Sounds easy, right? Fret not, for we've delved into the latest trends fresh from wedding world to give you some so-now inspiration...
The style
Whatever look you're leaning toward, the latest trends are a highly personalised affair, with couples seeking their own individual stamp with every detail. In particular, marble and copper is providing a fabulously focal pairing, with geometrics and blues following in equally striking suit.
Jenny Granlund from Jenny Wren Weddings and Events (jennywrenweddingsandevents.co.uk) shares her top tips on how to achieve the aesthetic. "Terrariums are a great way of introducing copper to your tablescapes. Fill them with candles or succulents, or hang from the ceiling and fill with trailing foliage," she suggests. "I used copper plant tags as name tags on wedding favours at a recent wedding, which worked really well. Or buy marble tiles from a bathroom store and use a copper pen to write guests' names on as name places."
"The trend for marble detail in wedding designs will continue into 2018," affirms Elle Winsor-Grime from Inspire Hire (inspire-hire.co.uk), "but rather than the traditional white marble with a black vein, couples will start to use different colours: think beautiful pink marble, green agate, or marble streaked with beautiful golden veins."
"Blues have always been one of my favourite colours to work with," continues Elle; "however, how you use these blues can be unusual and unexpected. Instead of simply combining a paler baby blue with a pastel pink, how about going for stronger coral tones and oranges?"
"Darker blues such as navy can look amazing teamed with warmer red and berry tones for an autumnal wedding, or even lavender, lilac and mauve for a softer summer style. And then with brighter tones, work bright blues with pale sky blues, turquoise, cerise and purple tones for a fabulous bright and bold colour scheme to wow your guests."
High drama decor courtesy of statement flowers and foliage is another movement sweeping the wedding world, as Lou Ord from Loulabel Floral Design (loulabelfloraldesign.com) explains. "It's all about the statement installations: full staircases, abundant arches, wild and luxe mantelpieces and high drama tablescapes. We're bringing sexy dramatic florals!" she announces. "My advice to couples has always been to go big and create a statement, use your budget on one striking piece rather than spreading it thinly on pew ends and little vases, which can get completely unnoticed by guests, and lost in your pictures."
"The Pantone Colour of the Year for 2017 is 'Greenery' and we have certainly seen an increase in the number of couples wanting green to be the main colour," observe florists, Emily Talling and Lucy Beckley from 3acre Blooms (3acreblooms.co.uk). "Foliage-only installations such as garlands and foliage chandeliers and ladders can be really impactful and effective. As many couples move towards family feast-style food, we've also seen a rise in more minimalistic table arrangements, with varying heights of vessels and arrangements consisting of a mixture of single stems, small posies and foliage. Herbs and scented blooms are also very much in demand, which is fantastic for us, as many of the blooms we grow are scented."
Loulabel
The food
Weddings are all about the sensory experience, and food is a defining factor. The best bit is that there are no rules. Design a global-inspired menu to mirror your travels, serve rounds of sharing platters, or scatter your favourite food stations throughout your venue for a festival vibe.
"Sharing menus are as popular now as they have always been. Everybody just loves the relaxed feel and the 'wow' when they are brought to the tables," observes Jamie Beetham from Beetham Food (beethamfood.co.uk). "Try either cured meats and cheeses for starters, or barbecued meat platters with salads and roasted new potatoes as mains." He continues: "Vintage tea party weddings are another trend - very rustic with hay bales, unlined marquees, no tablecloths and lots of wild hedgerow flowers."
Doughnuts, street food and anything that's homegrown or local are just a few of the leading trends when it comes to wedding food, with cakes continuing to garner particularly special attention.
"We are seeing an increase in awareness of flavours and bakes, and have been spending more time in the development of family favourites, heritage flavours and foraged ingredients," reveals Christine Jensen from Peboryon (peboryon.com). "It is also now unusual to supply only one flavour for a multi-tiered cake. Couples tend to choose either minimalism: an arctic white design with a single dramatic feature of something colourful, sculptural or floral; or opulence: incorporating intricate detail, stylish excess, metallics, marbling, flourishes, hand-painting, sculptural elements and sugar flowers."
