Couples are currently looking at ways to personalise their nuptials and break from tradition. Wedding styling is seeing an abundance of original alternatives that blend together cultures, creativity and lots of personal touches.
Mixing and matching seem a great way to compromise, as couples decide that they don’t have to settle on one particular style. This gives a great fusion of modern and vintage, along with contrasting textures, colours and mixed metals.
Here are my top wedding styling trends to look out for at the moment:
Bringing the outside inside
The greenery trend has meant less flowers and more plants and foliage are prevalent, with top tables awash with garlands running down the whole of the table and spilling off the ends to the floor, with gentle inclusions of white flowers. Think of the foliage arch that was around the door of St George’s Chapel for Harry & Megan’s wedding.
Couples are also thinking more seasonally with their choices and including foraged items such as moss, fruit, vegetables, feathers, cones and other seasonal items from the environment around them.
Alternatives to paper stationery
Couples are thinking beyond paper and using different material types such as Perspex, denim, wood or agate slices for their suite of wedding stationery. For the transparent acrylic trend, the use of Perspex chairs, tables, menus and signage means that stationery doesn’t detract but blend in with the surroundings. Clear ‘stationery’ will continue to grow in popularity for a modern style and this is evolving further to iridescent details.
Minimal look and feel
On average, wedding guest numbers are decreasing and micro weddings are on the rise; with couples wishing to keep things small, personal and more meaningful. This vibe is also transcending to the look of the day, with plain, simple and minimal styling. This can be enhanced by using one colour for maximum impact such as white for an amazing statement with a relaxed and tranquil atmosphere.
Festival vibes
Outdoor or tipi weddings with macramé ceremony backdrops are seeing a massive upturn at the moment. Think hanging greenery, trees, dream catcher favours, festoon lighting, ribbon drapes, food vans, chill out areas and fire bowls.
Alternatives to real flowers are better for the environment and the pocket – make paper flowers or borrow house plants for a great diy wedding.
Statement backdrops
Move over flower walls and arches – the ceremony wreaths are here! Archways are being superseded by moongates, circular arches and other impactful ceremony backdrops. Couples are using them to walk through on their way down the aisle, a spectacular ceremony or photo backdrop, behind top tables, bars or dessert tables. The wreaths can be decorated with flowers and/or foliage, all over or partially covered.
Air plants
Another alternative to flowers is air plants, which are a brilliant evolution on the succulent trend. Their delicate tendrils give a wonderful contrast against the soft tulle of wedding dresses.
Use them in bouquets, table displays or in glass suspended baubles.
Gem stones rock
Shiny rocks will continue to see a place in wedding venue styling with agate (or hollow geodes) still at the forefront of designs in cakes and name settings, as well as the revival of marble details.
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Weddings are a wonderful celebration of love and marriage. They can blend together families, traditions, cultures, creativity and lots of personal touches. Whether a religious, civil or humanist ceremony, a traditional or themed reception, these special days are about what is important to each individual couple.
Despite some couples’ originality, there are always trends that appear and popular themes that epitomise a particular era (think puff ball sleeves from the eighties). Sometimes fashion, films, television programmes, interior design, celebrity weddings and even current affairs influence these trends. Of course, there are some timeless and classic themes that never seem to go out of favour like a ‘romantic’ theme and personalisation is still key at the moment.
So what does 2018 hold for the world of weddings? Here is a curation of some of the top trends to look out for next year.
Choices Making your special day all about you is the name of the game. With Pinterest at our finger tips, there are lots of ways to personalise your nuptials and break from tradition. In particular, I think that alternatives for the following aspects of wedding days will continue to be more and more original:
Alternative stationery – go beyond paper with different material types such as perpex, denim, wood or agate slices
Alternative guest books – think about things you’ll use or see every day such as recipe books, furniture and artwork (see more ideas at alternative wedding guest book ideas)
Alternative florals – the greenery trend has meant less flowers and more plants and foliage. Along with paper florals and other lasting alternatives to bouquets, consider new ways to wear flowers such as corsages, floral rings, anklets and chockers. My personal floral alternative favourite is succulents and air plants, as well as foraged items such as moss, fruit, vegetables, feathers, cones and other seasonal items from the environment around us. Plus the archway will be superseded by the ceremony wreath. And urns, vases, bell jars and different ways to show flowers will be big next year.
Alternative rings – mixed metal trends will start to be seen in wedding rings as well as décor, plus more finger tattoos are emerging as another option to wearing a ring at all.
Culling Uncertain times, call for purse strings to be a bit tighter. So I believe that budgets may be slightly dwindling in 2018. This could result in trends for:
More couples to diy and create, source or design elements themselves
Using industrial, blank spaces or open spaces as a blank canvas
Minimalist styling with one accent or monochrome colour schemes
Smaller guest lists
Later weddings held at a different time of day so couples don’t have to feed people twice!
Clothing Bridal wear is continuing to see a shift in trends to provide new, innovative and unusual styles to make sure the bride makes a statement and is different to any other on her big day. Fashion trends that are appearing on the catwalks (that will surely influence weddings next year) include:
Covering up the arms with arms warmers, long sleeves or capes
Adornments on dresses such as cascading shoulder bows, butt bows, feathers, shirt collars and 3D flowers
Skirts will have plenty of drama with high/low hem lines or slits
Whilst the backs of dresses will continue to wow with the 18th century style Watteau backs (a section at the back of a dress that is gathered or pleated at the neck and falls unbelted to the floor)
Fabrics will be structured and sheer
With metallic detail and even black accents
Soft colour dresses will continue to grow in popularity
Accessorise with big earrings and embellished shoes
Colour and styling So much influences our daily lives which in turn spills over to the world of weddings, including decorative elements from different arenas such as interior design, architecture, graphic design, lighting, furniture and textiles. One part that overarches these elements is the importance of colour.
