This year’ s
WEDDINGS
This year’ s
HOTTEST WEDDING TRENDS
BY POLLY HUMPHRIS
Weddings used to be quite formulaic, running relatively smoothly from ceremony to reception and sit-down dinner before finishing with a bit of a boogie, but now the intention of many is to make their special day as personal to them as possible and often a little bit different. We asked expert wedding planner, Joanne at The Wedding Dolls( www. theweddingdolls. co. uk), for the inside track on wedding trends set to make their mark in 2017.
Credit: Kay Young & Buxted Park Hotel Credit: Emma Sekhon & Joanne Truby
Colour
“ I think that 2017 will be the year that brides and grooms have some fun and won ' t be afraid to use a mismatch of colours to create a vibrant atmosphere and make bold statements,” says Joanne.“ The images below are from a wedding I helped plan last year and I think the ideas for the look we created are really trendsetting; the party vibe in the evening was reflective of the vibrant colours throughout the day.”
All-weekend celebrations
“ Holding a weekend-long celebration will be more popular in 2017,” says Joanne.“ Hiring a beautiful hotel on an exclusiveuse basis means that couples can relax and be made to feel really special for a few days rather than just the one. I ' d advise couples to have breakfast with their guests, enjoy a country walk, savour afternoon tea and make the celebration last a little bit longer- why not, you only get to do it once.”
Street food
“ Street food style catering is set to soar this year,” says Joanne.“ It takes a lot of thought and careful planning though- nobody wants to stand queuing for hours to get food at a wedding – but, having fresh food cooked to order gives wedding guests more choice and gives you more options when it comes to which cuisine you’ d like to serve. For couples having a laid back marquee wedding at home this option works wonderfully.”
Credit: Rebecca Douglas & Joanne Truby Credit: Rebecca Douglas & Joanne Truby
Less flowers, more props
Photo booths are soooo 2016. Once the go-to wedding accessorie, it seems pics of your guests posing in sparkly top hats and oversized sunglasses are out, and this year is all about the GIF booth, which is just like a photo booth, but instead of taking stills, it takes a series of still images that are then put together to create a short animation. Props are still a must for this though, but bring it all up to date with props that are more special to you as a couple and are representative of‘ in jokes’ that your friends will understand and make the most of.
Look up
If you’ re using a marquee or a tent for your wedding celebrations, you have oodles of overhead space to play with and ceiling installations can add instant drama to your theme. They don’ t have to break the bank either – hang homemade dip-dyed bunting for atmosphere; go whimsical with intertwined foliage and florals; or hang oversized brighty coloured lanterns( paper lampshades come in handy here) at different heights for a bit of edge.“ In 2016, I loved having hanging centrepieces for some of my marquees,” says Joanne.“ Using the space above to create a‘ wow’ will be huge this year!”
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