If you’ve already been bombarded with invitations for upcoming spring weddings, mazel tov and welcome to adulthood. We’re all for basking in the glow of happiness and love, but being subjected to the same spring wedding trends over and over (and over) can get, well, boring. Just because spring weddings aren’t super common doesn’t mean we haven’t seen the same floral decor everywhere. If you’re planning a spring wedding for 2020 (or a quickie elopement for April or May) here are a few trends you’re encouraged to remove from the nuptials narrative, if you will. In other words, avoid these wedding trends for spring like Miranda Priestly would avoid florals.
1. Flower Crowns
This isn’t Coachella circa 2012. Flower crowns definitely had their moment in the spotlight a few years ago when literally everything was boho-inspired or nature-centric, but it’s time for this particular trend to go back from whence it came, which, I assume, is the Indio desert. Flowers in a bride’s hair are absolutely acceptable, but forcing 10 bridesmaids to have woven crowns of orchids or roses or some rare poisonous bloom I’ve never heard of? No thanks.
2. Succulents As Gifts
They’ll die. You’re dooming that cute cactus and that adorable baby aloe plant to be left behind and thrown away, or to sit in a car until it shrivels and dies, or to be sentenced to a life of being nibbled on by a passive-aggressive cat. Give your guests something they’ll use and love immediately, like extra bags of cookies or local honey.
3. Hand-Painted Signs
I don’t care how much money you saved on Etsy. The whole boho-chic wood sign with calligraphy trend is dead to me and probably to the majority of your cooler guests. If you have attendants or a wedding planner or other people like that working your wedding, use them to usher guests to their seats. Additionally, let’s curtail the poems about how we’re all family and we don’t need to pick a side. Of course I’m picking a side. Unless you want me to sit in the middle of the aisle, which I can also arrange.
4. Bare Feet
This feels like disease ready to strike. If you’re planning on saying vows at the edge of the ocean in the heat of summer, fine, ditch the shoes. Treat yourself. However, if your wedding is set on a quaint farm in the mountains and the temperature is hovering around 60, please don’t go barefoot. It’s tacky, we know you’ve lost feeling in the tips of your toes, and all I want to do is throw some nice warm wool socks at you. I can’t help it. I’m very nurturing.
5. Chevron
I’m hopeful that this trend, which seems more likely at weddings taking place March through June, is slowly going to make its way back to children’s playrooms where it belongs. That’s neat if your sorority used pink and grey chevron to spark joy; seeing this zigzag pattern on tablecloths, napkins, and runners is one of those spring wedding trends that makes me (and, likely, the rest of your guests) feel carsick.
6. Insanely Large Bouquets
I get that it’s spring and flowers are blooming and you want everyone to know just how dedicated to pretty things you are. That’s great. But oversize bouquets are heavy, take focus off of you in pictures, and tend to be extraordinarily expensive. Instead, opt for daintier pairings of fresh wildflowers or classic tea roses, hydrangea, or lilac. Skip the giant arrangements of daisies and baby’s breath.
Images: Omar Lopez / Unsplash; Shutterstock (5)
Another year, another parade of invitations, registries, and all the bullsh*t that goes with weddings. Weddings are super fun, don’t get me wrong. But when you’re super #popular and get invited to more than one per month, they quickly become exhausting. The good news, though, is that we’ve gotten super amazing at spotting trends. We’re like J.Lo in The Wedding Planner, minus the crippling loneliness and love-match with Matthew McConaughey.
Here’s to hoping 2019 is the year that mason jars and burlap finally eat sh*t and die as acceptable wedding decor. Fingers crossed that boots with wedding dresses becomes a fashion offense so serious it stays on your permanent record. These are the wedding trends that you’ll probably see this year, like them or not.
Darkness
Less blush and pastel, more maroon, emerald, and black. 2019 weddings will be more edgy in terms of color than previous years, when we saw light and feminine color overkill. This is 100% grool with us, considering black is all we own and working it into a wedding just feels right. There are tasteful ways to incorporate dark, mature colors without turning it into a goth wedding, and we’ll be seeing a lot of this.
“Cheese” Cakes
This one goes out to all the brides, grooms, and wedding guests that couldn’t give two sh*ts about wedding cakes. No one eats them, they’re crazy expensive, and they very often don’t live up to expectations. Those reasons and others could be why we’re expecting to see an uptick in “cheese” cakes at weddings this year. We don’t mean a multi-tiered NY Style Cheesecake from cousin Vinny’s mom. We’re talking about a literal tower of cheeses like brie, gouda, and/or gruyere arranged to give off cake vibes. Europeans have been offering cheese courses as dessert for like, ever, and we all know they’re better at everything anyway.
Smoke Bombs
Yikes. We’ve been waiting for, like, a while for something to dethrone sparkler exits at weddings. Word on the street and Internet is that colored smoke bombs will become the go-to for flashy goodbyes at 2019’s weddings. Think gender reveal, but more elaborate. I’m literally dying to see the “wedding smoke bomb fails” compilation on YouTube in approximately five months.
Banquet Tables
Banquet tables make guest feel like they’re more involved in the reception and wedding action, and they’re making a comeback this year. Instead of individual dinner tables that require you to VERY carefully choose who’s sitting next to who, banquet tables allow for everyone to be a part of the cool kids’ table even if they are, in fact, v lame.
Velvet
Yassss. Velvet has been creeping it’s way back from the 80’s slowly and surely over the last two years, and 2019 may finally be the time it makes its mark on the wedding industry. Look for velvet smoking jackets on grooms (really), velvet two piece dresses for bridesmaids, velvet ribbons on flowers, and even velvet table runners. If you’re the bride, though, be sure to work with specialty linen companies to nail this trend as it can look v tacky when it’s done wrong.
Grasses
Eucalyptus, ferns, and roses will never stop being a go-to for flower arches or decor. But in 2019, we’ll start to see soft, wild grasses like wheat and pampas utilized more frequently. It goes with the whole trend of bringing neutral, natural beauty to nuptials without a) adding in several thousand for flowers and b) having to get matchy-matchy with your wedding party attire. If it’s done right, I’m totally into this.
Natural Beauty
Well, Meghan Markle did something right. Turns out the actress’ penchant for very natural makeup on her wedding day has translated pretty well to us common folk. In 2019, there’ll be less dark lipstick, crazy stage makeup, and overly intense highlighter adorning brides. Think more soft, pink, and natural-hued lips paired with light smoky eyes for this year.
Obviously, weddings are super personal, and everyone has their own taste, but we all have access to the same sh*t on Pinterest. How are we feeling about these trends? Honestly, I might be excited to start going to weddings again.
Images: Nathan Dumlao / Unsplash; The HK Photo Company / Unsplash; Giphy (2)