The Pantone® Colour of the Year always plays a big part in influencing popular colours and I don’t think next year will be any exception. In 2018, the colour of the year is a striking blue-toned purple called Ultra Violet . Pantone are citing it as ‘optimistic and empowering color” for “originality, ingenuity, and visionary thinking” [take a look at my report about the colour of the year – https://www.hanamidream.co.uk/pantone-announce-the-color-of-the-year-2018/] and I’m pretty pleased as purple is my favourite colour! I think it will work particularly well teamed with the greenery colour of 2017. Here’s my take on the other colours to look out for in spring/summer 2018 – https://www.hanamidream.co.uk/top-spring-2018-colours-from-pantone/.
Textures – crushed velvet will become more prevalent for more luxurious styles
Transparent – Perspex chairs, tables, menus and signage will continue to grow in popularity for a modern style and this is evolving further to iridescent details
Metallic – the metallic trend isn’t showing any signs of tiring just yet. Next year will be the turn of copper to take to centre stage
Gem stones – agate (or hollow geodes) are still going to be at the forefront of designs, as well as marble. Plus pearl details are set to come back into the limelight in 2018.
Mix and match – you don’t have to settle on one style for a great fusion of modern/vintage, different cultures and mixed colours. I’m hopeful for vibrant folk art style weddings to be a great evolution of the boho festival trend.
Foraged items – my personal tip is for peacock feathers and all the bright associated colours of this beautiful bird
Catering Family style serving is still a great way to share the wedding reception which works so well on long, large banquet tables lining the room. Plus couples want their food to look amazing so that it is Instagram worthy.
Other food and drink highlights to support emerging tends include:
Local produce – organic, farm to table that supports local suppliers
Unusual catering vans, dessert tables and interactive stations at the reception – think gin bars, hot chocolate stations and make your own pudding
Dietary requirements – upsurge is requests for vegan desserts so that it caters for all guests
Personalised cocktails – have your own cocktails created and served as the ‘house’ aperitif instead of Pimms or Buck’s Fizz when guests arrive. Or how about two different personal cocktails to represent the different tastes of the couple.
Culture The world of films and tv always influences trends and 2018 looks set to be a year of blockbusters to choose from such as:
Comic book films like: Incredibles 2, X-Men: Dark Phoenix, Avengers: Infinity War, and Fantastic Beasts 2
Children’s classics including: Jungle Book, Arctic Justice, and Mary Poppins Returns
Sci-Fi movies such as: Solo: a Star Wars Story, Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom, Black Panther, and Aquaman – wouldn’t an Atlantis underwater wedding be amazing!
Action movies including: M:I 6 – Mission Impossible, and Ocean’s 8 – a brilliant female reboot set in New York
Love stories like: Fifty Shades Freed, and Love, Simon
Plus big tv shows such as Peaky Blinders, Dr Who (complete with a new female doctor after Christmas) and a new adaptation of Vanity Fair (set in the 19th century around the Napoleonic Wars) will help some wedding themes.
Film and video will continue to be more prevalent at weddings with couples choosing 360 videos, virtual reality experiences and drones to capture their big day. Along with social media being a part of the day and a way to capture everyone’s pictures of the day (it’s just the modern version of the disposable cameras on the table!) with personalised snap chat geofilters and your own hashtags for the day.
Celebrities As well as the wonders of Pinterest, couples are inspired by seeing others doing something first. So it’s no surprise that details from celebrity weddings will influence wedding trends. Here are some famous engaged couples that could make it up the aisle in 2018 and their special days will be ones to watch:
Prince Harry & Meghan – need I say any more! This will be THE wedding of the year and will surely spur some British street party style themes
Candice Brown & Liam Macaulay – she is a former Great British Bake Off winner so I’m sure there’ll be some wedding cakes goals emerging from this day!
Kate Mara & Jamie Bell – perhaps some Fantastic 4 or Billy Elliot themes
Matthew Lewis & Angela Jones – he played Neville Longbottom so will we see some more Harry Potter themes?
Rosie Huntington-Whiteley & Jason Statham – surely an action packed wedding expected there
Stephen Webb & Daniel Lustig – these guys are stars of Gogglebox and sure to have some original details to aspire to
Robert Pattinson & FKA twigs – Twilight themed weddings are still popular and great outdoor weddings
Current affairs You may be living and breathing your wedding and everything else in the world is taking a back seat. However, things are still going on around you and some national, local and annual events may have an impact on your guests involvement, availability and enjoyment. Here’s some events around the world that could influence your choice of dates and could also influence wedding trends:
Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, South Korea 9-25 February 2018
Commonwealth Games in Australia, 4-15 April 2018
World Cup in Russia 14 June – 15 July 2018
These are a few of my predictions for wedding trends in 2018. I’d love to hear what you think are going to be popular wedding trends next year. Email me with your predictions and take a look at more of my curation and inspiration on Pinterest.
May I take this opportunity to wish you a very Happy Christmas and all the best for the New Year.
Are you getting married in 2018? Is your wedding going to be following one of these trends? Let me know if you’d like to share the detail shots of your day on my blog to inspire other couples who are wedding planning. If you (and your photographer) are happy, then take a look how to submit your wedding.
Based on The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett (published in 1911), this modern Edwardian styled wedding shoot is a perfect harmony of traditional and contemporary elements brought together with sheer glamour and sophistication. Planned and designed by Hanami Dream and wonderfully captured by Squib Photography.
This elegant and delicate wedding is set in the grounds of a local English Manor House in the Oxfordshire Cotswolds of the UK (also used in the filming of another 1910s drama, Downtown Abbey). The lush greenery of a walled garden is discovered behind a secret locked door and its unseen natural beauty is unearthed after being concealed for many years.
Complete with an intimate ceremony on the croquet lawn, drinks in a secluded corner of the garden, followed by a celebration in a stunning Cotswold stone barn, this wedding features modern twists on traditional wedding styles with a real sense of rejuvenation.
With clear acrylic ‘stationery’ and signage with white brush lettering (where the greenery of the garden can be seen through), a hoop bouquet, a fresh take on the time-honoured wedding dessert of a croquembouche, vintage pearl details, antique keys and a friendly robin redbreast motif. Mary and Colin would be proud to attend this stylish wedding.
