![\"\"](\"https:\/\/centralvirginiaweddings.com\/stage\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/planning3.jpg\")
Note: This list is intended to be a guide for decision-making. Always remember to take a step back from the influences of others and stay true to what you really want for your big day.<\/p>\nWedding styles and preferences are always changing and adapting in many ways. Some \u201ctrends\u201d come and go quickly while others slowly turn into a longstanding traditions.<\/p>\n
From d\u00e9cor to entertainment, we asked local event planners to share what\u2019s been popular at recent weddings and, on the flip side, which concepts seem to be losing some steam.<\/p>\n
Note: This list is intended to be a guide for decision-making. Always remember to take a step back from the influences of others and stay true to what you really want for your big day.<\/p>\n
Minimalist Style<\/strong> \u201cIn the aftermath of previous wedding styles with huge, elaborate and tall wedding florals, and sparkle, glitter, and much detail, we are seeing the modern bride revert to a modernized version of a classic and timeless style,\u201d explains Moriah McAllister of Something Blue Events.<\/p>\n According to McAllister, minimalist style can often include the use of black and white, but they are usually seeing it play out with earth or neutral tones.<\/p>\n \u201cIt is a very clean and neat style, with everything present having a purpose,\u201d she says. \u201cIt is deliberate and thought through.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThis is a bold statement and when done well is beautiful, dramatic, and unique,\u201d McAllister explains.<\/p>\n She does warn, you will need to work with an experienced wedding venue, planner or coordinator to make sure your colorful end result looks classy and not immature.<\/p>\n \u201cWhen done poorly, it will look like a child\u2019s birthday party. When done well, you can take this style and colors and pair it with many different sister styles,\u201d she explains.<\/p>\n For example, try a \u201cbold and colorful\u201d palette mixed with bohemian undertones or \u201cbold and colorful\u201d paired with minimalist. The sky\u2019s the limit with this style.<\/p>\n \u201cThe key is to have a color that is the common thread running through all of your d\u00e9cor decisions and design,\u201d explains McAllister. \u201cThis color will be your unspoken and often unacknowledged MVP of this style, bringing cohesiveness and order.\u201d<\/p>\n Virtual Stationery<\/strong> \u201cFrom save the dates, to the invitations themselves, to online RSVPing, we are seeing couples save on money and [help] our environment by going completely digital,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n As she explains, you don\u2019t have to make everything virtual but could consider shifting at least part of your invitation process online.<\/p>\n \u201cIntimately-sized weddings, often referred to as \u2018micro-weddings,\u2019 is a trend that I would acknowledge as a positive effect of the tragedy of recent events,\u201d McAllister says.<\/p>\n Micro-weddings typically have fewer than 50 guests. Choosing to have a smaller guest list can allow you to spread your budget further, often allowing you to go all out with those guests in ways that you could not if there were 300+ people.<\/p>\n Photo Booths<\/strong> \u201cIt\u2019s always a great source of added entertainment for guests at an event,\u201d she says. \u201cWhat has helped maintain its popularity is the ever-changing style of these booths.\u201d<\/p>\n Aside from the traditional photo booth, she says they are seeing ring light\/selfie station\u2013style booths, 360-degree booths, and mirror booths.<\/p>\n Videography<\/strong> Whether you\u2019re 22 or 42, getting video of your wedding day is an excellent way to capture the emotion of the day with sound and movement.<\/p>\n \u201cA great photographer is always essential in our opinion, but there is something about video that transports you back to this magical day,\u201d says Lester.<\/p>\n Bouquet & Garter Toss<\/strong> \u201cGone are the days when we corralled all the single guys or ladies to the dance floor while the bride and groom threw undergarments or old flowers at them,\u201d said Lester.<\/p>\n You can still have a little fun, though. Lester has seen all of the male guests gather to catch an empty liquor box with a garter (not worn by the bride or removed publicly) tied around it. The winner gets the nice bottle of liquor. Brides are also choosing to toss a separate bouquet to ALL women who attended.<\/p>\n \u201cInclusivity is also important with our ladies who no longer need to be publicly shamed if they are not married,\u201d says Lester.<\/p>\n \u201cDoes the bouquet toss spark joy? If it doesn\u2019t, it goes,\u201d says McAllister. \u201cThat\u2019s all there is to it. We love the progress being made here. Traditions are beautiful and amazing, as long as they serve the couple well and lead to an authentic moment.