The Experience

The Experience ...The Experience ...

When we said earlier that we’re ready to celebrate, it has become clear that we aren’t the only ones. According to a recent article in Vogue, there are more than 2.6 million weddings scheduled to take place in the U.S. in 2022! That’s a record 40-year high for celebrating nuptials. Event planners say not only are weddings coming back, but they’re also returning bigger and bolder than ever.

Guest lists are expanding and so are the parties. Instead of the “micro-weddings” and intimate family affairs, couples are going all out and planning long wedding weekends with multiple events. Packed into the 3-4 days are a welcome party, rehearsal

OPPOSITE PAGE: The Straton Hall team is known for creating breathtaking floral displays. For this wedding, they not only suspended a gorgeous centerpiece showcasing blush-colored roses in center of the outdoor tent, but tiny air plants dangled like pendants from large topiaries of white hydrangeas. dinner, daily activities for the group, maybe a karaoke night, the wedding and reception, plus a final send-off breakfast or brunch. Luckily, here in the Golden Isles, we have plenty of activities and venues to make a long wedding weekend easy to plan.

Another trend that planners say they’re seeing more of is themed parties that encompass the welcome parties and rehearsal dinners and often incorporate touches in the reception. Some common themes are Old Hollywood, Gatsby, Monte Carlo casino, fairytale, and masquerade on the more formal side. If you’re looking for something more fun for your festivities, themes like carnival, circus, sports, rustic woodlands, and even disco or rhinestone rodeo might be something up your alley. Look to your surroundings or your heritage for inspiration. You’re at the beach; why not a luau? Your grandmother moved here from Scotland as a child and your hobby is caber tossing? Bring on the tartans and the pipes and plan a wee ceilidh and whisky tasting!

Open air venues for weddings are increasingly popular as well, for obvious reasons. Tents without walls allow guests to feel less enclosed and wander freely while still being protected from the elements. Even when receptions are held inside, expanding the area with a tent outside or access to an outdoor courtyard, patio, or garden area where guests can mingle makes the venue more desirable.

Hanging florals can help transform your tents into magical spaces, and there’s more demand for elaborate floral installations and hanging displays inside too. Removing the elaborate centerpieces from the tables and suspending them from above gives your guests more room at the tables and they won’t have to peep through the peonies to make conversation. As for colors, of course white and muted pastels are timelessly classic and elegant, but don’t be surprised to see more technicolor displays, where your tables become a vibrant living garden! Lush green jungles and tropical flair aren’t out of place either. Abundant plants and flowers seem to give us all that sense of open air and nature that we all crave these days.