The colour palette is soft and understated so nothing distracts from the abundance of sumptuous cascading foliage. White is accented with hints of pink Pale Dogwood and plenty of the Colour of the Year of Greenery. There’s a definite nod to the Pantone® Spring/Summer 2017 colours with some subtle inclusion of blues (a navy Lapis for the groom’s suit and a denim Niagara of the manor house internal doors), Hazelnut and more greenery in the form of Kale.
Cogges Manor Farm was the ideal location for this wedding with its very essence in this era. It is nestled in the lovely market town of Witney and offers two stunning seventeenth century barns as well as a beautiful walled garden, stunning grounds and an impressive Manor House as a remarkable backdrop.
The couple got ready in the peaceful setting of the Manor House, strolled romantically through the walled garden, encouraged their families to ‘choose a seat not a side’ on vintage chairs (from Linda’s Vintage Hire) on the croquet lawn, and enjoyed the perfect blank canvas of the Barley Barn where modern, personalised details make this wedding complete.
Hanging from one of the impressive beams is a large rustic wooden cartwheel from Oakwood Events, adorned with greenery along with stylish bulb cages around Edison type filaments, plus some added alliums (from Lark Rise Flowers).
The top table is awash with greenery running down the whole of the table and spilling off the ends to the floor, courtesy of Lark Rise Flowers. Plus, the fragrance of the foliage was a delight to the senses with hosta, hedera, honeysuckle, laurel and hebe. Along with gentle inclusion of white flowers in the form of campanula, astilbe, lady’s mantle, sweet william, viburnum, rambling rose, helleborus seedheads and valeriana.
The sturdy wooden table, along with vintage chairs from Linda’s Vintage Hire, is set simply with white crockery and silver cutlery, plus clear acrylic menus sit on green moss. Alongside each setting is a clear acrylic place name (with guest names paying homage to the character names from the book) attached to vintage keys, along with favours of charming wooden robins by Muffat Prague.
Guests are directed around the farm with stylish clear acrylic signage and find their places by referring to the reclaimed window pane table plan with white brush lettering thanks to The Paper Hare, completing the stationery suite of clear acrylic invitations and clear acrylic table number tubes.
In the garden, the couple relax and enjoy a smooth glass of brandy whilst listening to the gramophone and admiring the remarkable cake by Cotswold Baking, a reintroduction of a traditional wedding dessert. This impressive croquembouche plays on the trend of wedding cake alternatives and sits on top of a plain white cake. The choux balls are decorated with edible pearl balls of varying sizes.
The bride chicly carries a hoop bouquet by Lark Rise Flowers leaving a beautiful scent of jasmine wherever she sashays. She has strong smoky eyes, pinched cheek blush and barely-there pale lipstick reminiscent of the times and beautifully recreated by Blushing Brides.
Her hair is ornamented with a delicate pearl hair vine by Designed to Sparkle and gathered up to reveal the breathtaking backless dress.
She perfectly fits the glamourous, champagne coloured bridal gown, made from Lux Charmeuse, featuring a high neckline, flutter sleeves, low back, attached silver beaded waistline and godet train by Justin Alexander, provided by Proposals of Witney. This 1910s styling is teamed with a multi-strand bracelet and necklace by Designed to Sparkle, made with navette set Swarovski crystal stones and pearls, in creamrose light shade.
The suave, slicked-back groom suited the era with a blue three-piece suit made from a British fabric 100% wool, cut in a traditional style but more modern in shape from The Cotswold Tailor.
It’s the little details that bring any event to life and this was made possible by the wonderful local suppliers who provided their time, services, venue and products for free. Together we have showcased the amazing talent that our part of the UK has to offer the wedding industry.
Based on The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett (published in 1911), this modern Edwardian Secret Garden styled wedding shoot is a perfect harmony of traditional and contemporary elements brought together with sheer glamour and sophistication.
It’s the little details that bring any event to life and this was made possible by the wonderful local suppliers who provided their time, services, venue and products for free. Together we have showcased the amazing talent that our part of the UK has to offer the wedding industry.
Thanks to all these wonderful suppliers #keepitlocal
Cogges Manor Farm is nestled in the lovely market town of Witney and offers two stunning seventeenth century barns for weddings. They are a perfect blank canvas where you can add loads of personalised details to make your special day complete. Your wedding can be as individual as you are with your own choice of catering, furniture and decoration.
The magnificent and spacious Wheat Barn can seat up to 200 guests, with refurbished stone floor, and portable heating included in the cost of hire. The more intimate and adjacent Barley Barn can seat about 60 guests or is an ideal choice to use as a dance or ceremony area. Each barn can be hired separately, or as a combined hire. Cogges offers a civil ceremony license and is next door to Cogges Parish Church.
In addition to any indoor space you hire, you and your guests can use the charming outdoor space to wander and enjoy (and after 5pm you will have exclusive use of the site). Cogges has many perfect locations for your wedding photographs, such as the Manor House lawn, the walled garden or the orchard and you can even include the farm animals in your photos.
I’m Steven, a full time professional photographer who set up Squib Photography in 2002 and is lucky enough to photograph some beautiful weddings in the Oxfordshire and the Cotswolds. I also cover pretty much the rest of the UK and have even been lucky enough to be booked to cover some destinations recently overseas.
After completing my studies at Oxford Brookes University I started Squib Photography and have photographed in excess of 450 weddings to date. I like to provide a professional, yet flexible service offering a mixture of formal and reportage photography to perfectly capture the atmosphere of a wedding day.
Every wedding is important to me and I will strive to tell the story of the day using natural light and little posing as possible. I do so in a relaxed, informal way so the couple can enjoy those special moments and leave me to document that for them.
I am always open to new ideas, input from couples and understand that every wedding day is very different, so will always work carefully with them to make sure you receive a personalized, bespoke service.
Blushing Brides Hair and Makeup, Hair and Makeup Artists are based in Oxfordshire and the Cotswolds.
With Blushing Brides you make one booking and get two artists working for you, two artists with individual skills, ideas and experience.
We are firm believers that with specialists who have honed their individual skills over many years you get a superior experience, the look you have always wanted and better value for money.
