Wedding Trends

Ceremony / Reception

  • Ethnic Touches - The biggest trend in weddings, according to the Association of Bridal Consultants, is sprinkling a reminder of the bride and groom's heritage into the ceremony or reception. It may be as simple as German food for dinner, Irish dancers at the reception or wearing a special article of clothing, such as a kilt.

  • Destination Weddings - Weddings requiring family and friends to travel to exotic locations are popping up everywhere, says Gerard Monaghan, president of the Association of Bridal Consultants. Our society is so mobile now, and the design of the nuclear family has changed so much that destination weddings offer a fun adventure for any one who attends, he says. Destination weddings tripled between 1997 and 1999 from 3 percent to 11 percent.

  • New Days, Times and Places - Industry experts are seeing more formal daytime weddings, more weekday weddings and more outdoor weddings, particularly at fun venues like at a zoo, museum, park , etc.

  • Formal is Fine - Formal weddings have been popular since the 1980s. After Sept. 11, industry experts saw a slight decline as people turned to a more comfort-oriented lifestyle, even at their weddings. The formal trend is now regaining momentum.

  • Wedding Consultants - Brides are increasingly turning to wedding consultants to conduct the big event. About 15 percent of brides use them. That's triple the number of brides who used them only five years ago. (Association of Bridal Consultants)

  • The First Dance - It has become trendy for the couple's first dance to come right after the introduction instead of during the meal. The idea behind it is to prevent the guests' dinner from being interrupted.

  • Dry Weddings - Couples are trading in alcohol for sophisticated tea bars, cappuccino bars and juice bars.

  • The Cake - Cakes are flavorful and colorful. Each tier may be a different flavor, such as cheesecake, chocolate cake and carrot cake, with guests receiving a slice of each. Couples are also expressing their personalities through bold-colored cakes, including lime green, periwinkle and fuchsia. (Modern Bride)

  • The Groom's Cake - The groom's cake, an old Southern tradition, is showing up all over the country. The cake -- usually a dark, liquor-soaked chocolate or deep chocolate fudge -- serves as a late night snack at the wedding party or as a second wedding dessert, cut and served with the traditional wedding cake. Many couples are ordering grooms' cakes shaped like computers, boats or golf clubs to match the groom's interests. (Modern Bride)

  • Beyond Cake - Some couples are doing away with the traditional wedding cake and are giving their guests more variety. That could mean multiple cakes, chocolate fondues with fresh fruit, tartlets, pecan and lemon bars, truffles, brownies and lemon bars.

  • Flowers Cuttings - Some couples are using attractive appetizer trays -- from antipasto to cheese fondues -- as centerpieces in place of flowers at the reception. Picturesque desserts can fill the space after the meal.

Bridal Registry

  • Something Special - Couples are registering for more specialized items, such as sporting goods, home restoration merchandise, furniture and gourmet cooking accessories. This happens because they are marrying later and, in many cases, living together, so they already have most traditional wedding gift items.

  • Stripes - Stripes are this year's hottest look. Couples are registering for throw pillows, comforters, shams and sheets with broad candy-colored lines.

  • Under Cover - Quilts are replacing comforters in popularity.

  • Towel Chic - The hottest trend in towel chic is pairing colors next to each other on the color wheel, such as pink, orange and red. Another fun towel look that's big is mixing and matching different patterns with similar colors, such as centering a purple polka-dotted towel or a solid purple one between two purple-and-white striped towels.

  • Shine - Chrome and steel have moved into the kitchen, so registries are glistening with high-shine spice racks, bread bins, toaster ovens, wine racks and more.

  • Drink to the Past - Barware is big, particularly anything retro. Brandy snifters, martini glasses, margarita glasses and double highball glasses add a dash of 1940s glamour to both registry and bar. Anything in this category also makes a great attendant's gift.

  • The Strays - Wedding guests often stray from the registry but only to buy tried-and-true classics or heirloom-quality gifts.

  • Kitchen Gadgets - Brides love gadgets, particularly job-specific ones that help them entertain. That includes pasta and bread makers, asparagus pots, espresso machines, specialized sauce whisks and spatulas designed just for brownies.

Attendants' Gifts

  • Getting Personal - Personal is the latest buzzword surrounding bridal party gifts. Brides and grooms are opting out of the buy-everyone-the-same thing practice and selecting gifts that fit each individual attendant's personality, hobbies or interests. A growing number of retailers personalize purchases by engraving or stitching the gift with a monogram, name or expression.

  • Sentimental Journey - Sentimental gifts are on the rise. Watch for more bride-created photo albums, memory albums and framed photographs being given to the bridal party.

Jazzy Jewelry

  • Platinum - Platinum is still white-hot for wedding bands and engagement rings. According to studies by Platinum Guild International, the percentage of American brides and grooms opting for platinum wedding rings has skyrocketed to a whopping 40%.

