Themes & Colors
Pantone’s Color of the Year for 2015 was Radiant Orchid, and plenty of weddings from this year reflected this brilliant hue’s popularity. Pantone has announced its picks for Spring 2016, and the palette is full of gorgeous muted tones and carefully selected bright tones. These colors will be present in all of the trendiest 2016 weddings, reminiscent of minimalistic nature, floral art and tropical landscapes. Stay within the cool color spectrum with shades like Scuba Blue, Lucite Green and Aquamarine, or choose a warmer scheme with Strawberry Ice, Tangerine and Custard. Your wedding colors should reflect your personalities, so if having complementary colors to add a striking contrast is more your style, you can combine warm with cool to create your own palette.
Photo Credit: Justin Lee Photography
Weddings will see a shift in popular themes, shying away from last year’s rustic barn weddings and Great Gatsby vintage glam trends and moving towards more modern, romantic and luxe themes. Sophisticated and sleek modern themes involve white or ivory with a burst of color or metallics. Classic elegance is making a comeback, with ornate weddings featuring formal tablescapes and soft lighting. Geometric shapes will still be around next year, in invitations, place settings, backdrops and centerpieces. Chevron will be traded in for more elaborate shapes like multidimensional dodecahedrons and prisms, as well as simpler patterns like clean lines.
Photo Credit: Inside Weddings
Wedding Dresses
Your wedding dress is undoubtedly one of the most important aspects of your wedding day. There are plenty of different styles and classic looks that stay constant throughout the years, but if you’re a fashionista, why not try one of the year’s upcoming trends? Ball gowns with full skirts made of lighter fabrics like tulle are popular next year, giving every bride the opportunity to feel like a princess without an excessively heavy dress.
Photo Credit: JLM Couture
Off the shoulder wedding dresses are trending next year as well, with many variations ranging from one-shoulder to draped sleeves on both sides. It’s a soft and romantic look that is flattering on all body types and can be featured in many styles, from boho to classic.
Photo Credit: Marchesa
Sheer bridal gowns were making their mark in the wedding world in 2014, and in 2015 the trend has found the perfect balance of sophisticated and sexy. These sheer details, such as netting, lace or overlays, all give the illusion of more skin without being too revealing.
Photo Credit: Brides
Colors are in for the upcoming year. Last year we saw an influx in dusty rose-colored and light pink wedding dresses, and this year we’re seeing an expansion into the world of color. Bridal gowns are popping up in shades of blue (a great way to incorporate your something blue!), neutral metallics and pale pastels.
Photo Credit: Brides
Engagement Rings
As we all know, fashion trends are heavily influenced by celebrities and what they choose to wear. Engagement rings are no exception. This past year the wedding world loved seeing Blake Lively and Lauren Conrad tie the knot, and both of these lovely ladies proved that not every engagement ring needs to be set on white gold or platinum. Blake Lively’s beautiful engagement ring was set on rose gold, while Lauren Conrad’s stunning ring is set on a yellow gold band. Yellow and rose gold are just as beautiful as silver tones, and they may even be more suitable for your skin tone.
Photo Credit: Love and Promise Jewelers
Another engagement ring trend for 2016 is the eternity band, featuring many smaller diamonds all around the band instead of having one single center stone. It’s subtle in that there won’t be one flashy stone, yet striking when the stones catch the light and glitter beautifully on your hand. These types of rings are perfect for brides who still want the glitz and glamour of a shiny ring but without the focus on a large stone.
Photo Credit: WeddingBee
Wedding Food
2015 was a great year for mini comfort food, with tons of midnight snacks and mini appetizers such as sliders and fries. We also saw tons of brides having DIY serving stations, from taco bars to smores bars to mimosa bars. Brunch weddings have become more popular recently thanks to the reduced cost in venue and vendor charges as well as the delicious food and drinks that you get to serve. These are trends that will carry over in 2016 due to the fun and creativity that goes into developing midnight snack and mini food menus. Brunch weddings will also increase in popularity.
Photo Credit: Junebug Weddings
One of the biggest trends that we’ll see in 2016 is the concept of local, farm-to-table fare. Seasonal and sustainable ingredients are becoming a priority in many wedding menus. Buffet-style serving is the latest trend, giving guests the opportunity to choose what they want to eat and the quantity. This also creates a more interactive reception dining experience, allowing guests to mingle and be social with one another. It’s also a great way to accommodate different dietary needs without having to have specific food for a select number of guests.
Photo Credit: Bass Lake Golf Course
Alcohol & Drinks
Having an open bar is a great way to turn your reception into a party, but it’s expensive and oftentimes a lot of the available options go untouched. Recently we’ve seen a trend in having signature drinks or limited bars featuring beer, wine and a couple different types of liquor. In 2016, we’ll see an increase in champagne, served in a champagne towers or a champagne and cake receptions.
Photo Credit: Ashley Ludaescher Photography
As with food, mini is always popular and we’ll see that trend carry over into drinks as well. Wine flights, beer flights and drink stations will be popular next year because of the greater variety everyone will get to sample while simultaneously keeping your alcohol budget low.
Photo Credit: MDM Entertainment
Desserts & Cakes
Last year there was a surge in naked wedding cakes, but this year we’re seeing a return to the more traditional decorated and frosted wedding cake. Couples will incorporate their wedding’s theme, colors or design into their wedding cake so that it matches everything at the reception. Textured and patterned frosting is a great way to incorporate next year’s trend of geometric shapes as well as the metallic luxe look.
Photo Credit: My Wedding
Dessert bars are just as popular as ever thanks to their customizability and flexibility. Cupcakes, macarons, brownies, hand pies, doughnuts, ice cream sandwiches and any other type of sweet treat are all being served at weddings. Have your guests help themselves at a serving station or decorate their own treats at a dessert bar. Take home bags are excellent party favors that your guests will love.
Photo Credit: Sift Dessert Bar
Wedding Bouquets & Flowers
The most popular wedding flowers are timeless classics that will continue to be popular for as far as we can see. Roses, peonies, dahlias, ranunculus and hydrangeas are all top choices for brides in 2016. One trend that we see for next year is the increase in green foliage and wildflowers for a rustic, just-picked look. Herbs, ferns and other green foliage are all popping up in wedding bouquets, alongside seasonal blooms and other wildflowers.
Photo Credit: Weddings Online
Another wedding flower trend for 2016 is the floral backdrop, made popular by Kim Kardashian’s wedding in which she had a beautiful wall of white peonies, roses and gardenias. Floral backdrops create the most beautiful wedding photo settings and are fragrant, romantic and luxurious. Although filling an entire wall with blooms is very expensive, you can create your own version of the Kimye floral backdrop with more inexpensive flowers in a smaller area. Or, DIY with tissue paper flowers or other faux blossoms.
Photo Credit: Brit + Co
2016 is the year classic romance comes back into wedding themes. Metallics such as gold, silver, bronze and copper paired with neutral white and ivory create a luxurious setting that will have a timeless and elegant feel. Wedding dresses with unique details such as off the shoulder sleeves, sheer overlays and pastel colors will be popular, giving the modern bride a way to show off her inner fashionista without being too over the top. Food, drinks and desserts will see a few trends carry over from 2015, but will emphasize the idea of more options with smaller portions. The rustic chic trend will continue via wedding flowers, with foliage-rich bouquets of wildflowers and floral backdrops that will create the perfect wedding photo opportunity.
Resource: bridebox