Lauren (Makeup Artist) and Laura (Hair Stylist) have many years experience working for brides and bridal parties, we bring all this to help you achieve the most beautiful look for your special day. Far better, we believe, than one person pushing themselves to do both.
The Cotswold Tailor is an award winning tailor, that takes traditional British cloths and tailors them with a contemporary twist. This results in unique, elegant designs, that stand out from the usual mass produced clothing on the high street. We emphasise the use of British manufacturers. Our British range of products include: trousers, socks, cufflinks, lambs wool jumpers, ties and all of the cloths used in the jackets.
Please take this opportunity to view our products online or alternatively if you would like to visit us, we are located in the bustling market town of Woodstock on the high street as well as our new shop located on Church Street in Shipston On Stour.
Designed to Sparkle is run by Fiona Self, creating beautiful jewellery and accessories from her studio in Bampton at the edge of the Cotswolds.
Gaining inspiration from the incredible natural beauty found all around, Fiona draws from the elements that she loves the most, and designs pieces that bring her joy!
Fiona personally hand makes each piece of jewellery using the very best materials and supplies that she can source, and paying meticulous attention to detail in the quality and finish of each and every element that she makes.
Lark Rise Flowers, are professionally qualified florists, based in the rolling countryside of North Oxfordshire. They provide flowers for weddings and events throughout Oxon, Bucks, Northants, and beyond.
Stock is sourced from the major flower markets, and if seasonally available from an expanding group of British growers. The Eco commitment continues with a policy of recycling waste packaging and surplus green material.
Sandra, the Proprietor, is happy to meet with you for personal consultations and site visits. She will work with your brief, budget, or theme, to create a unique day for you both.
The Lark Rise team have a wealth of experience, having provided many wedding flowers, and decorated most of the major wedding venues in the area. They take pride and care in their work, from the simplest buttonhole through to beautiful bridal bouquets and venue décor.
We provide a stress free vintage hire service for all occasions. If you are organising an event with a vintage flare we can supply furniture, crockery and a range of props and accessories to give your event that much loved nostalgic vintage feel.
We work with theatres, corporations, event and wedding planners, caterers, photographers and festivals to mention but a few.
So if you’re planning your vintage event whether it’s afternoon tea, the wedding of your dreams, a magazine shoot or creating something inspirational for a large festival there is no end to what can be achieved with the help of Linda’s Vintage Hire. We can deliver up and down the country.
MuffatPrague started life as a sonic and visual arts blog in 2011.
After a lifetime’s love of the letterform, all things typographic and a couple of decades of working independently in creative spheres, designer-maker team Rob and Hils decided to start hand-craft letters from their garden studio in 2014. Their Oiseaux, a simple bird form designed by Rob has now become their brand identity and signature design. Their work is handmade from locally sourced reclaimed ply, walnut and oak, finished with Farrow & Ball Eggshell and Oxfordshire beeswax.
They were voted Best Creative Producer (Bucks/Oxon) in the Muddy Stilettos Awards 2016 and have new ideas coming this year – keep an eye on their website and Instagram feed for more info.
The birds are available in 4 sizes with a single brass leg fitting or bakers twine loop.
Proposals is a family run business established in 2004. Our philosophy is to take personal responsibility and to provide an unforgettable exquisite experience. We pride ourselves on listening and understanding the desires of each bride and her party.
Since opening in 2004 we have grown in our expertise by constantly researching the requirements and expectations of all our customers having listened and learnt from each and everyone and pride ourselves on our excellent and enviable personal service.
Dreams really do come true at Proposals with over 100 wedding gowns to chose from including designers Ian Stuart, Justin Alexander, Essense of Australia, La Sposa and Maggie Sottero, you are sure to find your perfect gown.
The Paper Hare is an illustration and lettering design studio based in the North Cotswolds.
Specialising in adding memorable adornments to special occasions with hand lettered touches, watercolour art prints for homes and nurseries and brushlettering workshops for those hoping to uncover their own creative style.
Take a look at a behind the scenes look at the briefs that were given to these fabulous suppliers and how the Secret Garden theme came to life with their designs and products.
I was delighted to find a new photography partner to work with on a styled bridal shoot this May half term. It was wonderful to work alongside Steve from Squib Photography – another fellow Witney business and we discovered that unbeknown we had even lived next to each other in halls at University! We collaborated to produce an amazing bridal styled shoot based around The Secret Garden. It was also an honour to be able to showcase some amazing products from some fantastic local suppliers.
Theme I chose the Secret Garden theme as it is another classic story with a sense of much needed rejuvenation in current times (see some of my previous styled shoots based on classics books). Published in the 1910s, The Secret Garden focuses on an orphan who is sent to live with her uncle at his mansion. She befriends a robin and discovers a neglected garden that she is determined to bring back to life. I wanted to hint at this theme with slight nods to the book with the name places, wooden robin favours and vintage keys.
Originally my next shoot was going to focus on a stunning local location with beautiful blossom trees in full bloom and falling down like confetti (which obviously stems from my love of cherry blossom). A local jeweller, Designed to Sparkle, wanted to be involved in one of my shoots and she had some stunning blossom pieces that would have fitted this theme perfectly.
However, as planning continued I realised that timings meant that not only would the trees have already had their hanami but also that I wanted to focus more on foliage and really make the most of the Greenery Pantone® colour of the year 2017. I wanted to show case the lush greenery of a stunning garden.
Styled shoot A styled shoot takes almost as much time and effort to produce as a wedding day and entails bringing together the theme from many different suppliers.
The beauty of styled shoots (versus a real life wedding) is that it is a great opportunity to be a little more extravagant and really show off what you’ve always wanted to do. You can indulge your fantasies with new trends or products that couples may not have seen yet or something really unusual.
This styled shoot is a collaboration of like minded people that can create great things together but perhaps don’t have the budgets to produce this kind of work if they all worked independently.
Brief I am very lucky to live in a beautiful part of the UK and am surrounded by some seriously talented wedding venues, professionals and suppliers. I was honoured that so many wanted to be involved in this shoot and they certainly didn’t disappoint with the products that they provided.