  • Titanium - Platinum is getting some stiff competition, however, in the men's wedding band category from the newest kid on the block: titanium. The draw is that it's lightweight, wears like iron and is affordable.

  • Diamonds - Diamonds are now a man's best friend. Sales of diamond- studded wedding bands for men are growing by leaps and bounds. They usually involve less than a full carat of diamonds in total weight.

  • Straight-Forward - Engagement rings have a clean, straight-across look to them rather than the swirls of yesteryear.

  • Princess Diamond Cluster Rings - These popular new rings, featuring a centerpiece of four small or two large princess-cut diamonds flanked by several baguette diamonds, is particularly hot. The appeal is that the multiple stones look like one big stone, yet the price is far less than for a single diamond the same size.

  • Three in One - The three-stone ring continues its hot streak. The three diamonds or other precious stones signify the loved one's past, present and future.

  • Simplicity - Wedding jewelry for the bride and her attendants will be simple, romantic and extremely dainty. Watch for Austrian crystals, delicate scrollwork or filigree, tiny beading, chokers and floral motifs.

  • Headpieces - Jeweled headpieces are in fashion, especially elegant yet discrete and simple tiaras. (Bride's, The Knot)

Favors

  • Fitting Favors - Personal, meaningful take-home favors are a big trend. They may be a tribute to a bride or groom's deceased parent. (If he or she was an avid gardener, for examples, wildflower seeds might be handed out.) One Chicago bride distributed heart-shape cookie-cutters wrapped in organza with her grandmother's recipe for chocolate chip cookies tucked inside. An Irish couple gave out bottles of Bailey's Irish Cream. (Modern Bride)

  • Sharing - Many couples are skipping favors and donating to charities.

  • Double Duty - These days favors often do double duty. Placecards can double as favors when they are refrigerator magnets with seating information on them. Blown eggshells filled with colorful confetti are both placecards and festive crackers when they are smashed in celebration at the reception. (Modern Bride)

What's Everyone Wearing?

The Bride

  • In wedding gowns, what's old is new again. Many brides are going for Hollywood glamour with beautifully draped silks and beads. Gowns with ruffles in unexpected places are also a trend. The strapless and sleeveless looks are losing steam or being paired with wraps or stoles.

  • White wedding gowns are still red-hot, but more adventurous brides are sporting pale pinks, blues, greens and metallics. Really bold brides are wearing dark greens and reds. Still, others choose a white dress but dye their shoes blue to satisfy that something-blue tradition.

  • Bridal designers are adding touches of gold, silver and bronze to achieve that hot metallic color. Golden glass beading on the bodice of the gown is a frequent site coming down the aisle.

  • At outdoor weddings, brides often let go of formality and opt for floral prints, simple cotton slip dresses, sandals and sun hats. The entire wedding party follows suit.

  • Shoe trends resemble those of the gowns and the jewelry. They may be made of satin, brocade or silk, and display details such as crystals, ribbons, braids, beads, flowers and jeweled ornaments. Bows, however, are on the "out" list.

  • Comfort still is king when it comes to the shape of the shoe. There is a trend towards open toes, sleek sling backs, pumps with either round or square toes and square and stocky heels.

The Bridesmaid

  • A bridesmaid may be able to wear that dress again with the hot two-piece dresses being snatched up these days. They feature long, full taffeta skirts with cashmere twinsets or crisp white shirts.

  • Bridesmaid pastels have been dethroned by earth-tone metallics like pewter and copper.

  • Bridesmaids are being given more freedom to choose how they look. Brides may specify a color and then let each maid choose her own gown as long as it falls within the palette.

Mother-of-the-bride

  • More moms are wearing sexy, body-revealing styles than ever before. But often they top them with modest shrugs and wraps. The halter dress with a blazer is a current best seller.

  • Mom's dress may well have the intricate detail -- a touch of sequins, embroidery or beading -- not unlike the bride's gown.

  • Black and navy dresses, the old standbys, continue to be strong sellers for weddings any time of the year.

  • Pale colors, such as champagne, beige, sage green and ice blue, are big sellers for warm weather weddings, while deeper colors, including burgundy and eggplant, are popular for fall and winter ones.

Grooms and Groomsmen

  • Grooms are looking anything but traditional, and it will be difficult to find any groom in tails this year. Grooms are taking a more fashion-forward approach to wedding apparel with longer tuxedo jackets (to the thigh and knee), vests and longer Windsor or four-in-hand ties. Other popular looks include three-button coats and morning/cutaway coats.

  • It's hip for grooms to distinguish themselves in a great colored or patterned vest. Mid-range pastels, such as Carolina blue and soft yellow, are popular choices this year.

  • In more casual settings, such as garden weddings, preppy blue blazers and khakis or summer whites are also appearing. Grooms personalize the look by hand-selecting ties for the guys in their wedding parties.

Content appears courtesy of www.shopcherrycreek.com. Information is from 2002.