2018 is expected to be an outstanding and exciting year in weddings! The top trends focus on personalization and experience and include everything from new, bolder color palettes to delicious dessert options on elaborate buffets. Unconventional venues will serve as the backgrounds of choice to elegant celebrations and couples will seek out food and beverage combinations unlike any you’ve likely encountered before.
We’ve chosen some of our favorite emerging trends from the fourth annual International Wedding Trend Report to help get you excited about planning your 2018 wedding!
Floral Trends
Lisa Gatenby from French Flower Style says, “In my opinion, florals in 2018 will be filled with more color than in recent years. Pastel shades will be popular, but they will be mixed with more vibrant jewel shades such as ambers, purples, reds and rich Raspberry.”
Unconventional Venues
If you like the thought of choosing something more unique than a standard hotel ballroom, this is your year! “The types of venues we expect to grow and flourish in 2018 are really any spaces that allow couples the flexibility to create a celebration that truly reflects what they are all about,” predicts Amy Parfett and Melany McBride, Co-Founders of WedShed. “In particular, we expect to see more non-traditional spaces pop up and be utilized for weddings like campgrounds, cafes, restaurants, distilleries, orchards, industrial commercial spaces and private properties.”
Vegan and Vegetarian Menus Go Mainstream
A prominent trend for 2018 is the mainstreaming of formerly alternative menu styles. Vegan and vegetarian menus, for example, will be requested for all guests, not just those with special dietary requests. “Each year, healthy eating at catered events increases in popularity,” says Andy Snow, President of Feastivities Events. Vegetarian menus are predicted to represent 30% of Feastivities business this year and are no longer considered to be the “weird, fussy dinners”. “Clients are also mindful of the importance of environmental sustainability and nutrition,” says Snow.
Dessert Trends
There are certainly plenty of delicious dessert options to look forward to in the New Year! “Donuts (minis and bit-sized), cronuts, dipped strawberries and cherries, eclairs, cheesecake bites, painted and metallic leafed macarons, flavored meringues and royal iced cookies are some of the trends coming up in 2018,” predicts Elizabeth Solaru, Founder of Elizabeth’s Cake Emporium. “Dessert tables will be more extravagant with huge backdrops and selections of treats influenced by childhood memories, couple’s taste buds and the wedding theme,” says Solaru.
Other highly anticipated 2018 wedding trends include interactive chef-manned stations, specialty performers like jugglers and strolling musicians who perform during cocktail hour and the use of drone technology in photography and videography. Which trends appeal to you most and which will you use in your wedding?
Kylie Carlson is the CEO of the International Academy of Wedding and Event Planning. With six locations globally, the academy boasts an internationally recognized accreditation program that brings professional training to wedding planners, designers and stylists.