Christine continues: "Pantone's Colour of the Year has hit the spot with couples in deep green ways. We have never made so many sugar leaves! Eucalyptus is a current favourite, with teeny-tiny leaves also making a mark. But the strongest trend is that towards personalisation," she adds. "The desire to not have the Pinterest cake that everyone else has had, but to create something really unique and tailored."
Yvonne Lister from Cherry Blossom Cakes (cherryblossom-cakes.co.uk) agrees: "I've found that many couples are going for metallic cakes with/or geometric shapes; golds and silvers with minimum decoration. Cake flavours are also more dessert-like - think chocolate brownie crush cake or salted caramel. Rustic cakes are super-popular for country weddings: couples are choosing naked cakes and small dessert tables with different cake flavours. Bigger, bolder cakes are definitely making a comeback - not so much extravagant, elaborate cakes, but taller and more elegant cakes," she continues. "Always think about the photo you want of your cake: if your dress is simple, a more elaborate cake with loads of decoration will look beautiful. If your dress is very detailed, a more simple cake will look gorgeous."
She advises couples to "put together a 'mood' board for your wedding. It gives the supplier a much better idea of what you would like in terms of colours and theme, so you can work together to create the perfect cake."
And don't forget to consider bright, statement bakes that extend your theme, as Emily Hankins (emilyhankins.co.uk) notes. "Wedding cakes with coloured backgrounds seem to be hugely popular at the moment. Couples are not scared of making a bold statement with a dark or brightly coloured cake, matching their design ideas to bridesmaids' dresses or other elements of their decor!" Perfect for her exquisite hand-painted style, Emily is currently seeing a penchant for petals amongst her couples. "Bold florals also seem to be a big statement at the moment - the more flowers the better!" And she is thrilled to see the continued popularity of marble and metallics. "Rose gold and copper are particular favorites. There is something about the super luxe look of metallics against the clean, cool lines of a marbled cake which shouts elegance."
Beetham Food (Rachel Kevern)
Emily Hankins (A Thing Like That Photography)
Emily Hankins (Liberty Pearl Photography)
Peboryan
Peboryan (Toby Lowe)
The drinks
Wedding drinks afford the perfect opportunity to literally mix it up and really spoil your guests. From cocktail stations and signature drinks menus to vans, spirit bars and craft beers, it's time to think outside the box when it comes to your booze.
Sam Newman from The Buffalo (thebuffalo.co.uk), a super-chic mobile bar housed in a restored 1964 Airstream, outlines the latest lusts in wedding drinks world. "Cocktails are huge, and we are starting to notice that rum is becoming the new gin, with more people talking to us about our extensive selection of rums. That being said, there are so many great gins that our G&T menu always goes down well - we normally offer five or six gins and at least three tonics. Our favourite at the moment is Wrecking Coast gin, made with clotted cream in Tintagel, served with a strawberry garnish. Edible flowers seem to be very popular too, both in drinks and in food," adds Sam.
"Create your own cocktails and display in beautiful Kilner jars," suggests Tracy Edwards from Blue Fizz Events (bluefizzevents.co.uk). "Go blackberry picking and infuse your fizz with wild hand-picked blackberries and a thyme sugar syrup for a perfect arrival drink. Or try rosemary-infused vodka - you can make your own - and add orange and soda for something more refreshing on a summer's day. Serve in jam jars with paper striped straws, and add herbs or fruit for garnish - voilà !"
"I often suggest using drinks as key times of the day to my clients," says Elle. "For 2018, I'm working on several weddings where we'll have a cocktail hour after the wedding breakfast to pep everyone up after they have eaten and to get them ready for the evening's entertainment."
"We often put our couple's personality into the day by serving specific drinks that are special to them," she elaborates. "We have created gin bars with five different G&T combinations, whisky tasting stations for grooms to share their love of whisky with friends and Prosecco stations where guests are invited to 'pimp your Prosecco' with different flavours and fruits."
"Drinks vans are a fun way to add entertainment, and there are some fabulous ones available in the south-west, from converted horse boxes such as The Paddock Bar to airstreams like The Buffalo."
The Buffalo
words Hannah May
Copyright Wed magazine 2017
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