10 Wedding Trends and How to Execute Them Like A Pro!
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Many people dream of their wedding day for years before a spouse is even in the picture, and along with those dreams almost always comes a pinterest board! Although a useful tool for narrowing down aesthetics and gathering inspiration, some trends found on pinterest aren’t the most logistically realistic. As a wedding planner who has worked for years in all different facets of the wedding industry, I can tell you that the application of pinterest trends isn’t always as picture perfect as you think! I am not saying these trends are impossible to execute, but here are some things you should know before attempting them yourselves!
The Trend: Floating Candles Down the Aisle - The soft and romantic ambiance of candlelight is definitely what draws so many couples to want candles to decorate their aisleway, and why it has become such a popular trend on pinterest.
What You Should Know: If you are going to try this trend at your ceremony, I highly recommend keeping a broom and a towel on hand!Only a handful of my clients have included candles in their aisle way, and that was enough before I learned my lesson. Every single time there were candles, a guest would knock a candle over moments before the processional, leaving glass and water everywhere! My advice: decorate the ceremony space with something a little more forgiving like flowers, and save the candles for the reception!
The Trend: Champagne at the Ceremony: Serving champagne to guests as they arrive may feel very sophisticated, and like the perfect way to celebrate your “I Do’s” with your loved ones.
What You Should Know: Serving champagne before the ceremony is also the perfect way to end up with tons of broken glasses and maybe even a few cuts! Typically, I see guests set their glass down on the ground mid-ceremony once they finish their drink. Then in the excitement of the recessional, when everyone is standing, clapping, and cheering, they are also forgetting all about the champagne glass at their feet. As soon as the ceremony ends and guests start to shuffle out, glasses are knocked over left and right, and your rows of chairs quickly become a maze of broken glasses!
The Trend: Wood Laser Cut Outs- This trend may be a specific one, but it is one I see all over pinterest and especially all over Etsy! Wood laser cutouts are used a lot for things like table numbers, signs, place cards, etc.
What You Should Know: Although they offer a fun alternative to paper, wood cutouts are extremely breakable! Luckily, when they break, it is almost always a clean break and an easy fix- just make sure to keep some super glue on hand and you will be back in business!
The Trend: Neon signs- Custom neon signs at weddings have become wildly popular recently! They are so chic, make the perfect photo backdrop, and the best part is they can be reused in your home after!
What You Should Know: There are a few things you need to plan out in advance when it comes to having one at your wedding! One that may seem obvious, but is often overlooked, is make sure wherever you are planning on having your neon sign is near an outlet! I always make sure couples pack an extra extension cord just to be safe! If the sign is a focal point at your reception or is going to be in a lot of photos, you will also want to think about how to hide or disguise the cord! If you are hanging the sign on a boxwood wall, as you see a lot of people do, the cord can easily be hidden in the boxwood by just shoving it back into the wall! But if you are going to be hanging it above your table, or against a solid surface, think about how the cord will look in photos! Another thing you need to consider is how you are going to hang it. The best material for hanging neon signs is usually fishing wire as it blends really easily and can hold a good amount of weight. Lastly, consider ordering a neon sign that comes with a remote that allows you to adjust the brightness! Sometimes the neon can be too bright and will get blown out in photos when guests try to take photos with it, or if your photographer is trying to capture a photo of it. Having a sign that is able to be dimmed if needed will help with this!
The Trend: Photo Booths- Photo booths have definitely been gaining popularity at wedding receptions in the last few years. With the rise of social media and personalized hashtags, I almost always see guests waiting in line to get the perfect picture at the photo booth!
What You Should Know: My biggest piece of advice to anyone who is considering including a photobooth at their wedding is to close it 30- minutes prior to the exit. I cannot tell you how many times I have tried to usher guests out of the photo booth line so that I can get them lined up for the grand exit! I recommend starting the photo booth during cocktail hour, keeping it open throughout the reception, and having the photo booth operator start to break it down prior to guest exit!
The Trend: Magnetic Boutonnieres- If you have ever watched the show The Bachelorette and wondered how she pins the rose boutonnieres on to the men so quickly- it is because of magnetic boutonnieres! It makes “pinning” on boutonnieres so easy that any groomsman can do it.
What You Should Know: One thing you need to ask before ordering any magnetic boutonnieres for groomsmen, fathers, grandfathers, etc. is if anyone has a pacemaker! The magnets in the boutonniere could affect their pacemaker and cause an impromptu wedding day hospital visit!
The Trend: Long Veils: Veils have always been a great way to express personal style and complete any wedding look! And recently, we have seen an increase in intricate designs on veils, like sequins, appliques, pearls, etc.
What You Should Know: However, before choosing the veil of your dreams, take your aisle into consideration! You first need to consider how wide your veil is versus how wide your aisle is, and if you would be able to rearrange the seating to make a wider aisle if needed. Additionally, if you are getting married in a venue with a carpeted floor or aisle runner, consider how your veil will move across the carpet! A lot of times, it can get easy for beading or sequins to snag in the carpet as you walk. One too many times I have seen a bride begin her walk down the aisle, only to have her veil ripped from her hair because it was caught on the pew or snagged by the flooring. Typically there is not more than hairspray and a few well placed bobby pins holding a veil in, so it doesn’t take much to displace it during the walk down the aisle!
The Trend: Envelope liners- If you have spent any time on pinterest, you have definitely seen how popular envelope liners have become! They are a great way to include fun colors, patterns, or even a venue sketch into your invitation suite.
What You Should Know: If you are wanting to include an envelope liner, I would strongly recommend including an outer envelope as well. Without a second envelope, most envelope liners get ripped or not even seen at all when the guest tries to open the invitation. If you are going to go the extra mile to have the envelope liner in your invitation suite, you are going to want guests to see it!
The Trend: Alternative Guest Book- Recently, couples have become so creative when it comes to guest books! More and more of my client’s are opting out of the traditional guest book and using something more personal or more interactive! Some of the more popular unconventional guest books I have seen include jenga blocks, puzzle pieces, wine corks, and wood signs!
What You Should Know: Although alternative guest books are fun, sometimes guests, especially your older guests, might not know what they are supposed to be signing. One easy way to make it clear is to have your wedding party sign the guest book earlier in the day while they are getting ready. By having your wedding party sign it beforehand, it will make it clear to the guests when they arrive that they are supposed to sign it as well!
The Trend: Private last dance - I love that private last dances have become a trend! This is when the couple stays behind in the reception to do one private final dance to soak it all in, while their guests line up outside for the grand exit.
What You Should Know: If you are going to be doing a private last dance at your wedding, you need to allot enough time on your schedule for guests to clear the room (typically around 10 minutes) .There is always a handful of guests who like to linger, or who need to put their shoes back on, or go to the bathroom, etc. There are a few things you can do to help speed the process along! First is to flicker the lights or turn on all the lights in the reception (just make sure to turn them back off for the dance!). Second is to have your band or DJ make continuous announcements for guests to head towards the exit. Lastly, have your wedding planner or wedding party go around into the crowd and hand out whatever the exit item is (sparkler, flower petals, etc.). Once guests have the item in their hands, they are a lot more likely to head towards the exit and get lined up!