A Wedding Planner’s Guide to the Top Wedding Trends of 2019

We love to see how wedding styles change over time, and in the past few years we’ve been delighted by the interesting, sophisticated, and really cool wedding trends that have become popular. From first looks to personalized vows, these tradition-breaking trends help make your day much more personal and unique.

“Trend” can be a bad word in the wedding industry. Some wedding trends can definitely make your day look dated when you look back – think of the bridesmaid bonnets that were popular in the seventies (the horror!) or the super puffy wedding dresses our moms wore in the eighties. At Deering Events, we plan dozens of events each year, so have a front row seat to the good trends – the ones that your guests and bridal party will appreciate, that make your day feel like “you,” and that you’ll look back on fondly.

Non-Matching Wedding Parties: Bridesmaids of all shapes, sizes, and skin tones used to all have to wear the same color and cut of dress – they sometimes looked and felt great, but sometimes felt uncomfortable. The last thing you want is for your besties to feel unpretty on your wedding day, and the recent trend of coordinated but not matchy-matchy wedding parties has become super popular, and for good reason. It’s friendly for everyone’s budget, looks great in photos, and your wedding party will feel confident and ready to dance the night away.

Photo by: http://abbylorenzphotography.com/
How to do it right:
Bridesmaids:
The easiest way is a little black dress or a black gown. If you’re having a formal, evening, or black-tie wedding, this is a great way to go. Your bridesmaids can use a dress they already own, or can pick up a black dress they’ll absolutely wear again. Still want them to coordinate? It’s easy to do so with similar hair and makeup style and of course, matching bouquets.
Have your maids in the same family of colors. Many bridesmaid dress vendors now offer dresses in the same color palette and fabrics, but in different styles, making it super easy for your girls to pick the cut that looks best on them. One bridesmaid might need a maternity-friendly dress, another might feel more comfortable with her upper arms covered, and another might love a strapless silhouette.
Another way to achieve this look is to ask them all to wear the same length dress – a great way to have a complementary and coordinated but not matching look.

Groomsmen:

I’ve seen a lot of brides and grooms ask their groomsmen to wear navy and grey suits, but gifting them matching ties (and even socks!).
Make sure you remind them to wear the right color shoes and matching belt. Guys might not know to do so on their own!

photo by: https://www.ariellephoto.com/

Small Bridal Parties: Whether you’re having an intimate wedding or a huge one, small bridal parties work for all types of couples. Some people are having a wedding of only 50-75 guests and feel that a big bridal party won’t fit with the vibe of the event. Others are planning an enormous wedding and have so many friends, cousins, sorority sisters, and siblings that they feel weird asking some besties but not others – and they don’t want a 50-person wedding party, either! A lot of our Deering Events couples are switching to smaller bridal parties, having just one or two attendants for the bride and one or two for the groom. Siblings, close friends, and sons and daughters are usually the attendants that are chosen for these smaller wedding parties.

Photo by: http://www.analogwedding.com/
Small bridal party tips:
A small bridal party doesn’t mean you have to skip a bridal shower or bachelorette party! You might need to get a little creative with helping your attendant plan them, but your friends are all excited for you and will come celebrate your upcoming nuptials whether they’re a bridesmaid or not.
Smaller bridal parties can save you a ton of money – fewer transportation costs, fewer bouquets and boutonnieres; all of those extra costs are minimized. If you just have one or two bridesmaids, consider covering the cost of their hair and makeup or giving a lovely thank you gift with some of the money you’ve saved.
Still want to get ready with the girls? There’s no rule saying you can’t have your besties there with you when you get your makeup done, even if your sister is your only bridesmaid! Just make sure you leave enough time for everyone else to get dressed and get to the venue before the ceremony.

