Hot Wedding Trend #1 – Dazzling Wedding Decorations
- Tabletop is going eclectic, according to New York planner Marcy Blum. βWeβre getting away from the plain silver or gold-beaded charger thatβs been used ad nauseam. Instead, thereβs colored glassware, knife and spoon rests and more interesting chargers.β A look Blum loves is a Rococo table set with three complementary patterns of china.
- This is the year to light it up! βEverything is lit from above, within or under. With new lighting, your tables can change color with the courses of your meal,β says Sasha Souza of Sasha Souza Events in the Bay Area. Also hot? Individual chandeliers over tables. βChoose clear, red or black crystal.β
- Look for bold, graphic prints to make a reception appearance, says Souza. βItβs very sixties mod. Donβt be afraid of patternsβeverywhere from the invitation to the cake and the ribbon on the bouquet!β
- This year, you can expect the bar to be a focal point, says Jung Lee of FΓͺte in New York City. βWeβre doing oversize bars, maybe 40 feet in lengthβand weβre doing them in different shapes.β Her favorite look for the year? A stunning white leather bar studded with polished-nickel nails.
- Whatβs out? βThe checkerboard dance floor,β says Souza. Whatβs in? βSeamless dance floors with any look you wantβmaybe a red floor, or a big monogram or filigree patterns at the corners.β
- Want to declare your love to the world? βWeβre putting a coupleβs wedding pattern or monogram on bright fabric banners and hanging them from trees, tents and entrances,β says Souza.
- Souzaβs brides are projecting full-color patterns and movies against walls or the sides of tents. βYou can do anythingβa graphic of a forest, for example, so it feels as if youβre moving through trees. You could use climbing vines or a sari fabric print. Just make sure itβs in full color!β
Hot Wedding Trend #2 – Mood Altering Wedding Colors
- Sexy, eye-popping color is in. βThere is no wrong way to do it,β says Sasha Souza. Her pick for the #1 hue in 2009? Yellow. βIt started getting hot in late 2008, and itβs carrying over to the new year. Mix it with orange or coral.β
- New York wedding planner Karen Bussen agrees that color is key. βCouples 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
- βBlack is the new black,β Souza reports. βThis year, itβs completely replaced brown. Pair it with turquoise, gray or white. Do it with flowers tooβfor example, anemones are black and white.β
Hot Wedding Trend #3 – Tasty Food & Drinks
- The Ultrachic Cocktail Hour
- βWhether you call them southsides or mojitos, mint and lime ingredients are a hit,β says Peter Callahan of Callahan Catering. βFresh-squeezed lime juice is key. Caipirinhas also depend on it. Thatβs one of the secrets to a dynamic specialty cocktail.β
- According to Callahan, custom trays are a trend for the cocktail hour. βSilver has its place in a gilded ballroom, but everywhere else the trays should reflect the settingβwhitewashed wood for beachside and white acrylic for modern settings, maybe even a hot pink for the racy after-party.β
- βThe βitβ alcohol is tequila,β says Callahan, who serves it up in fruit-flavored margaritas. And what is out? βMartini bars and martini glasses! They seem dated.β
- Whatβs always in for cocktail-hour bites? βMini is still sizzling hotβmini hamburgers, fries, mini grilled cheese.β says Callahan.
- According to Olivier Cheng of Olivier Cheng, Catering and Events, the spotlight is on gorgeous ingredients presented simply. βItβs a bit of wagu beef on a skewer with fleur de sel. Itβs the purity of the idea.β
Hot Wedding Trend #4 – Wines of the Times
- Hereβs whatβs hot off the vine this year, according to caterer Peter Callahan.
- Red: βSt. Γmilion is a nice light summer red, and Bordeaux is always best in winter.
