Current issues of The Knot and Modern Bride discuss this year's hottest wedding trends. Both magazines offer plenty of useful suggestions for what to do this wedding season.
In terms of fashion, Modern Bride reports that simpler styles-such as strapless sheaths-are featuring one bold detail like a vintage-style brooch. Colorful petticoats are adding whimsy to bridal gowns. Ribbon details are hugely popular, especially on the waist or hips of gowns. Fine-feathered trends are now hitting the bridal scene with dainty plumes accenting everything from dresses and shoes to purses and hair. Fashion-forward shrugs and capelets give brides a chic, sophisticated look.
In beauty, the natural look is big; brides are staying away from foundations with too much matte or shimmer and going for instead for a fresh, barely made-up face. Pastel eye shadows in baby-blue, lavender and grassy green are ultrapopular. Thin-brows are out; a fuller style that widens the eyes is in. Hot getaway-inspired colors-especially fuchsia, coral and violet-are showing up on honeymoon ready toes. Cappuccino, caramel and buttery blonde are the hottest shades in hair color, both for highlights and all over; they warm up the skin tones and result in a more natural look.
For receptions, highlighting the bouquet as an accessory, many florists are adding wired rhinestones or crystal accents to the flowers, or dimply adhering them to petals, for sparkle. Everyone is getting the head of the table treatment these days with all guests being seated at a long, banquet-style tables. For food, tastings are a popular alternative to traditional menus, with four or five smaller courses replacing the usual three-or an entree made of two or more main items, rather than one. For a new take on the signature drink trend, couples are serving chilled shots, such as iced Limoncello in square shot glasses. The acoustic guitar is jazzing up ceremonies, in place of the more typical flute, piano or small string ensemble.
For after the wedding, online honeymoon registries are letting couples enjoy a wish list of fantasy perks. More and more couples are embracing the idea of going on adventure honeymoons and travel companies are catching on. No longer the province of solo travelers, now lovebirds looking for an exotic itinerary can travel as a duo. For honeymooners planning a destination wedding and are social butterflies, bringing friends and family along on the honeymoon helps to prolong the party.
The Knot explains that brides will be getting a bit more relaxed, pushing beaded ballgowns and eight-foot veils aside for sexy, sophisticated silhouettes. The look of the moment -- the mermaid -- makes just the right impression: the bride looks as stunning, sexy, and formal as ever, but not stiff. The fluted hem and a striking burst of color (a lavender bow, a green sash, a pink inlay) add a dose of drama and personality -- without overdoing it.
It's all about the bling in bridal this year -- but oversized studs are a bit too much. Vintage is all the rage as brooches make their way from the runway to the reception. So, think "Grandma's jewelry-box" more than "Queen Elizabeth" when choosing your accessories. Not a tiara girl? Wear antique brooches or s-clips as your headpiece. Forgo the single strand of pearls or a bold diamond choker for multiple layers of diamonds-by-the-yard; and, on the ears, give up jeweled clusters or oversized chandeliers for delicate diamond danglers. Don't shy away from color -- just a hint in the form of a precious gem can really accent your carefree style. Coordinate your jewels with your overall wedding theme (for spring, wear emerald greens and canary yellow; for winter, where icy blue aquamarines and sapphires).
Brides are letting their hair down (literally and figuratively): matrimonial manes are shifting from tight chignons and slicked-back updo's made famous by princess brides to loosely flowing locks (picture Venus on the half shell). For hair, it's all about loosely flowing waves either all down a la Kate Beckinsdale's bridal do or a half-up look like Jessica Simpson's celebrated aisle style (which gives the illusion of long hair while keeping it out of your face for the event). For make-up, the beauty buzzword is "natural" -- soft pinks, peaches, and browns that accent your features without appearing masklike or cakey. Keep a gloss and translucent powder in the bridal suite for freshening up, and invest in a monsoon-proof mascara.
The most fun, elegant weddings should give a stress free impression with what we call "deliberate disorder". In 2005, brides should carry the carefree elegance into their affairs by embracing imperfections: mix-and-match tables (rounds, squares and rectangles), choose eclectic centerpieces of different flowers in various containers and set tables with several interchangeable linens, plates, flatware styles, and glasses.
The key to the new carefree elegance is to carry a theme -- whether it's a color palette, a fabric pattern, or a motif throughout from the invites to the favors. If infusing color as a theme, pick the palette du jour: black and white with punches of a single bold accent color like fresh apple green or cool teal blue. If opting for a motif, skip script monograms in favor of custom-designed logos that play up vintage-inspired silhouettes, interlocking initials, or a retro pattern: if 2004 was the year of the multi- colored stripe, then 2005 is the period of the polka dot.
Food as favor is a hot, hot trend. Send guests packing edible thank-yous, from a late-night ice cream snack to a breakfast bin of muffins, OJ, and the next morning's newspaper.
The measure of a truly memorable wedding is not the color of the flowers, the taste of the cake or the size of the dessert spoon: it's a jam-packed dance floor. Hire both the band and the DJ. Keep guests busy with photo and video booths, dancers, and surprise musical elements like steel drums or a superb jazz trio, and keep the party going with a full-fledged afterparty for those who just can't get enough. Guests, don't look to escape early when the bride and groom get away-weddings will be on average an hour longer, with the newlyweds the last to leave.
It's chic to include the kids now. So, plan children's-only sections at the party, with magicians and dance sessions just for the little ones.
While romantic honeymoon spots such as Hawaii, the Caribbean Islands, and Europe are as hot as ever, this year couples will be seeking out new extremes for their once-in-a-lifetime trip. From Kenyan Safaris to sunning in the Seychelles, Africa has become the new exotic honeymoon spot for 2005. For couples looking for a cool destination closer to home, Canada is king: Francophiles are heading to uber-romantic Quebec, while snowlovers are booking deluxe ski trips to Whistler. Other hot trips: cruising through the Greek Isles, hiking to Machu Picchu and sunning in Cabo San Lucas.
The Knot recently launched a newlywed website for the newly married audience, providing couples in their first two years of marriage with relationship advice, entertaining ideas, and interactive tools for daily life.