I gave them all the same brief that I was trying to achieve:
bring the beauty of nature inside for a secret garden wedding brimming with lush green foliage, clear Perspex signage and modern twists on wedding traditions
I also provided them with my collated vision and ideas on my Pinterest board.
The themes I wanted to encapsulate included:
Modern
Edwardian
Delicate
Elegant
Greenery
Clear Perspex
Pearl
Hoops
Keys
Robins
I wanted the use of colour to be kept to a minimum with hints of colour and an abundance of green with a focus on white and the following spring/summer 2017 colours:
Greenery (Pantone® 2017 colour of the year)
Pale Dogwood (a really pale ‘barely there’ pink)
Hazelnut (almost a champagne / pearl colour)
Lapis Blue & Niagara (blues to act almost like cooling neutral colours)
Designs The creative suppliers worked wonders in transforming my overflowing pot of ideas and pairing it down in to realistic and achievable products for us to showcase.
Stationery designs – One of the first ideas for this shoot came from an image that I saw of clear acrylic stationery and I fell in love with the current trend for Perspex furniture and modern ways to present stationery. I was concerned with how this could be photographed but Squib Photography used the natural light to make sure there wasn’t too much glare on the acrylic.
My vision was to present lovely modern, clear acrylic ‘stationery’ and signage with white brush lettering, where the greenery of the garden can be seen through the clear acrylic – bringing the outside inside.
I sourced the acrylic from a local builder’s merchants (and my favourite go to place for any materials) who kindly cut the acrylic to size and drilled holes in the right places. The reclaimed window pane was to be the table plan which my best friend kindly donated (or rather retrieved from the skip outside her house!) which she had going spare as a result of her building project.
Next in stepped the highly talented The Paper Hare to wave her magic brush lettering over this raw material and make it look beautiful. The modern stationery included: menus A6 x6 (105mm x 148mm), invitation square (105mm x 105mm) with moss between 2 sheets, place names x6 (50mm x 50mm) attached to vintage keys from a local hardware shop with ribbon, ‘ceremony’ signage (297mm x 105mm), ‘garden’ signage (297mm x 105mm), ‘choose a seat not a side’ signage (297mm x 420mm), table plan on window pane (whole window is 600mm x 1060mm, each pane is 250mm x 300mm), table number on an acrylic tube (70mm diameter x 150mm tall).
Cake design – I was really keen to reintroduce the traditional wedding dessert of a croquembouche to play on the trend of wedding cake alternatives at the moment. Producers of these pièce montée are few and far between in the Cotswolds, but I was delighted to discover the amazing Paul from Cotswold Baking who rose to the challenge (#sorry #notsorry for the cake related pun!) of creating this masterpiece for the shoot.
A topic close to my heart is cake (do I mention it a lot?!) and I’ve written a bit on the history of wedding cakes. So I was intrigued to learn more about this style of French wedding dessert. Meaning crunch in the mouth, a croquembouche is made of choux pastry profiteroles piled into a cone and bound with spun sugar. Our dessert was made the traditional (and harder way) of being self supporting rather than being attached to another structure. An amazing and decadent centre piece, created in the late 1700s by a French pastry chef. Traditionally, the croquembouche used to be hit by a sword and the bridesmaids would catch the falling profiteroles in a tablecloth.
Our impressive cake cone stood aloft a plain white cake adorned giving it yet more height and a great modern twist. Several of the little choux were decorated with pearls to tie in with the jewellery worn by the bride.
Flowers – I wanted this shoot to really highlight the modern use of florals including a circle bouquet and floral chandeliers (along with edison lighting). In doing so, it almost became an ‘anti flowers’ brief, as I wanted the emphasis to be on the foliage and greenery with just subtle hints of white or pale pink (either on the foliage or with minimal flowers). There was also moss under the menus and between the sheets of the invitation so the brush lettering popped out. Plus foliage in the acrylic tubes so guests could read their table numbers. More greenery was used to dress the window pane table plan and fragrant jasmine on the cake stand. Lark Rise Flowers really went to town with my brief of having a lush cascading table runner pouring off the ends of the tablescape. Here are the flowers that were used in the shoot:
Bridal hoop – made from twisted stems of salix, entwined with Jasminum polyanthum, Hedera, and Lonicera japonica aureoreticulta. Embellished with flowers of Paeonia “Alertie”, Rosa spray “Sweet Avalanche”, Ornithogalum thyrsoides, Helleborus orientalis, Phlomis
Cartwheel chandelier – Hanging blooms of Allium “Mount Everest”
Jewellery – I was delighted to work with the incredible Fiona at Designed to Sparkle. Despite my brief evolving from cherry blossom to modern Edwardian, she developed some perfect pieces to fit the theme and echoing the pearl accents of the shoot. She created the following pieces for the shoot:
Estrella multi-strand bracelet and necklace, made with navette set Swarovski crystal stones and pearls, in creamrose light shade. Estrella means ‘Star’, which is the real essence of the burst of sparkle in these beautiful pieces of jewellery.
Avanna hair vine with Swarovski pearls in creamrose light shade. ‘Avanna’ means beautiful flower, which is so perfect for these clusters of tiny blooms along the length of the hair vine.
Classic Fresh water pearl earrings on sterling silver posts.
Suppliers I couldn’t have been happier (and luckily) with the products that all the suppliers produced and provided.
Venue – The venue that I chose to use has an amazing walled garden (complete with green door) – an under-used aspect of a brilliant blank canvas of a local venue. Along with this, Cogges Manor Farm also has a stunning Manor House and grounds that have been used in the filming of Downtown Abbey. The Edwardian connections seemed to be adding up and I took the opportunity to combine traditional 1910s styled wedding elements with up to date modern twists. The barns are a great blank canvas – just look at the transformation!
before
after
Hair and Makeup – I was delighted that Lauren and Laura from Blushing Brides Hair and Makeup were another supplier to approach me to be involved in a styled shoot. They brilliantly interpreted my Edwardian brief complete with smoky eyes, pinched cheek blush and barely-there pale lipstick and even ensured that the groom’s hair was slicked back.
