Hot Wedding Trend #1 – Dazzling Wedding Decorations

  • Tabletop is going eclectic, according to New York planner Marcy Blum. β€œWe’re getting away from the plain silver or gold-beaded charger that’s been used ad nauseam. Instead, there’s colored glassware, knife and spoon rests and more interesting chargers.” A look Blum loves is a Rococo table set with three complementary patterns of china.
  • This is the year to light it up! β€œEverything is lit from above, within or under. With new lighting, your tables can change color with the courses of your meal,” says Sasha Souza of Sasha Souza Events in the Bay Area. Also hot? Individual chandeliers over tables. β€œChoose clear, red or black crystal.”
  • Look for bold, graphic prints to make a reception appearance, says Souza. β€œIt’s very sixties mod. Don’t be afraid of patternsβ€”everywhere from the invitation to the cake and the ribbon on the bouquet!”
  • This year, you can expect the bar to be a focal point, says Jung Lee of FΓͺte in New York City. β€œWe’re doing oversize bars, maybe 40 feet in lengthβ€”and we’re doing them in different shapes.” Her favorite look for the year? A stunning white leather bar studded with polished-nickel nails.
  • What’s out? β€œThe checkerboard dance floor,” says Souza. What’s in? β€œSeamless dance floors with any look you wantβ€”maybe a red floor, or a big monogram or filigree patterns at the corners.”
  • Want to declare your love to the world? β€œWe’re putting a couple’s wedding pattern or monogram on bright fabric banners and hanging them from trees, tents and entrances,” says Souza.
  • Souza’s brides are projecting full-color patterns and movies against walls or the sides of tents. β€œYou can do anythingβ€”a graphic of a forest, for example, so it feels as if you’re moving through trees. You could use climbing vines or a sari fabric print. Just make sure it’s in full color!”

Hot Wedding Trend #2 – Mood Altering Wedding Colors

  • Sexy, eye-popping color is in. β€œThere is no wrong way to do it,” says Sasha Souza. Her pick for the #1 hue in 2009? Yellow. β€œIt started getting hot in late 2008, and it’s carrying over to the new year. Mix it with orange or coral.”
  • New York wedding planner Karen Bussen agrees that color is key. β€œCouples are becoming savvy about changing and creating mood by using color. Maybe the ceremony is really serene, and the cocktail hour is hot and spicy. So you start with soft, creamy shades, and then allow the more raucous, festive hues to come in later on.”
  • β€œBlack is the new black,” Souza reports. β€œThis year, it’s completely replaced brown. Pair it with turquoise, gray or white. Do it with flowers tooβ€”for example, anemones are black and white.”

Hot Wedding Trend #3 – Tasty Food & Drinks

  • The Ultrachic Cocktail Hour
    • β€œWhether you call them southsides or mojitos, mint and lime ingredients are a hit,” says Peter Callahan of Callahan Catering. β€œFresh-squeezed lime juice is key. Caipirinhas also depend on it. That’s one of the secrets to a dynamic specialty cocktail.”
    • According to Callahan, custom trays are a trend for the cocktail hour. β€œSilver has its place in a gilded ballroom, but everywhere else the trays should reflect the settingβ€”whitewashed wood for beachside and white acrylic for modern settings, maybe even a hot pink for the racy after-party.”
    • β€œThe β€˜it’ alcohol is tequila,” says Callahan, who serves it up in fruit-flavored margaritas. And what is out? β€œMartini bars and martini glasses! They seem dated.”
    • What’s always in for cocktail-hour bites? β€œMini is still sizzling hotβ€”mini hamburgers, fries, mini grilled cheese.” says Callahan.
    • According to Olivier Cheng of Olivier Cheng, Catering and Events, the spotlight is on gorgeous ingredients presented simply. β€œIt’s a bit of wagu beef on a skewer with fleur de sel. It’s the purity of the idea.”

Hot Wedding Trend #4 – Wines of the Times

  • Here’s what’s hot off the vine this year, according to caterer Peter Callahan.
    • Red: β€œSt. Γ‰milion is a nice light summer red, and Bordeaux is always best in winter.
    • White: β€œSancerre for summer is a favorite; it reminds me of outdoors in southern France. A dry white burgundy for winter is perfect.”
    • Champagne: β€œServe it in magnums for a rich, regal look.”
      The 2009 β€œIt” Wine: β€œRosΓ©. It has that St. Tropez feeling that everyone loves!”

