Let’s just admit it from the start. There is nothing wrong with following a good idea and few ideas are truly original.
In fact, there’s likely never been a time where creative ideas can be shared so freely through various mediums making the exchange of ideas prolifically abundant. In the land of likes, shares, saves and pins, a wedding day vision can virtually be created through the brief captures of 100s of other weddings.
Who doesn’t love the mass exchange of creativity, but there is much caution when trying to plan your wedding with all the latest trends in mind.
Interestingly, I was on a forum for venue owners learning how a trend went viral for pouring a bottle of champagne into a tower of champagne glasses. The venue owner cited it was a blogger who wanted to improve the SEO of her blog and led with a teaser, “A champagne tower is a must at your 2023 wedding.” The venue owner went on to explain other wedding bloggers jumped on the bandwagon and now we have a sticky trend for 2023.
I suppose if this is true, following a trend that was spawned as a must to create more organic content for a blogger, feels a bit disingenuous. Here are a few things to keep in mind when researching wedding fads for the latest and greatest ideas.
- Beware of trends that are temporarily viral. This past year, there was a viral trend that began when a creative film student decided to test her editing skills. She had the idea to have her sister and fiancé do a rehearsal dinner twirl in front of a focal point. On her wedding day, they did the exact same twirl in the same spot and her sister bridged the two together. It was such a fun 10 second clip and so many 2022 couples were staging the same. It will be interesting to see if any ’23 couples will do the same or forget all about it.
- Beware of trends with short shelf-lives. Something that comes to mind is burlap and mason jars. While it had a seemingly long run, you just don’t see it anymore unless the wedding is fully rustic and it makes sense.
- Beware of color trends. If you prefer being en vogue, familiarize yourself with upcoming trends. Only because I have a daughter who goes to art and design school, would I know that Pantone identifies a color standard across the board for all designers and printers. Did you know every year, Pantone has a color of the year that translates to fashion and the wedding industry? Last year, was a fabulous blue hue called “very peri” and we saw some dynamic weddings on point with this designation. Changing it up for 2023 is “Viva Magenta” more from the red family with some hint of blue. The same applies to bridal and menswear. Don’t be afraid to ask the experts what’s new and the anticipated trend for the upcoming year.
- Beware of messy or dangerous trends. You can imagine why venue owners were discussing the champagne tower—sticky mess and broken glass. While most of these ideas are to provide great photo ops, you should consider the safety involved as no one wants to hassle with an emergency room visit on their wedding day. The other day, Carats and Cake featured a homemade slip and slide exit. Heck yeah, this idea provided over the top images and Greek life throwback fun for the crowd, but as a responsible party, all I could see was one of those stakes piercing someone’s side, broken limbs or concussion.
- Beware of DIY décor trends. Oh yeah, it’s out there. There are videos on how to make your own flower wall for a “perfect” backdrop using dollar tree flowers. Nothing against DIY for those talented folks with an eye for detail, but honestly there’s more money in paying retail prices for floral when floral professionals have access to more realistic products. Just because you can, doesn’t always mean you should.
- Beware of trends that could cause post wedding regret. A wardrobe or hairstyle change mid wedding certainly makes sense, but the trend is out there for brides to do a mid-wedding hair chop or a groom shave his beard. While they may be all smiles and seem thrilled with their new look, I wonder how many missed their luscious locks on the honeymoon.
In any event, following a trend should be authentic to you. The best ideas are when you take a popular idea but tweak it until it’s your own. Remember, you as the couple are the main attraction.
