This week I will be exploring current and upcoming wedding trends in 2020 and how the coronavirus pandemic is likely to influence trends as we come out the other side into 2021. These are some wedding trends that I’ve seen this year that are becoming very popular.

Stepping Away From The Norm

As time goes on, brides and grooms are increasingly choosing to opt out of tradition and go for something a little more unique. This will no doubt continue as we go on through 2020 and into 2021.

o Gender mixed bridal parties- who says you can’t have a man of honour instead of a maid? And what about a Best Woman instead of Best Man? While tradition dictates that the groom has groomsMEN and the the bride has bridesMAIDS, a lot of couples are scrapping this. The point of having a bridal party is to have those closest to you involved in your big day and to have them by your side through it all. In real life we don’t pick our friends based on their gender, so why should your bridal party be any different? Pick the people you want most to be there with you, that’s all that matters! Or alternatively don’t have a bridal party at all. You do what makes you happy!

o Alternative bouquets- just because it’s tradition to have a flower bouquet doesn’t mean you must have it. Some brides are doing away with the bouquet altogether, whilst others are finding creative alternatives (great if you have hay fever!). You can have brooch bouquets, or fake flowers. I’ve even seen bouquets of donuts! Or maybe hold something instead, like a candle each? I’m sure most people have seen photos of the wedding where the bridal party took puppies down the aisle instead of bouquets!

o Saying no to tradition- basically this whole list below is a homage to saying no to traditions and thinking outside the box in order to make your wedding as unique as you are.

Table Layouts

The first tradition to go in the bin is round tables, now its all about banquet tables and sweetheart tables

o Sweetheart tables- these are massively on the rise for those couples who want to enjoy a bit of the day to themselves; they’re also a good option if you are struggling with the top table layout with divorced parents etc.

o Banquet tables- Complicated table charts can now be a thing of the past with long banquet tables, which also tie in well with outside, botanical themes. In light of this, that brings us to…

Quirky Venues

Lots of venues are branching out and getting marriage licences so you have a lot more choice of venue than before, and with the price of barn weddings becoming increasingly high, you can save a lot of money going with a more quirky venue.

o Instagram- who doesn’t want that ‘instagram-worthy’ location?

o Festival themes- I have also seen a lot more ‘wed-fest’ venues of late which are a rising trend!

Signature cocktails

It’s an age-old question. Open bar or not?

o Limiting Alcohol- Having a signature cocktail solves this problem. It limits what alcohol can be bought which saves money and adds a fun twist to the proceedings

Dresses

Dresses go through trends seasonally, not just annually, and often wedding dress choices can be dictated by the fashion of the current time. There are a few trends this year that are becoming popular and will no doubt become common-place.

o Two-in-one looks- whether that be a two-piece put together for one unique outfit or one ensemble which you can alter throughout the day as you go into the evening

o Necklines- Still seeing a lot of illusion neck-lines!

o Reloved- Second-hand dresses are also becoming more popular, especially vintage looks

Eco-friendly and sustainability

Being eco-concious about your wedding is absolutely the biggest trend right now and will continue to be so.

o Carbon Footprint- Reduce carbon footprint by using locally sourced products, flowers and foods and reducing travel time for your guests

o Produce- Food and wine from local farms and breweries/wineries

o Reduce Guestlist- less people travelling and less food being produced creates a smaller carbon footprint

o Recycling- Using biodegradable products or replacing those that aren’t e.g. bubble confetti

o DIY- make things instead of buying e.g. making own signs and décor instead of buying ‘one-use’ items

o Vendors- are also going eco-friendly. When choosing a florist, choose one that doesn’t use foam (a.ka. oasis) for your flowers as floral foam isn’t biodegradable.

o Post-wedding- You can pass on the flowers to a local care-home after your wedding. Similarly with the food, see if there is a way of giving any leftovers to a homeless shelter (obviously any proper food that’s left over, no scraps!)

Going Vegan

A lot of people are choosing to be vegan and there are so many dietary requirements to cater for nowadays that choosing a vegan meal option is actually becoming the more straight-forward choice.

o Carbon Footprint- Similar to sustainable food in that is has a smaller carbon footprint

o Spoilt for choice- There’s a lot more creative and tasty choices out there now. This means there’s now a lot more vendors to choose from where it was quite limited before

o Cake- A lot of cake-makers also have organic and gluten free options as standard now, or like our cake-maker, she offered to create a few mini cupcake versions of our cake for our gluten free guests

Favours

Following on the eco-train, many couples are scrapping those one-use plastics used in many popular favours and instead opting to go for something more sustainable and personal.

o DIY- Make your own instead of buying one-use items

o Alcohol- Mini alcohol is popular, especially homemade

o Place Name Favours- Instead of having place cards and favours, combine the two, e.g. make cookies or lollipops with peoples names written on them or attach labels or tags to your mini alcohol bottles that have your guests names on

o Charity- A popular trend at the moment is to give money to charity in your guests names; a lot of charities do this where you donate money and they give you something to put on the table for each of your guests, like packets of seeds or badges for example

Stationary

Stationary trends closely follow fashion and theme trends. For example, if a botanical theme is the hot trend of the year, you’ll be sure that stationary will follow this. Here are a few trends I’ve seen come about so far this year.

o Alternative materials- Laser-cut, unique designs, and hand-drawn on handmade paper which is more sustainable

o Go Eco- Make them recyclable

o Go Digital- Send save the dates as an e-vite or even a video of the two of you inviting them. Not only is it more personal, but it’ll save a huge amount of money too

How will this pandemic effect wedding trends as we go into 2021?

A subject no one really wants to think about right now, but we cannot deny that this will drastically change many of our options when it comes to organising a wedding. Based on what I’m going through at the moment with my own wedding, I can safely say it’s going to be a time of uncertainty for many brides and grooms, and these next few months will either strengthen your bond with your vendors or ultimately you will find that its not working out with them- let’s hope this is not the case!

o The Lockdown Effect- Staying at home and limiting gatherings is going to change many things permanently in my opinion. A lot of companies will see how much can be achieved when employees work from home and we will see a rise in online businesses. In regards to weddings, large affairs may end up being a thing of the past. Even when venues reopen you may find that a lot of your guests still may not be able to attend, and it’ll make you appreciate those closest to you. Going into 2021 I strongly believe the ‘make do and mend’ attitude will be at the forefront of most wedding decisions.

o Smaller Weddings- More intimate weddings will likely become popular as well as smaller, alternative venues. People will realize what you can do with a seemingly boring, small space once you’ve decorated it.

o DIY It- The do-it-yourself trend will likely strengthen and more of your family and friends will come together to help out with various aspects- this time in isolation away from your family will make any time spent with them more precious. Doing everything DIY will also mean you have less vendors to deal with which will save you a lot of stress should anything need to be postponed again.

o Pass It Down- Couples will likely be a bit more cautious financially too, so we will likely see a rise in second-hand items, especially those passed down through family such as dresses, veils and jewelry.

Hopefully this guide into wedding trends has been a useful tool in your wedding planning and I wish you all the best of luck in the months to come. Happy Planning!!

(To see image sources, all photos in this article have a click-through link. Do check them out!)

Wedding Trends for 2020/2021