Hot Wedding Trend #5 – Forget-me-not Flowers

  • The In Blooms: This year’s flower will be the Mokara orchid, predicts Debi Lilly of A Perfect Event in Chicago. β€œIt’s a lush, romantic, modern orchid.” And this variety comes in vibrant colors: sun-kissed orange, deep lavender, hot pink.”The other big flower trend? Everything seasonal, says Karen Bussen. β€œIt’s more environmentally friendly and cost-effective.”
  • What are the out blooms? β€œRoses. No offense to rosesβ€”I love them,” says Lilly. β€œBut they’re a little predictable. It’s fun to go in a different direction with something people haven’t seen before.” Blum adds, “Exotics are biting the dust.” So forget the ginger and birds-of-paradise.
  • The In Vase: β€œVery hot is colored glassβ€”mango orange, apple green. We’re also putting silver leaf or gold leaf on glass. It’s a stunning touch, and easy enough to do yourself,” Lilly suggests.
  • The Height: You can go high or low for your centerpieces this year. Some planners are choosing low arrangements so that guests can talk over them for a more intimate feeling during the meal.
  • The Treatment: β€œThere’s a simpler approach to floral design,” says Karen Bussen. β€œIn the past, everyone wanted large, lush masses. Now we’re seeing one kind of bloom arranged in vases that are set all the way down the table. It’s much more about celebrating the particular flower than it is about trying to cram tons of blooms into the centerpieces.”
  • Says Lilly, β€œA really hot trend on bars is a collection of glass. I saw this at the George V in Paris. You have seven vasesβ€”hydrangea in one, calla lilies in another, a floating candle or floating flowers in yet another,” Lilly says. Collect inexpensive, different-size containers to reproduce this sophisticated look.”
  • The Greens: β€œI’m using fiddlehead ferns,” Bussen says. β€œThey’re quirky and eye-catching, and they make a whimsical accent for many kinds of arrangements.”

Hot Wedding Trend #6 – Tempting Desserts & Cakes

  • Style: Make a statement with a tall, slender cake this year. β€œCake is a piece of sculpture,” says cake designer Margaret Braun, so go for high-visibility, multitiered confections.
  • Bling: β€œI like shiny!” Braun is using sugar-pearl and gold accents this year for a retro-glam gleam.
  • Color: Just as in dΓ©cor, bold color is back. Look for cakes in bright oranges with turquoise and gold. Outrageous color combos? Go for it, says Braun.
  • Decoration: Opulence is the word. Think intricate piping, sugar sculptures and Asian-inspired patterns. β€œI like my cakes to look like jewel boxes,” Braun says.
  • Flavors: Start with the best cacao chocolate, farm-fresh creams and butters; keep flavors simple to highlight the high-quality ingredients. Another sweet note: Peter Callahan says that dessert tables are definitely in. But keep them mini with caramel crab apples, quarter-size pies and fluffer nutters. β€œThen pass mini frozen items for the guests coming off the dance floor, like mini

Hot Wedding Trend #7 – Mood Music

  • Get Personal. β€œCouples are treating music as one of the important ways to personalize their wedding, and getting bands to learn songs,” says Karen Bussen. β€œI just had a couple who had their first dance to a song from Natural Born Killers!”
  • Get Sentimental. β€œSometimes couples love music that’s not danceable,” says Jung Lee, who advises couples to play their favorite songs that aren’t right for dancing at the cocktail hour. β€œI have a couple that loves Coldplay. The cocktail party is a good time for that.”
  • Go International. β€œThe cocktail hour is about having unusual ensembles,” Bussen states. β€œIt’s not just a jazz trio. We’re seeing a lot of Latin music for cocktail hours: salsa, samba, bossa nova. We even had a marimbaβ€”that was exotic!”
  • Get Extravagant. Couples want their favorite songs played just the way they like them. The solution? According to Bussen, couples are booking a wedding band to kick off
    the night, and a DJ to up the tempo with hip-hop and dance music later.
  • Get Real. And what about the emcee? β€œAnnouncements of any kind are out,” Marcy Blum reports. β€œDead, dead, dead.” Lee agrees. β€œI hate when bandleaders say β€˜Get up and dance!’ If you’re playing great music, they’ll dance!”

Hot Wedding Trend #8 – Favor Trends

  • Wrap it Up: β€œIt’s all about the packaging,” says Lilly. β€œYou want to give your guests a colorful little package that corresponds to the wedding palette, and a little monogram or tag.”
  • Down Home: β€œThe hot trend in favors is something homemade,” Lilly reports. β€œOne father of the bride made chocolate turtles for every single guest. We made a cellophane envelope and a label that said β€˜Homemade by Dad.’ How many Dads get involved like that?”
  • Get Sweet: β€œTreat them to candy bars,” Jung Lee advises. β€œWe all kind of want to go back to being kids!”
  • Give Back: More and more couples are giving donations to a favorite charity in their guests’ names. Go to Idofoundation.org to find out just how easy it is.

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