- White: βSancerre for summer is a favorite; it reminds me of outdoors in southern France. A dry white burgundy for winter is perfect.β
- Champagne: βServe it in magnums for a rich, regal look.β
The 2009 βItβ Wine: βRosΓ©. It has that St. Tropez feeling that everyone loves!β
Hot Wedding Trend #5 – Forget-me-not Flowers
- The In Blooms: This yearβs flower will be the Mokara orchid, predicts Debi Lilly of A Perfect Event in Chicago. βItβs a lush, romantic, modern orchid.β And this variety comes in vibrant colors: sun-kissed orange, deep lavender, hot pink.βThe other big flower trend? Everything seasonal, says Karen Bussen. βItβs more environmentally friendly and cost-effective.β
- What are the out blooms? βRoses. No offense to rosesβI love them,β says Lilly. βBut theyβre a little predictable. Itβs fun to go in a different direction with something people havenβt seen before.β Blum adds, “Exotics are biting the dust.β So forget the ginger and birds-of-paradise.
- The In Vase: βVery hot is colored glassβmango orange, apple green. Weβre also putting silver leaf or gold leaf on glass. Itβs a stunning touch, and easy enough to do yourself,β 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: βThereβs a simpler approach to floral design,β says Karen Bussen. βIn the past, everyone wanted large, lush masses. Now weβre seeing one kind of bloom arranged in vases that are set all the way down the table. Itβs much more about celebrating the particular flower than it is about trying to cram tons of blooms into the centerpieces.β
- Says Lilly, βA really hot trend on bars is a collection of glass. I saw this at the George V in Paris. You have seven vasesβhydrangea in one, calla lilies in another, a floating candle or floating flowers in yet another,β Lilly says. Collect inexpensive, different-size containers to reproduce this sophisticated look.β
- The Greens: βIβm using fiddlehead ferns,β Bussen says. βTheyβre quirky and eye-catching, and they make a whimsical accent for many kinds of arrangements.β
Hot Wedding Trend #6 – Tempting Desserts & Cakes
- Style: Make a statement with a tall, slender cake this year. βCake is a piece of sculpture,β says cake designer Margaret Braun, so go for high-visibility, multitiered confections.
- Bling: βI like shiny!β 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. βI like my cakes to look like jewel boxes,β 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. βThen pass mini frozen items for the guests coming off the dance floor, like mini
Hot Wedding Trend #7 – Mood Music
- Get Personal. βCouples are treating music as one of the important ways to personalize their wedding, and getting bands to learn songs,β says Karen Bussen. βI just had a couple who had their first dance to a song from Natural Born Killers!β
- Get Sentimental. βSometimes couples love music thatβs not danceable,β says Jung Lee, who advises couples to play their favorite songs that arenβt right for dancing at the cocktail hour. βI have a couple that loves Coldplay. The cocktail party is a good time for that.β
- Go International. βThe cocktail hour is about having unusual ensembles,β Bussen states. βItβs not just a jazz trio. Weβre seeing a lot of Latin music for cocktail hours: salsa, samba, bossa nova. We even had a marimbaβthat was exotic!β
- 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? βAnnouncements of any kind are out,β Marcy Blum reports. βDead, dead, dead.β Lee agrees. βI hate when bandleaders say βGet up and dance!β If youβre playing great music, theyβll dance!β
Hot Wedding Trend #8 – Favor Trends
- Wrap it Up: βItβs all about the packaging,β says Lilly. βYou want to give your guests a colorful little package that corresponds to the wedding palette, and a little monogram or tag.β
- Down Home: βThe hot trend in favors is something homemade,β Lilly reports. βOne father of the bride made chocolate turtles for every single guest. We made a cellophane envelope and a label that said βHomemade by Dad.β How many Dads get involved like that?β
- Get Sweet: βTreat them to candy bars,β Jung Lee advises. βWe all kind of want to go back to being kids!β
- Give Back: More and more couples are giving donations to a favorite charity in their guestsβ names. Go to Idofoundation.org to find out just how easy it is.
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