Dress – I saw exactly the dress I wanted for this shoot in the window of Proposals of Witney – I walk past their window nearly every day and when I saw it I instantly knew this was the one! A beautiful champagne colour, perfect styling for the theme and, most importantly, looked like it was made for our stunning model. Fabulous high neckline, flutter sleeves, exquisite low back and amazing train.
Groom clothing – The Cotswold Tailor provided a brilliant outfit for our suave groom. The blue suit is actually their own label based on the success of another blue suit they had last year through their ultimate formal hire. They have created their own suits as they were fed up of the cheap poly blends that most hirewear companies offer. It’s a British fabric 100% wool. Cut in traditional style but more modern in shape.
Lighting – Oakwood Events are an absolutely amazing company – friendly, reliable and highly sought after. Despite their really busy schedule, I was fortunate enough to involve their services in this shoot and show case a brand new addition to their portfolio. They’ve now added a large rustic wooden cartwheel hung with 10 squirrel filament bulbs in various shapes, with stylish bulb cages and adorned with greenery. It certainly made the statement that I wanted over the table and fit the theme and surroundings perfectly. I love the Edison style lights which added another modern/traditional element to the décor.
Chairs, glasses & gramophone – To complete the tablescape in the Barley Barn, I called upon the services of Linda’s Vintage Hire who kindly provided their brilliant vintage mismatched chairs. They also lent their brandy glasses, decanter and gramophone to help style the garden scenes. I think the models were a bit disappointed that the glasses were only filled with apple juice though!
Favours – Another item I was keen to use from the outset were the wooden robins crafted by those clever folks at MuffatPrague. I first spotted these at an Oxfordshire Makers’ Market at Relics in Witney and previously featured them in a wedding favour blog knowing that these cute fellows would make the perfect accompaniment for this Secret Garden shoot – in fact it wouldn’t have been complete without these guys!
Models – And lastly, but by no means least, the shoot was brought beautifully to life by the stunning models. I advertised for ‘the boy and girl next door’ type models(think Lady Mary Crawley in Downtown Abbey and Harry Styles with his new short hair in the Dunkirk movie) and was not disappointed with the lovely Úna and Daryl. They are a real life engaged couple and this was great practice for their upcoming wedding in Ireland shortly. Hope you’ve managed to trick your family with these ‘wedding’ photos. I can’t wait to see pictures from their real wedding in due course. Thanks guys for being such great sports!
Bring the beauty of nature inside for your very own secret garden wedding brimming with lush green foliage, clear Perspex signage and a modern Edwardian twist.
See more images in our gallery and the amazing local suppliers who came together to make this shoot possible in this blog post.
Weddings are a wonderful celebration of love and marriage. They can blend together families, traditions, cultures, creativity and lots of personal touches. Whether a religious, civil or humanist ceremony, a traditional or themed reception, these special days are about what is important to each individual couple.
Despite some couples’ originality, there are always trends that appear and popular themes that epitomise a particular era (think puff ball sleeves from the eighties). Sometimes fashion, films, television programmes, interior design, celebrity weddings and even current affairs influence these trends. Of course, there are some timeless and classic themes that never seem to go out of favour like a ‘romantic’ theme and personalisation is still key at the moment.
So what does 2017 hold for us?
Clothing
Bridal wear is really seeing a big shift in trends to provide new, innovative and unusual styles to make sure the bride makes a statement and is different to any other on her big day. Fashion trends that are appearing on the catwalks (that will surely influence weddings next year) include:
Tailored separates including trousers or culottes, as well as shirts
Athletic looking clothing but in evening wear material
Alternative necklines to strapless such as halters, plunging and embellished necklines
Varying lengths, cuts and material to provide short, sheer or cutouts
Covering up the shoulders with long sleeves, boleros, lace or capes
Plain veils
Unusual accessories like ribbon hair bands, feather handbags and flat shoes
Adornments on dresses such as bows, peplums, ruffles and 3D flowers
Coloured & floral patterned dresses including various pastel shades and even black
Culture
The world of films and tv always influences trends and 2017 looks set to be a year of blockbusters to choose from such as:
Comic book inspiration courtesy of Logan, Transformers, Lego Batman, Kong: Skull Island, Spider-Man and Wonder Woman
Romantic fairy tales with Beauty & the Beast
Futurist and space trends with releases of Blade runner 2049 and Star Wars 8
Medieval individuality along with King Arthur: Legend of the Sword
Beach and nautical themes thanks to Baywatch (plus Pamela Anderson’s 50th birthday) and Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales
Car racing, petrol head and Route 66 inspiration with Fast 8 and Cars 3
1920s Kazbar glamour with Murder on the Orient Express
Fun themes spinning off from the Emoji Movie
And film and video will become more prevalent at weddings with more couples choosing 360 videos, virtual reality experiences and drones to capture their big day.
Celebrities
As well as the wonders of Pinterest, couples are inspired by seeing others doing something first. The affect of the royal wedding in 2011 is still apparent now as couples are choosing to have trees inside at their weddings. So it’s no surprise that details from celebrity weddings will influence wedding trends. Here are some famous engaged couples that could make it up the aisle in 2017 and their special days will be ones to watch:
Pippa Middleton & James Matthews – I can’t wait to see how she tops her infamous bridesmaid dress and will Kate repay the favour?
Tom Daly & Dustin Lance Black – will it be a swimwear only wedding like Tom has joked?
Liv Tyler & Dave Gardner for a sports, fashion or rock and roll theme
Emma Bunton & Jade Jones – though Baby Spice may need some help to start organising it as they’ve been engaged since 2010!
Prince Harry & Meghan Markle – okay they’re not actually engaged yet but I can’t wait to see this that wedding day!
Not exactly a celebrity (but to me she is a real star!) and that’s my mad Nan (self titled!) It’s so wonderful to see her so happy again and courting a lovely young man. Whilst we obviously miss Grampy, it would be lovely to see my Nan get hitched again. (Plus my little ones would make such cute attendants too!) There’s definitely a trend to seeing grandmothers as bridesmaids but I’d like to see mine as a bride next year.
