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2008 Wedding Trends
What’s new for 2008? Check out the following trends to help you plan an up-to-date wedding!
Wedding Dresses
Romantic dresses in floor and ankle-length styles will be popular for the 2008 wedding season. Brides today are choosing dresses with flowing, soft fabrics, ruffled hems, satin sashes, and millinery floral details.
Silhouettes are more refined then past seasons and include the delicate overlaying of sheer fabrics. Think Greek goddess.
The modified A-line skirt also remains prominent on the fashion runways (slim through the waist and flared at the bottom). While popular for many seasons, strapless dresses are giving way to romantic off-the-shoulder styles and dresses with unique necklines.
In the US, we are now seeing more and more color in wedding dresses which have been popular for some time internationally. Champagne, pink, platinum, and even red dresses are making an appearance.
Wedding Accessories
Shorter trains and veils are popular as are pretty wraps and shawls. For colder weather, brides choose wraps of faux-fur, velvet, heavy satin, or pashmina.
Light weight fabrics, including organza, lace, tulle and chiffon, make perfect wraps for the Spring or Summer bride and reduce sun exposure on bare arms and shoulders.
Pearls, rhinestones, and crystals remain the top jewelry choice for necklaces and earrings.
Wedding Hair Styles
There are no clear trends in hair styles, although wearing the hair in long romantic waves or loosely pulled back are popular choices for brides with long hair. Hair ornaments such as hairpins and hair vines made with crystals, pearls, rhinestones, and/or silk flowers are also popular.
Beautiful tiaras made with either rhinestones, crystals, or pearls have been the trend for many seasons and seem to be getting smaller as softer dress styles take center-stage.
Some brides are placing their veils directly on their hair or using a single silk flower for a simple, classic look.
Wedding Bouquets
Ninety five percent of wedding bouquets are hand-tied, where the flowers are gathered together and the stems are wrapped in wide satin ribbon.
Beads, brooches, jewels, floral wire, pearls, charms and monogrammed ribbon are dressing up plain ribbon-wrapped stems. Colorful floral wire is also worked into the bouquet itself.
The most popular and elegant flower selection continues to be the rose. Gerber daisies, colorful lilies, peonies, hydrangeas, and gardenias represent the trendier choices, as well as arrangements with a more just-picked, casual look.
More and more mothers are carrying small posies instead of wearing the traditional corsage.
Equally popular trends include solid and mixed colored blooms. Bouquet accents include berries, fruits, pearls, crystals, rhinestones, and feathers. Silk flowers are quickly gaining popularity for their versatility and life-like appearance.
Wedding Transportation
Limousines, exotic cars, and horse-drawn carriages are top picks for wedding transportation. More unconventional choices include motorcycles, horses, two-person bikes, hot-air balloons, and sleighs.
Wedding Locations/Venues
Mansions, churches, beaches, country clubs, resorts, hotels, public gardens, museums, yachts, and private homes are still the most popular locations for weddings.
Wedding Ceremony
A current trend is for couples to face their guests during the ceremony. They write their own vows and incorporate their children in the case of second marriages. Pets are also part of the day. Brides riding their horse or walking their dog to the altar are not unusual.
Grooms typically escort their mothers down the aisle. Brides are escorted by both father and/or stepfather, or by her mother, mother and father together, or grandparents or by a significant person in their life.
Traditional guest books remain popular, however, a trend that has been around for many years is to display the couple's engagement photograph on an easel at the ceremony entrance. The photo is matted, framed without glass and takes the place of a guest book when guests sign the matting. Some couples ask their guests to sign a scroll which they later have framed.
Wedding Reception Decorations
Brides are choosing centerpieces that are in the same color tones, but of different sizes. This gives the reception tables a more interesting look and a less "coordinated" feel.
Break-away vases are a continuing trend and are basically smaller glass or silver vases of flowers gathered together in the center of the table. They double as favors when the guests leave.
Faux rose petals remain the most popular confetti for table decorations and sprinkling confections on the table or placing them in bowls throughout the reception area creates a fun atmosphere.
Flowering vines or individually cut flowers are placed directly onto table linens and chairs are decorated with either fabric overlays, floral swags or ribbons.
An increasingly popular trend, made popular by Martha Stewart, is the candy buffet or confection bar. This consists of a variety of candies or treats placed in varied sizes of glass containers and grouped on a table. Pretty silver spoons or scoops in each container allows guests to fill small boxes or bags as take-home favors.
Bolts of tulle are typically combined with white lights and/or floral garlands for draping between pews and decorating banisters and ceilings.
Candles, always a popular choice for centerpieces, lend a romantic feel to any room. Choices include pillars, tea lights, tapers and floaters. Disposable cameras, placed on each table, allow guests to capture candid moments.
Other popular decorating items include faux ivy and balloons.
Head tables are replaced with a small table for just the bride and groom. Many couples plan weekend weddings that start on Friday and go for the entire weekend.
Dove releases and add drama and excitement to the event. Butterfly releases, despite the environmental issues, also remain popular.
Wedding Photography
The photo-journalistic approach to wedding photography is a current trend. Requesting some of the photos be black and white is also popular.
Some brides request more candid pictures, with the photographer capturing the day's events as they happen. Naturally, posed pictures are still enjoyed.