\u201d<\/p>\n Traditional Wedding Cakes<\/strong> But with smaller budgets and smaller weddings, some couples are choosing to ditch the traditional tiered cake.<\/p>\n \u201cMore often than not couples are choosing to think outside of the box here, choosing cupcakes, cookies, donuts, dessert food trucks, s\u2019mores, you name it,\u201d says Lester.<\/p>\n If a traditional cake is desired, it may be on the smaller side and paired with those easy-to-grab sweets such as cookies or cupcakes.<\/p>\n Wedding Registries<\/strong> \u201cOur couples are more interested in experiences such as date nights, honeymoon funds, or excursions related to their honeymoon,\u201d Lester explains.<\/p>\n A financial registry can allow guests to contribute to a certain fund for the couple and take care of the wedding present easily, with just a couple of clicks on the computer.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" What\u2019s In and What\u2019s Moving Out Wedding styles and preferences are always changing and adapting in many ways. Some \u201ctrends\u201d come and go quickly while others slowly turn into a longstanding traditions. From d\u00e9cor to entertainment, we asked local event planners to share what\u2019s been popular at recent weddings and, on the flip side, which […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":3142,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[36,42],"tags":[26],"class_list":["post-3141","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-departments","category-planning","tag-wedding-planning"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/centralvirginiaweddings.com\/stage\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3141","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/centralvirginiaweddings.com\/stage\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/centralvirginiaweddings.com\/stage\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/centralvirginiaweddings.com\/stage\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/centralvirginiaweddings.com\/stage\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3141"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/centralvirginiaweddings.com\/stage\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3141\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/centralvirginiaweddings.com\/stage\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/3142"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/centralvirginiaweddings.com\/stage\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3141"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/centralvirginiaweddings.com\/stage\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3141"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/centralvirginiaweddings.com\/stage\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3141"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
\nRight now, one aesthetic that event planners are noticing might save you a little money and day-of stress too. Minimal d\u00e9cor, flowers and even dresses are beginning to steal the show.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/centralvirginiaweddings.com\/stage\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/planning2.jpg\")
Color<\/strong>
\nIf minimalist style is a little too simple for your taste, another popular trend swings over to the other side of the spectrum. While pastels will likely always have a place at weddings, bright colors are starting to take center stage.<\/p>\n
\nWe all know online invitations are not necessarily a new phenomenon, but Katie Lester with A Little Party Events says with supply chain issues and postal service backlog, they are seeing a greater push from their clients to go totally online with their wedding stationery.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/centralvirginiaweddings.com\/stage\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/planning1.jpg\")
Intimate Weddings<\/strong>
\nEven before the COVID-19 virus shut down gatherings for a stretch, there was already a shift in the wedding industry to make weddings a more intimate affair. But the pandemic certainly pushed smaller weddings into the limelight.<\/p>\n
\nWedding guests love photo booths, which is why Lester believes this trend is here to stay.<\/p>\n
\n\u201cSo many of our couples are choosing to focus a portion of their budget on videography,\u201d says Lester, adding that it\u2019s probably because Generation Z has grown up with every moment documented.<\/p>\nWhat\u2019s Moving Out<\/h2>\n
\nBrides across the board are starting to remove this slightly awkward wedding tradition from the schedule of events.<\/p>\n
\nThe traditional wedding cake will never completely go out of style and we hope not\u2014because these baked works of art are truly masterpieces!<\/p>\n
\nWith couples getting married later in life, many already have a lot of their home items or d\u00e9cor and don\u2019t feel like they need a full blown registry.<\/p>\n