Top 2021 Wedding Trends: How Many of These Are You Aware Of?

The challenges we collectively faced in the unfortunate year of 2020, weren’t enough to stop two individuals from falling in love or celebrating their partnership in an official ceremony with family and friends.

Many are getting engaged and holding wedding celebrations; not letting the tumultuous events unfolding in this covid-stricken world discourage them from tying the knot. Some profound words by William Godwin, an English philosopher, are relevant to this situation, “Love conquers all difficulties, surmounts all obstacles, and effects what to any other power would be impossible.”

It’s important to note that while the global pandemic couldn’t bring the natural course of love to a halt, it did have bearing on the way it’s celebrated. With the idea of celebrating love intact, couples have modified the tradition to match the contemporary reality. They're open to new experiences and different ideas to host (perhaps) the most important day of their lives. In the spirit of “love conquers everything,” let's dive into some of the trends you can expect in 2021 in the world of weddings.

Wedding Trends in 2021

Of course, in the light of the pandemic, the shift in conventional trends was inevitable. We've created a list of wedding trends we predict will be popular in the coming year. This entails color schemes, food trends along with floral and décor inspiration. Couples are more focused on prioritizing safety over aesthetics, resulting in a hyper-personalized affair and a carefully curated guest list. It’s time to explore these new wedding trends, experiences, design elements, all aimed at capturing couples' new beginnings.

There is no universal rule to hold a wedding as it’s an incredibly personal affair; everyone will want something unique, be it the dress, styling, catering, flowers or food. As the recent wedding trends are transforming, so are people's preferences and what they want to spend their money on for their big day.

Outdoor Weddings: Tents and Twinkly Lights

As the number of outdoor weddings grows throughout the world, so does interest in wedding tents and mood lighting to create an airy, lovely and romantic ambience for many occasions. A lot of couples are leaning towards outdoor weddings because aside from creating a comfortable atmosphere with fresh air and nature, they are a safe option for attendees and vendors.

It’s safe to say that tent weddings are the new ballroom! Aside from providing protection from the weather, the visual attractiveness of tents is what makes them truly special. The gentle, flowing lines of a tented venue give the whole event a light, airy feel.

Consult your planners and venues for whimsical and rustic tented options, as well as lighting professionals who will help achieve the desired mood of the event, exactly how you’ve envisioned it in your head. Getting an efficient lighting technician on board will assist you in creating the perfect fairy tale setting. For a wedding, bright lights and draped fabric are a match made in heaven. Overall, the visual enhancement of bringing together draperies from tents along with apt lighting will create a completely magical, fairytale-like atmosphere on your wedding day.

Informal & Relaxed Weddings

Informal gatherings are easily at the top of the list of 2021 wedding trends. Couples are going for a more intimate, meaningful celebration with their nearest and dearest ones. On some level, this is definitely a result of the worldwide pandemic. But it has been of utmost convenience for couples because with fewer guests to cater, they can lavishly spend their budget (even if it’s not too big).

Above all, they allow the bride and groom to be in the company of their close-knit crew and spend some quality time with each and every of them. This is one of the key factors which account for its growing popularity.

Such events, are popularly referred as "micro weddings," and typically feature a guest list of around 25 people. They can be either formal or informal, and they can follow tradition or take a more modern approach- mostly, it’s a balanced combination of both.  

Eco-friendly, Sustainable Weddings

In this progressive day and age where people are striving to make environmentally conscious decisions, couples are looking for ways to responsibly host their wedding. This entails reducing unnecessary waste and making choices that are eco-friendly such as opting for greener, sustainable venues. Many wedding venues that provide in-house catering utilize locally produced goods and engage in environmentally friendly practices in other aspects of their business.

A recent trend has emerged where couples upcycle and make a zero-waste commitment. This might range from donating wedding flowers to charity organizations to going plastic-free on the wedding day.

Switching to paper straws from plastic ones, sharing wedding day décor and flowers with other couples at the venue, and offering to ‘replant trees' as a wedding favor are all examples of how couples might follow this wedding trend.

Socially Distanced Seating & Décor

When it comes to ensuring the safety of your guests in these times of crisis, pod seating is the way to go. This basically suggests that all those who make the entrance together, will be seated together. On each table, the number of people should be less (perhaps six or four).

With the reception venue having socially distanced seating arrangements, it can make the overall space look a bit barren. This is a perfect opportunity to get creative with décor and fill the holes with beautiful flowers and statement centerpieces. Being innovative when it comes to design will not only fill the gaps, but will create a special atmosphere at the reception venue.

Flower Trends

The flowers chosen by a bride are a sweet expression hopes, and dreams and are reflective of her personality. A full blast of vibrant colors that celebrate mere mirth and joy is the trend in style for 2021.

Centerpieces Move Up

The intricate centerpieces that once graced tables have been transformed into floral works of art. Suspending centerpieces fills the vacant area above head-height with a pop of color that turns heads in its direction, frees up table space and highlights clean minimalism.

Weekend-Long Weddings

We were separated from our loved ones in 2020 so it’s only but reasonable to host a wedding that stretches out for the weekend so you can make up for the time spent apart. Couples are getting creative with their pre-wedding plans. Dedicating a full weekend to the occasion gives couples and guests ample of time to prepare for the ceremony, engage in all the festivities, as well as recover from the fatigue post-wedding.

In 2021, one thing is for sure: full weekend weddings are on the cards!

Sequel Weddings

Thanks to the raging pandemic, the couples who had eloped or hosted micro weddings are planning to hold a wedding party once this health crisis is done with. Over time, some of these couples may decide that their modest wedding was good enough and forego the bigger event. However, some may intend on hosting it irrespective of how much time passes.

Serving Wedding Food Individually

Food trends have also had to evolve along with the drastically changing times. Buffet dinners, which have traditionally been the regular cuisine at many weddings, may no longer be a viable option due to health concerns. On the other hand, the alternatives are just as scrumptious.

Caters are going for individual plates, rather than charcuterie boards and family-style meals, to prevent people from having to share food.

Individual charcuterie boards are available from some caterers, which is a fantastic and extravagant alternative if you want to go all out.

Summing It Up: 2021 Wedding Trends Celebrate Life!

While the essence of wedding may simply be two people coming together, making a life-long commitment to be with each other, there’s actually a lot more that goes into executing them. Vendors today are shifting the focus of weddings from making them impressive to making them inspirational. Couples are trying to find the meaning in everything and are thus deliberating with relevant parties before making conclusive decisions on different matters.

Weddings are a celebration of love, life and the importance of starting a new chapter in life in the presence of your loved ones- wedding trends for 2021 reflect just that.

We, at Wedding Dream, specialize in exceptional wedding décor, floral arrangements and providing rentals (ranging from table cloths to furniture pieces). So, if you’re planning to tie the knot soon and are looking to connect with a wedding décor company, contact us at 519-635-8982 at your earliest convenience!