many years experience in the wedding industry. She currently runs Ballara Receptions.
