As the spring season beckons, and the Easter approaches, this years brides are starting the count down until their 2011 wedding day! So what do we have to look forward to? Well spring for starters, at least I know I am! Along with tulips blooming and birds singing, we also get a peek at the fun wedding trends that are going to be “in” this year. This issue takes a look as everything from color choices to lighting, seating, and food service, and oh the times, they are a changing!

COLOR

Having a 2011 wedding? Well whether its feng shui minimalist or high fashion wow, color is the key to this years hottest fashion trends. It is also one of the first things brides think about! From bridesmaids’ dresses to invitations, color can really make your wedding pop! So where to start? Check out Michelle Mospens’ website, A Wedding Sketchbook, which has some great ideas about what this coming year has in store for the wedding color palette. Reading this piece will definitely get your gears turning and help you stay in tune with the newest colors for your 2011 wedding! Check out her two-part color trend story at:

http://www.mypersonalartist.com/blog/2010/01/27/2011-weddingcolor-trends-part-one/

Also check out, The Perfect Wedding Guide, for more fun spring color inspiration!

http://www.perfectweddingguide.com/wedding-blog/index.php/2010/11/08/wedding-ideas-spring-2011-wedding-color-ideas/

LIGHTING

Out with techno, in with the romantic…unless that’s what you were going for. Lighting not only plays a huge role in the atmosphere of your event, but also the quality of your photos. Nothing is better than natural light for wedding photos. Typically this is why most weddings start out in day light hours and continue through to evening. LED lighting has become a popular trend as of late and certainly sets the mood for more edgy modern themed weddings, but one thing to consider before going the LED route…looking like a smurf in your photos, oh and price too.

True, lighting quality can be adjusted in most digital cameras and through Photo Shop to a point, but the eerie and stark blue toned light that comes from LED is nothing close to natural. Think night club-esque. So what looks the most natural and romantic? Both paper lanterns and chandeliers are a beautiful option if you can afford them.

Paper lanterns more so can be big bucks but they certainly can be custom styled to make them more affordable. Placed above the dance floor for instance or spread out throughout the center of a tent or hall can help cut costs for the price savvy bride. They also come in a wide variety of colors and a few different styles to help set your wedding apart from the rest! One thing to be aware of, the battery-operated tea candles placed inside the lanterns can look bluish too, giving off an unnatural tone of light depending on what brand lights your vendor decides to use. We definitely have you covered with our lights that will leave you and your tent warm and glowing!

Bulb stream lights are also making their way back. Yes, the “twi-lights” as we like to call them, recently made popular again from their appearance in the popular vampire flick. These lights are absolutely GORGEOUS and on trend this season. Think country fair or roof top restaurant lighting.  These bulbs have a vintage fun feel and are very affordable.  And yes, vintage is still in, and apparently, more popular than ever. Not to mention they give off an amazingly warm rich light.

Streamers are and will always be popular. Combined with a dimmer, these beautiful lights have plenty of oomph to light the night. The dimmer comes in later when the dancing is on, and the photographer has said adieu.  That way you’re not stuck with incredibly bright lighting when your partygoers are ready to dance!

Candlelight is also another affordable option and is great for once again, setting that laid back vibe that bride’s so adore. Keep in mind that light-wise, you may want a bit more especially in early stages of the wedding. We like to think of candles as accent lighting. Pretty, glowing, and great for photos. Lovely on top of tables mixed in with centerpieces or as the centerpiece themselves. Placed in glass jars around the stage or as a walkway to the parking lot, folks are going to love the way they look!

TABLE STYLES

Round, square, banquet, oh my!  Some say too many, some not enough. Switching from the traditional round style to a banquet or square shaped table can certainly bump up the look of a wedding. I’ve read several wedding blogs and wedding sites that all seem to agree on this trend. And with family style food service becoming more popular than ever before, banquet shaped tables are starting to appeal more and more to our brides. Laid out in long rows or set traditionally for 6 or 8, these tables do look great!

However, something to keep in mind with different shapes come different costs, and you guessed it, they are more expensive. Sometimes WAY MORE expensive. The other thing to remember is that square and rectangular shapes actually take up more space and can leave you needing a larger tent or sending you to a different function hall and potentially into another budget range!

Round is standard but still stylish and more affordable. Table size and shape is something you want to keep in mind when budgeting for your event. 

SEATING

Sorry mom and grandma. Today’s brides are doing things far different from the way you used to.

Along with bare feet & cowboy boots, brides are anything but traditional now days and that includes changes in simple traditions, like assigned seating tables and lounges instead of the typical table set up.

Yup, assigned seating has gone the way of the dodo. Celebrity event planner and caterer Andrea Correale, owner of Elegant Affairs in New York recently was interview by CNN as to some of the new trends in the industry. According to her and many others, some brides feel that leaving the seating arrangement up to the guests helps to set up that laid back mood and gets party goers moving about.

If you are having over a hundred guests, you may want to rethink this new trend, especially if everything else you are doing is traditional. Food service, especially full service can be tricky if your guests have taken seating into there own hands, which is why buffet and station service fit this new trend more easily!

If you’re looking to do assigned seating but want to kick it up a notch, try hanging your seating cards from clothes pins or ribbons along a fence post or between two trees. Decorative paper colors, script and even pictures can make this into a fun do-it-yourselfer project that is inexpensive and non-traditional. These trendy ideas will set your wedding apart while also giving order to your guest seating in a fun new way!

LOUNGING AROUND

Andrea has also seen lounges become a popular but pricey trend over the last few years with the non-traditional bride. Sofas and coffee tables have replaced either all the seating or have been added near the bar so that guests can more easily mingle with folks not assigned to their table. Once again, food service should be kept in mind with this style of seating as well!

For more on Andrea Correale’s interview with CNN’s Liane Membis, go to http://articles.cnn.com/2010-07-30/living/hot.wedding.trends_1_wedding-extravaganza-nighttime-event-cnn?_s=PM:LIVING

All in all, just remember that trends are fun and sure to make your wedding seem fresh and new, but keep in mind that classic and timeless are fantastic too. Whatever you do, stay true to who you are so in 20 years, you don’t look back regretting whatever choices you made just because it was trendy at the time! I hope you have enjoyed reading and good luck designing you 2011 wedding!