Colour and styling
So much influences our daily lives which in turn spills over to the world of weddings including decorative elements from different arenas such as interior design, architecture, graphic design, lighting, furniture and textiles.
One part that overarches these elements is the importance of colour.
The Pantone® Colour of the Year always plays a big part in influencing popular colours and I don’t think next year will be any exception. In 2017, the colour of the year is a yellowy green called Greenery. Pantone are citing it as ‘nature’s neutral’ [take a look at my report about the colour of the year] and I’m already a little bit in love with this colour! It will work well teamed with vibrant colours or partnered with pure white for a classic look. Here’s my take on the other colours to look out for in spring/summer 2017.
Foliage – the colour of the year will also sit nicely alongside trends for more foliage and ‘bringing the garden inside’.
Flowers – if you do go for flowers then they will need to make a statement and ‘go big or go home’ with paper florals emerging as an ecological and lasting alternative, new ways to wear flowers such as corsages, floral rings, anklets and chockers, as well as larger and looser bouquets
Textures – be prepared for macramé in boho Coachella inspired themes, plus crushed velvet and total-coverage sequins for more luxurious styles
Metallic – I’m so pleased that the metallic trend seems to be still going strong and isn’t showing any signs of tiring just yet. Rose, bronze, copper and gold – on their own, mixed together or used alongside white.
Gem stones – this is a stunning and really striking trend using rocks lined with crystals (agate or hollow geodes) for a contemporary feel. As well as seeing marble coming back into the limelight.
Transparent – strip it back by pairing nude and neutral colours alongside Perspex chairs, tables, menus and signage for a modern style
Mix and match – pretty much anything goes and don’t be afraid to mix up all elements of the decor such as the colours, textures, metals and furniture. Not sure which colour to pick – well put them all together.
Catering
Family style serving is still a great way to share the wedding reception which works so well on long, large banquet tables lining the room.
Other food and drink highlights to support emerging tends include:
Cakes – marbling icing, amazing geode cut out and crystal detailing and even wedding cakes with image projections on them
Unusual catering vans, dessert tables and interactive stations st the reception – think oyster shuck trucks, gin bars and make your own pudding
Food for favours – give you guests something they can take away and enjoy at home and remember the day like coffee beans, loose leaf tea or alcohol miniatures for favours
Food walls – hang donuts (for example) to make edible decor which could even double as escort cards too! Delicious!
Personalised cocktails – have your own cocktails created and served as the ‘house’ aperitif instead of Pimms or Buck’s Fizz when guests arrive. Or how about two different personal cocktails to represent the different tastes of the couple.
Current affairs
You may be living and breathing your wedding and everything else in the world is taking a back seat. However, things are still going on around you and some national, local and annual events may have an impact on your guests involvement, availability and enjoyment. Here’s some events that could influence your choice of dates.
In addition, around the world, some momentous celebrations could also influence wedding trends.
Europe – We will mark 15 years since the launch of the Euro in January. Could thoughts of Brexit mean we embrace all things European whilst we are still part of Europe? Potential costs of some products could go up if/when we do exit Europe such as flowers that are imported so couples may be looking for cheaper alternatives.
Then in April, it will be the 40th anniversary since the fall of Saigon. I love the tea ceremonies from this region as part of their weddings celebrations along with the opulent red and gold colours.
In August, it will be 40 years since Elvis died. Will this give us another 1970s revival? – think rhinestone jumpsuits!
Later in the year, it is the 100th anniversary of the Russian revolution in November. Perhaps this will herald Russian traditions becoming more popular such as week long weddings, a tour of the city to have photographs taken at historical places and wearing wedding crowns in the ceremony. As well as the Russian tradition of seeing which of the newlyweds can grab the biggest handful of bread at the wedding breakfast to see who will be the head of the household.
These are a few of my predictions for wedding trends in 2017. I’d love to hear what you think are going to be popular wedding trends next year. Email me at info@www.hanamidream.co.uk with your predictions. See more of my curation and inspiration on Pinterest.
May I take this opportunity to wish you a very Happy Christmas and all the best for the New Year.
Are you getting married in 2017? Is your wedding going to be following one of these trends? Let me know if you’d like to share the detail shots of your day on my blog to inspire other couples who are wedding planning. If you (and your photographer) are happy, then take a look how to submit your wedding.
Weddings are a wonderful celebration of love and marriage. They can blend together families, traditions, cultures, creativity and lots of personal touches. Whether a religious, civil or humanist ceremony, a traditional or themed reception, these special days are about what is important to each individual couple.
Despite some couples’ originality, there are always trends that appear and popular themes that epitomise a particular era (think puff ball sleeves from the eighties). Sometimes fashion, films, television programmes, interior design, celebrity weddings and even current affairs influence these trends. Of course, there are some timeless and classic themes that never seem to go out of favour, and with the latest film in the Bridget Jones series set for release next year we’re sure the romantic theme will continue to be strong.
So what does 2016 hold for us? Well for one thing, it is a leap year. So will it bring about lots of proposals from women on the 29th February and encourage some excited wedding planning as a result?
It will be a time of revelry as a nation again as the Queen will be celebrating her 90th birthday on 12th June. This could prompt some street partythemes using inspiration from the Union Jackcolours. Red, white and bluecould also be at the forefront of people’s minds with the culmination of the American elections as well.
Plus, let’s hope we’re also able to mark the achievements of our British footballers in the UEFA Euro 2016 finals in France and Spain, as well as our athletes in the Olympics next year. Maybe some sporting themes could become prevalent as a result of these events or perhaps weddings will be inspired by the Rio party atmosphere of the Brazilian venue of the Olympics.
2016 also marks 350 years since the Great Fire of London, 400 years since the death of William Shakespeare, 950 years since the Battle of Hastings and 50 years since England win the football World Cup.