Having a Friend Perform the Ceremony: We’re HUGE advocates of more personalized ceremonies, and especially or having friends or family members acting as your officiant! It’s totally legal in Massachusetts – they merely need to get a certificate online (we help our brides and grooms make sure this is done in time for the wedding). Not only does this make your ceremony much more personal and meaningful, but it’ll save you at least a few hundred dollars!

photo by: https://www.ariellephoto.com/
Friend/Family Officiant Tips:
Whoever you choose needn’t be a great orator, but be sure to choose someone who won’t get stage fright, who’ll speak clearly, and who’ll be responsible enough to adequately prepare. Let your fiance’s practical jokester older brother make a best man toast, but he might not be the best choice for a wedding officiant.
Be sure to give your officiant a timeline and any specific things you’d like them to include in the ceremony. Print everything out for them, and make it nicer by getting an attractive file folder from an office supply store (you don’t want them shuffling through loose sheets of paper at the altar!). Run through everything at the rehearsal dinner – your officiant will be leading the timeline of your ceremony, so make sure he or she knows when to walk down the aisle and in what order to bring up each person who’s reading a poem or bible verse.
Want your officiant to coordinate with your wedding party? Make sure you talk to them about what to wear well in advance of the wedding day.

Brunch Weddings: We’re predicting that brunch weddings will become THE wedding trend in the next few years. Why? They’re less expensive, they leave guests with the entire day to enjoy, they’re a great option for a more casual bride and groom, and who doesn’t love a good mimosa? Brunch or lunch weddings are usually held in the early afternoon, after a mid-morning ceremony. Even our favorite royals host brunch weddings – after Wills and Kate and Harry and Megan got married, they went off to a lovely brunch reception with all of their guests. You’ll save thousands on venue and food costs on a brunch wedding, and it’ll likely be much easier to get a date at sought-after venues.

photo by: https://www.ariellephoto.com/
Brunch Wedding Tips:
You can easily save a ton of money by keeping the alcohol at your brunch wedding to mimosas only.
Want to skip a party atmosphere entirely? You can even skip a DJ and simply have a modern string quartet play for background music. It still gives a festive atmosphere without having loud dance music overpower the room.
Another thing you’ll save lots of money on? The food. Breakfast and brunch food, even fancy breakfast and brunch food, is miles cheaper than filet mignon. Buffets are also a natural choice for brunch weddings. Consider adding an elevated food choice, like a carving station or a belgian waffle bar, to make your food extra special.
Don’t start the day too early – shoot for a ceremony time between 10:30 and 11:30 AM.
Still want to keep the fun going? Host a beach day at a local beach or head to a favorite local brewery afterwards. Our favorite thing about brunch weddings is that you can have an elegant, sophisticated reception followed by a more casual, fun afternoon with all your guests. Give everyone enough time to change and meet up at the beach or the brewery to spend the rest of the day together.

Family Style Meals: For years, the only wedding food choices were buffet or sit-down meals. Now, with the advent of unique caterers and farm-to-table menus, family style meals have become more popular, and we couldn’t be happier! With family style meals, the couple chooses a few entree choices and a bunch of sides – just like family style meals at a restaurant. This is a great option for guests who want to try all of the delicious food available, and it saves you money, too!

Photo by: https://angelinarose.com/
Family Style Meal tips:
As with any meal, make sure you have enough options for guests with food allergies and sensitivities. It’s always a good idea to ask on the RSVP.
Make sure that the waiters are clear about what’s in each dish, to avoid someone with an allergy eating something they shouldn’t.
You know at Thanksgiving dinner when the turkey starts on one end of the table and there’s none left when it gets to the last person? Don’t worry about that happening at your wedding. Caterers give ample servings every few guests so there’s enough food to go around and not too much passing to worry about.

Colored Water Goblets: If you want stunning tablescapes on a budget, colored water goblets are the way to go. You can have standard white plates and napkins and the regular silverware, but elevate your table with colored goblets. You can rent them from vintage rental places or even get them on sale on Amazon or at a craft store. We’ve seen pink, blue, silver, green – endless colors!

Photo by: https://www.ariellephoto.com/
Colored Water Goblet Tips:
Renting is the easiest way to go. You won’t have to worry about having enough, unpacking them, losing one, cleaning them, or storing them afterwards.
Buying your own? Check and recheck that you have extras in case one breaks, and ABSOLUTELY hire a day of coordinator to set them up. The last thing you want is to have to manage the water goblets when you should be taking photos!

Looking for more bridal trends and inspiration? Head to our blog to check it out!