REVELRY EVENTS 2020
WEDDING TRENDS REPORT

Not only is another year coming to an end, but we’re also waiving goodbye to a whole decade - can you believe it!

2010s, you’ve been a wild ride! We’ve been lucky enough to be in the wedding world long enough to span this past ten years, and the way the industry has changed every year of that time is amazing. The evolution of trends, the concept of what a wedding day is and should be, the level of detail and personality that now goes into a wedding, throwing out the rulebook and making new traditions - it’s been fascinating to be part of.

2019 saw some incredible new trends come to the fore which we’ll still see into the next year - dried florals, neon, grazing tables, bridal suits. But we’re excited to look at some of the trends we think we’re going to see come through in 2020. Let’s dive in!

Colours + Textures

Earthy tones are certainly still a big player in 2020. If Kim Kardashian West’s abandoned museum of a house (below left) is anything to go by, plus the matriarchy’s general love of earth tones (hello Skims!), designers are still going to be playing with this palette for a while. Sort of hazelnutty, caramelly, latte tones (and other things that sound like my Starbucks order (fun fact: Susie had never had a coffee until October this year, Holly was proud to witness her first Starbucks order…).

These tones look amazing paired with rich jewel tones which have trended in the past few years, as well as grounding tones in the blue and green families which we predicted would make a come back in the next year. This was backed up by Pantone’s announcement that Classic Blue would be it’s Colour of the Year 2020. Some say it’s a middle of the road, ‘vanilla’ choice, but we think it’s a reassuring colour, a grounding and calming tone - probably not but probably definitely something to do with our political and environmental crises…? Yeah, probably.

We’re also hearing a lot of florists in particular talk about sunset palettes - the request for more gorgeous combinations of deep red, burnt orange, hot pinks - all combining to make something that doesn’t seem like it would work but it does. And we think it works for both summer and autumn weddings alike, a pretty versatile palette.

One particular colour we’re keeping an eye on for next year, is one we’re not sure what to make of yet but we’re spying on Neo-Mint. A contemporary member of the green family. It’s fresh and from what some trend analysers are saying, it’s taking it’s source from both nature and science, a bit of a futuristic take on a classic. It does what the Kylie Jenner millennial pink did in the past few years, which is bridging the gender divide with a new kind of neutral.

Japan

With eyes on the host country of the Olympics next year, we’re predicting that Japan and all things Japanese will filter down to the wedding industry over the next 12 months. Whether it’s the classic Kyoto cherry blossom aesthetic, or a more grungy, neon-inspired, eclectic and playful look inspired by Tokyo.

You’ll remember in the early 2010s with the Royal Wedding and the London Olympics, there was a similar desire for a quintessentially English vibe - we all remember the bunting and floral teacups craze, right guys?

With Japan, we may see it smaller elements, such as stationery design. Possibly more sleek minimalism coming through. Matcha flavours! Sushi bars. Or perhaps more requests for ikebana which is the Japanese style of floral design, on cakes and as centrepieces. We’re excited to see what trickles down from that part of the Pacific.

Size Matters

In the past year or so we’ve definitely seen an uptick in smaller weddings. Couples who have actively chosen to reduce their headcount way down in order to invest more in each person, than to spread their hard earned money further across 150 people and possibly not get what they want.

We think that trend will continue, not least in small part to Brexit and couples wanting to be careful with their money. But also because couples are going all in on more detail, and sometimes that ‘styled shoot’ level of detail is only possible with a small amount of your favourite people, to truly make it Instagrammable.

In terms of other venues seeing a bit of resurgence, we’re seeing a lot more of the back garden wedding in 2020. Clients who have access to a large piece of land or big family garden. It’s possibly an evolution of the love of the dry hire we know has trended in the past with industrial warehouses and studio spaces. A tent can be the ultimate blank canvas, total control over your specifics (apart from the weather) - no restrictions on design, the suppliers you want to bring in, what food you want to serve - the world is often your oyster with a marquee wedding. Especially if you want to serve actual oysters.

Sartorial

We’ve heard many designers talk about the resurgence of the princess dress, moving slightly away from the chic, minimalist 90s Kate Moss and less of the boho bride, more of the ultra dramatic, feminine look, puffy sleeves, big skirts with big trains and statement veils.

A modern take on the prim and proper Victorian era is also on the up. The Victoriana revisited era is seeing more high necklines, lace sleeves and empire waists but also edgy ruffles.

High necklines and long sleeves of course which we’ve seen on two royal weddings in the last 18 months, not to mention a slew of other celebrities - but we’re definitely seeing the afterglow of the the Meghan Markle effect still in full swing.

Meghan’s choice of personalised embroidery (she famously had flowers representing all 53 nations of the commonwealth on her veil) is telling of the ‘details first’ trend we continue to see in 2020. Brides adding surprise touches sewn inside or onto their gown. Recent bride Hailey Bieber did the same with her gown and veil - with ‘Til Death Do Us Part’ embroidered as a statement piece onto her veil. Brides can add anything from bespoke logos to names of lost loved ones to their pets paw prints onto their dresses to embrace this trend. And it’s going to be a fun one to watch to see how people do that!

Sustainability

Lastly, it’s a big one. It’s multi faceted and complicated but we’re going to be talking about it and hearing about it a lot in 2020.

And this is rearing it’s head with everything from dinner menus to flower choices.

Couples getting married in 2020 are not immune to the conversations all around us about saving the planet and the damage we’re doing with even the simplest of things we take for granted. So the burden of wedding waste will not be lost on them.

Even the most meat-loving couples will be considering chopping meat out of their menu choices completely on their wedding day, aware of the cost but also the big environmental effect feeding a handful of cows to 150 of their friends and family on their big day. So vegan and vegetarian menus are on the rise everywhere.

Flowers wise, we know there have been plenty of conversations between florists in the last year or so about the use of oasis and how there has been a reduction in the number of companies willing to use it and couples who ask for arrangements without it, due to it’s non-biodegradable nature.

This does however come with some downsides when it comes to design. Oasis, as damaging as it is, serves a purpose with grand floral based installations. So without it, we might be seeing more foliage based installs, on tables, ceilings and arches in 2020.

With both food and flowers we’re seeing a lot more couples request for local and seasonal as much as possible to cut down on the environmental effect of transporting everything, as well as costs for themselves too.

Single bloom or single flower bouquets might also see a rise in 2020, which streamlines a lot of those costs and also makes a big visual statement.

Plastic and paper waste is of course on everyone’s minds, and weddings are one of the places you can see a heck of a lot of it. Couples are watching their plastic use with things like asking caterers not to use plastic straws if any straws at all, eco friendly plates for the evening food truck or even borrowing real crockery for it, ditching confetti, reducing the endless Amazon packaging by hiring or borrowing rather than buying, giving away centrepieces as gifts at the end of the night and much much more.

And that wraps our trend predictions for 2020! We can’t wait to see what hits and what misses in the next 12 months - see you on the other side!

See more of our trend predictions over on our Pinterest board and let us know what you are looking forward to seeing in the coming year!