THE TREND REPORT

ElsieLove Photography

From minimalist receptions to mismatched fashions, we’ve picked out our favourite wedding trends for 2023

words Hannah May

There are plenty of ways to personalise your wedding while still being in style. Simply pick from the latest trends and work them your way for a day that reflects you with unique panache.

couples seeking to stamp some extra (and rather en vogue) personality onto their day...

Colour happy

One of the easiest and most impactful ways to evoke mood is through your colour scheme. Though muted tones and pared-back aesthetics remain de rigueur, brights are emerging as a top way to inject some happy into the look and feel of your day. From rainbow themed celebrations to colour pop accents and statement features, bold colour schemes can brighten a winter’s day, complement a summer shindig and instantly pique your guests’ senses. Fresh zesty tones like lemon, orange and pink grapefruit are perfect for a tropical beach party, while electric blues and fluorescent greens add a fun and futuristic energy. Pick

pastels for a vibrant vintage do, metallics for modern glamour, jewel tones for eye-catching décor or burnt shades for autumnal brilliance.

Plant-based catering

Forget the drab meat-free dishes of weddings past and instead embrace the catering movement that’s garnering popularity the world over. With the huge surge in more sustainable, planet-friendly consumption, a vegan wedding gives you the chance to give back a little – both to your guests and the environment. Whether you include one fish or meat dish alongside plant-based options – or select an exclusively vegan menu – by focusing on the food in a more considered, benevolent way, you’ll enhance your eco credentials and guarantee a flavoursome feast. Local, fresh and seasonal produce will reduce your carbon footprint for a menu as beautiful-looking and bespoke as it is mouthwatering.

Non-alcoholic cocktails

Another way to inject flavour (and style) is to pay some extra attention to your beverages. Please everyone from the kids to the teetotallers – along with anyone in need of a scrumptious thirst-quencher – by designing a non-alcoholic drinks list that looks and tastes sensational. Mix it up with iced teas, milkshakes, a smoothie bar, artisan coffee van, homemade lemonade and juices – and one of the most popular wedding trends du jour: mocktails. Customise or go classic, the lip-smacking choice is yours. Think virgin piña coladas and mojitos, gin-free G&Ts, passion fruit martinis, baby bellinis and negroni mocktails served in vintage or colourful glassware for the most delectable quaffables ever – minus the hangover!

Outdoor ceremonies

Outdoor ceremonies are one of the most wanted on couples’ wish lists. Could there be anything more romantic than uttering your vows under a giant oak to the sound of birdsong or amongst wave-lashed shores with the sand underfoot? Since it became permanently legal for civil wedding and partnership ceremonies to take place fully outdoors (at licensed venues), couples have been chomping at the bit to say “I do” in the most open plan way. Simply pick your venue, the views – et voilà: an al fresco ceremony steeped in natural beauty is yours.

Sustainable elements

Green weddings are going nowhere. Whether you’re planning a zero waste and carbon neutral event – or simply wish to save money in the most sustainable way possible, eco-friendly nuptials are fast becoming the marital must-have. From recycled and upcycled décor to plant-based catering, secondhand outfits, charitable favours and emission offsetting schemes, there’s a plethora of ways to ensure your day is as conscientious as can be.

Mismatched wedding party style

Coordinated bridal and groom party style is distinctly passé. Instead, the bride and groom are creating leading looks that stand out from the crowd, with the rest of their posse sporting eclectic outfits that reflect their individual sense of style. Picture the groom in a bright

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blazer or waistcoat alongside his groomsmen in a muted version of the same tone, colour-blocking suits worn in mismatched ways or an accent hue/ pattern showcased via different features such as the jacket lining, pocket square, socks, tie or waistcoat. Meanwhile, the bridesmaids can don the same colour dress in different designs or opt for matching styles in a variety of shades for instant wedding party pizzazz.

Dress and suit changes

Transformational wedding wear is all the rage. Opt for two looks in one with a cleverly layered ensemble, detachable elements or statement accessories, or dip out of proceedings midway through the day for a complete dress change. Brides can add an overskirt (with train), sleeves, statement shrug or floor-length cape to a dance floor-ready micro mini or jumpsuit, while grooms can remove their tie and DJ for their own open shirt reveal or switch their smart three-piece for a fun and fashionable outfit with colour, customisation and endless character.

Minimalist receptions

Less is the new more. Minimalism is in the throes of a renaissance, with stripped-back styling, sustainability, ‘nude’ elements and a general understated approach all forming part of the paredback aesthetic. Select a single focal point such as a statement wall, floral installation or dramatic lighting alongside neutral/natural, monochromatic or soft colour schemes. Keep tablescapes clean and simple with a few low-level floral arrangements, single blooms or sprigs of greenery accompanied by fussfree settings, while furniture should be demonstrably bare.

New florals

Revamped floristry sees everything from dramatic features to a delicate scattering of single stem buds. In line with either end of the maximalist/minimalist movements, flowers are finding new forms by way of floral backdrops and large flower clouds, arches and chandeliers or delicate pressed flower detailing and the occasional frond. Meanwhile, bridal bouquets are going big and bold with a full-on combo of colour, texture and blousy scented blooms, elegant with cascading designs or simplistic with mono toned petals, petite dried posies and bunches of seasonal wildflowers.

Lavender

With Pantone’s 2022 colour of the year Very Peri (a blue/violet hue derived from periwinkle) still making schematic waves throughout wedding receptions the world over, so too is another soft pastel shade hotly tipped to be one of the coolest colours of the year: Digital Lavender. Meanwhile, Pantone’s 2023 colour of the year has been revealed as Viva Magenta: “a signal of strength, inclusivity and self-expression... whose exuberance promotes a joyous and optimistic celebration.” Combine this “animated red” with a purply hue for a striking and on point scheme or pick any one of these trending shades to weave into your décor for statement-making bedazzlement.

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