Crowning Craze - more 2010 trends

2010 Weddings are continuing to bring about new trends. And of course, I have them here for you!

“The stuffy by-the-rule-book wedding of years past has completely vanished. There is a woman in white, music, food, cake and vows - but every other aspect of the American wedding has been reconsidered,” reports BRIDES Magazine New American Wedding Survey.

Here are some additional statistics from the survey related to emerging wedding trends:

• Fewer than half of weddings take place in a house of worship. Many couples are getting married at the site or within yards of their reception. With a increase in "backyard" weddings, I am seeing more and more garden-settings for ceremonies, too.

• 20% of couples have a friend or relative deputized to perform the ceremony. Its so easy to get ordained. And it makes the ceremony more personable and meaningful to the couple. If you are going with a traditional religious service, invite family and friends to contribute with readings and prayers.

• 13% of receptions feature music via iPod. This is best applied when your band is on break. Mix in your favorites or oldies but goodies you band doesn't play.
• Over 1/4 of couples plan their weddings around a theme. I highly recommend this. From color themes, to sports teams and seasons, a theme helps you narrow down your choices and create a well-organized and thoughtful event.
• Couples going with live bands are hiring specialty bands such as salsa, R&B and Polka. Jazz it up with some traditional music from your heritage or region in which you grew up. If your them is "Classic Hollywood" go with big band music to set the mood.

• 97% of grooms get involved with the planning. With more of my couples paying for part or all the wedding expenses, more grooms and giving their opinion and choosing personalized and favorable vendors.

• Soul-food and Mexican are the new go-to wedding cuisines. I am also seeing a lot of  "family style" serving.

From brights to pastels, we are continuing to see color!

Here's a little inspiration board in

turquoise and robin's egg blue:

The Sweetest Thing... Buttercream

As I mentioned in my article, 2010 is bringing back buttercream. Buttercream icing is more affordable and preferable among cake connoisseurs. Where as fondant is beautiful but usually pealed off by guests and discarded. Bakeries are finding new ways to make buttercream and traditional frostings look smooth like fondant.

You tell me which is buttercream and which is not....

truth is - they are ALL buttercream!

Bakeries can smooth buttercream to look like fondant and

apply decorative sugar flowers, fondant accents and gold leaf to dress it up.

Toledo Free Press Eventista

The top wedding trends for 2010

Written by Brittany Craig

2010 is bringing in the New Year with bright color, eco-chic creativity and trends that will shock and delightfully surprise you!

Destination: Home

This year’s brides and grooms are paying for many items themselves and getting creative with spending money. As extravagances are cut, so are engagement periods. Couples are settling for Friday evenings and Saturday afternoons rather than waiting for evenings in prime seasons. They are setting up tents in their backyards, bringing home “comforts” into them: plush fabrics, tent liners, draping to add texture, along with floor seating and head “family” tables that include parents and immediate family.
Attire: In the Red
Red dresses or bold red accents for the bridal gown are making their way as of the top 2010 trends. This rich color allows a white bridal bouquet to pop! If a white dress is what you have your heart’s set on, go strapless. Accessories are following suit with bold, bright designs. Bridesmaid dresses are vibrant in bright orange, hot pink and turquoise. Over-the-top vintage accessories are shown layering pearls, sequins and oversized gemstones. But don’t do it all. Either go all out with dresses and accessories keeping flowers simple and sleek – or have fun with color in striking and glamorous bouquets with simple silhouettes.
Thankful Touches
Favors are making a return and they are showing their appreciation with homemade goodies and custom accents. In keeping thrifty, brides are baking up mom’s secret cookie recipe or other personalized favors. Favors are often used as place cards, wrapped to correspond with the wedding colors.
The Sweetest Thing – Buttercream
Buttercream is back – fondant is out. Buttercream is more affordable and preferable among cake connoisseurs. Where as fondant is beautiful, it’s usually pealed off by guests and discarded. Bakeries are finding new ways to make buttercream and traditional frostings look smooth like fondant.
Luminous Lighting
Lighting is “going green” with LED lights. LED lighting is more vibrant, produces little heat and takes little power to run. Lighting is one of my favorites! It showcases décor, illuminates flowers, spotlights the dance floor and creates a mood. Rotating logos, shapes and images, called gobos, create a 3-D effect. It’s become very trendy lighting the inside of your tent, as well as the outside with projected images of scenic landscapes. Together with a color wash, gobos create a trademark for your event.
Social Media
Couples are sharing their festivities on facebook, You Tube, personal websites and other media networks. Guests can RSVP, make hotel reservations and shop registries from one website. If guests are unable to make the festivities, they can view pictures and videos online.
Bold Invites
The wedding invitation is the first thing guests see and sets the tone for the event. Brides are bringing bold colors of fashion into print, pairing them with sophisticated, romantic designs and scripts. Seasonal attributes are contributing to the designs such as leaf motifs for fall and flower motifs for spring. Recycled materials are still strong, emphasizing chic and green.
Music is Bringing Back the Classics
Traditions such as the garter & bridal bouquet toss, father-daughter, mother-son dances, Anniversary dance and cake cutting are all coming back. DJs and bands are carrying the tune against iPods as professionals keep the guests dancing to a non-stop evening.
Flowers & Décor that POP
Garden fresh blooms from local and organic farms in the shade of deep purple, bright orange and hot pink are showing up, making a dramatic statement. Whether you are mixing flower colors or keeping it the same, use multiple vases in various heights, sizes and volumes. Dress your tables with monochromatic table linens in different textures to give tables depth and texture.
Photography & Videography are going HD
No one wants to miss a great party! And the same goes for the bride and groom. More couples are choosing to see each other before their ceremony for pictures. Often preventing them from enjoying cocktail hour, pre-ceremony and on-site photography allows brides and grooms to spend more time with guests. And you can relive your special day in vibrant color and crisp sound with HD videography. Today’s equipment is smaller, less intrusive with better sound quality. Videography provides a lasting image of the celebration’s sentiment and emotion.


2010’s trends are illuminating a down economy with color and creativity that’s sure to bring a bright start to any union!


Brittany is the principle event designer and coordinator for Crowning Celebrations. She specializes in wedding and social celebrations. You can follow her blog at http://www.crowningcelebrations.blogspot.com/.

Looking ahead... Trends for 2010

As the New Year approaches I will be discussing various

trends for 2010 weddings on my blog and in the Toledo Free Press.

Some trends I am sure will shock you ... And others will delightfully surprise you!

As a designer, I love to start with color. It sets the mood, helps to define a theme and gives you a sense of direction when all the decisions are presented before you.

Monochromatic schemes and bright colors are some of this years hottest trends.

Dark purple and plum hues are rich and elegant. When it comes to flowers, you can use this color throughout and accent your tables with various vases and containers, giving the monochromatic color scheme some height and variety. Or you can accent it with a bright purple or aqua blue.

and you know how much I LOVE lighting!

 

Bright orange, hot pink, and turquoise are hot and will be sure to catch your eye in everything from shoes, bridesmaids dresses, sashes, flower bouquets

and table color scapes.

If you are not one to go all out with color - I have a solution for you!

Black is still very popular from the Paris runways, Spring '08 and we will continue to see it for bridesmaid's dresses and bridal gowns (more on that at a later date!). You can accent black with touches of color in shoes, shashes and flowers.

For more tips and 2010 trends...... stay tuned! And be sure to check out my article in the Toledo Free Press mid January 2010!