Take a look at our curation of predictions for wedding trends to look out for in 2016 (and see more of our inspiration at pinterest.com/HanamiDream/):
Venue / themes
Jungle themes could see an increase next year with the CGI live action release of the Jungle Book film. Think subtle animal prints and loads of greenery. Marry this with the excitement of the Rio Olympics and you’ll be transported to the stunning, relaxing and lush green rainforests of Brazil, surrounded by colourful and vibrant décor in greens, blues and gold. A carnival full of samba dancers, exuberant feathers, magnificent masks and energetic music will get everyone joining in!
Or perhaps a more civilised tea partycould be more up your street, inspired by the release of the film, Alice Through The Looking Glass. This is going to be Tim Burton at his best again so think quirky and extravagant details. Afternoon tea with a twist.
Perhaps a wild westtheme complete with cowboys appeals to you – wanted posters, panning for gold and arriving on horseback just like the Magnificent Seven in the 2016 film remake.
Comic bookinspiration comes in the form of new films of Batman v Superman, X-men: Apocalypse, Angry Birds, Teenage Mutant Hero Turtles: Out of the Shadows and Captain America: Civil War. Your inner child can go to town and have colourful, playful fun with this theme or perhaps you want to use more of a hint of the gothic style comic books. Alternative bouquets made of comic pages, mini action figures instead of button holes, secret identity t-shirts under the groomsmen’s shirts, superhero capes for the guests or cartoon invites can bring this theme together.
Or perhaps, an outdoors medieval banquetwould suit your big day in the same vein as the Knights of the Round Table: King Arthur film directed by Guy Ritchie. With floral crowns, moss, wicker and naked cakes in a beautiful castle setting or in a stunning forest or garden.
Décor
We are so pleased that the metallic trend seems to be still going strong and not showing any signs of tiring just yet. Sequins are a welcome addition to this trend or pair metallics with cool agate for a contemporary feel.
By contrast, there’s also a uprising of tribal printswith the influence of Moroccan and Indonesian accents. Dark woods, earthy colours and block prints.
Romantic themes are still using ruffles and the use of ombré colouring on anything you can and for a cute factor there’s good old polka dots.
Video boothsare seeing a surge in popularity as technology continues to move forward and couples are looking for more unique and original ways to capture and remember their big day. However, some are also using their weddings as a chance to have a break from technology and encouraging their guests not to use their phones during the day.
This old vs new trend continues as some chose to use classic styled furniture brought up to date such as beautifully designed chalk boardswhilst others choose modern styling with Perspex chairs and tables.
Backdrops were the big news of 2015, but next year is all about aisle runners– whether these are printed, a covering of petals or use clever lighting.
On top of this suspended décoris all the rage – for an industrial chic style with Edison lighting or floral chandeliersin a rustic theme.
Flowers
Flowers are a big focus in 2016 not only in the décor but with hair accessories and headwear. Plus a new trend of ring corsagesis emerging and the use of wild flowers like daisies.
It doesn’t all have to be about the flowers as foliage will be as important or instead of flowers in displays.
Alternatives to traditional flowers are seeing the use of succulents in bouquets, on tables and given away as favours.
Plus instead of the usual confetti, there is now a herb tossas another option which gives such lovely aromas to this part of the day.
Clothing
Bridal wear is really seeing a big shift in trends to provide new, innovative and unusual styles to make sure the bride makes a statement and is different to any other on her big day. Trends that appearing on the catwalks (that will surely influence trends next year) include: mix & match separates, crop tops, high necklines, off the shoulder, asymmetric hems, backless dressesand plunging v neckson the back.
For the more daring and alternative bride perhaps try fringing, jumpsuits, palazzo pants, peakaboo skirtor even a cape.
Rather than a plain dress, some brides are opting for a floral one or even camo print (which is starting to be really popular in the US – not necessarily in classic hunting camo but how about a pink or snow camo, or try accessorising the traditional camo with orange accents).
Not ready for this kind of statement just yet, then perhaps you can go the extra mile with your footwear. Perhaps using your shoes to highlight the colour of the day or to write your feelings on the soles so everyone can see when you kneel at the alter!
For the men, it’s all about smartening up next year – go the whole hog with a tuxedo.
Colours
The Pantone® Color of the Year 2016 will certainly play a big part in influencing colours next year. And next year we get two colours for the price of one in the form of Rose Quartzand Serenity. It’s the first time Pantone® have ever announced two colours and a long time since a pastel colour has hit the top spot. They are a nice calm change to the recent bold jewel colours of the last ten years. We can already see these colours featuring singly in couples’ colour schemes and look forward to seeing people using them in tandem too. There certainly won’t be a shortage of choices for your ‘something blue’!
So pastels will be big next year and play a big part in the use of non-traditional colours for the wedding dress becoming more popular.
We predict that there will be more mix and matchstyling with the bridesmaids – either with different styles in one colour or bridesmaids’ dresses using different colours that all tone in together.
We look forward to seeing more dark blues, silver, mochaand terracotta.
Cakes & catering
There’s nothing we like more than cake but next year will see a few alternatives coming to the fire front. Firstly some couples will be using their cake as the pudding so it might not take a tradition guise instead it might be a cheesecakeor pancake stack.
Also making an appearance with be the cake fake– all the style and presence but not actually a cake. Welcome the pork pie stack, cheese ‘cakes’, or three tiers of quiche.
If it is a real cake then look out for mixed shapes tiersand more ‘free from‘ varieties making an appearance.
Above everything food will be theatrical in 2016 and take centre stage – we can’t wait for more champagne towersto join the revival!
These are a few of our predictions for wedding trends in 2016. See more of our curation and inspiration at pinterest.com/HanamiDream/
May we take this opportunity to wish you a very happy Christmas and all the best for the New Year.
Festival vibes
Weddings are a wonderful celebration of love and marriage. They can blend together families, traditions, cultures, creativity and lots of personal touches. Whether a religious, civil or humanist ceremony, a traditional or themed reception, these special days are about what is important to each individual couple.
Weddings are a wonderful celebration of love and marriage. They can blend together families, traditions, cultures, creativity and lots of personal touches. Whether a religious, civil or humanist ceremony, a traditional or themed reception, these special days are about what is important to each individual couple.
