REVELRY EVENTS 2016 WEDDING TREND REPORT

Ladies and gentlemen, ready yourselves, for the first annual Revelry Events trend report for weddings in 2016! We're so excited to share our thoughts and observations about the coming style predictions for next year. It is going to be such a bold year for wedding design and we cannot wait to get stuck in. So here we go, our 2016 Wedding Trends Report.

MARBLE + METAL

Watercolour has been the darling of trend predictions for the last few years, and now the beloved motif has transformed into something a little more badass. Marble is the perfect blend of traditional masculine and feminine style - strong but soft. It works for anything from cake to stationery to place settings. It lends itself to grey tones for a more natural look but, as with watercolour, looks like magic in pastel. An amazing design to work into a desert wedding design of rocks and gemstones - see our Romancing the Gemstone board for more inspiration. 

Metallics of all kinds are still going to be on the up in the coming year. Couples will be moving away from the standard gold and silver, and opting for more dynamic metals - bold and industrial copper, and delicate, feminine rose gold or pink mercury. Metallics are incredibly versatile and can be stunning in a bridesmaids dress, place setting or cake - as long as it's not overdone! Single features or small details are all that is needed with metallics to make a big impact.

PATTERNS + PLANTS + PALMS

Motifs will be massive in 2016, with couples getting ever-more daring when it comes to showing personality in print. The fashion world is bringing in big, bold botanical prints and contemporary tribal stripes into their Spring collections, and we think this is going to echo down through the year in weddings. 

One of our favourite design concepts to work on this year was a combination of the two - a tropical/tribal fusion for a couple with both Caribbean and African backgrounds.

Palm prints are really starting to come up in a big way, and we're seeing it everywhere from interior design to high street fashion. It's going to be a decor design which will be more readily available to the mass market so we think there are going to be a lot of couples going for palms and foliage and away from florals, bringing a much needed hint of the tropics to the UK wedding scene. Head for a ready-made green venue like Kew Gardens or the Barbican, or mix it up by contrasting the tropics with a ballroom or barn.

Fern is also right up there with palm as a popular foliage choice for couples. It's delicate and soft but en masse can make a huge impact. For one of our summer 2016 couples, we've designed a fern-heavy day,  with fern runners and place settings, teamed with oversized, loose arrangements of gorgeous dark and light pinks.

OLD HAVANA

We’re always looking for the next big country or culture to hit the wedding trends, and we have our beady little eyes on Cuba! Since the US got a little more chill about their relationship with the country, it’s the next big destination for holidays, and we think there’s a lot it has to offer when it comes to design. We predict it's going to be a hot new wedding trend. More to come on this one later...

FLORAL ARCHITECHURE 

Floral chandeliers and walls of a thousand roses a la Kim K were all the rage of 2015, and now the trend is due to take a huge creative jump in 2016. Taking inspiration from shop windows and visual merchandising, we are seeing couples get excited about new creations of flowers. Florists will be pushed to the creative limit with architectural feats of botany - animal sculptures, arty backdrops, floral waterfalls. Anything a couple can dream up - boundaries are going to be pushed. In our opinion, floral art makes for amazing photo backgrounds - for portraits or a photobooth. And if budgets are tight, try and recreate the impact with faux or paper flowers.

BITESIZED + OVERSIZED

Tiny versions of main meals served as passed canapés are still growing in popularity, as well as pairing them with the perfect drink. Miniature Philadelphia cheesesteaks with a shot glass of craft beer? Yes please. Teeny, decadent brownies with espresso martini shooters? Sign us up.

Conversely, the trend for large platters of sharing meals for the main reception dinner is still the way to go for feeding your crowd. Avoid the worries about dietary restrictions for your menu and allow guests to have their own pick and mix, upscale buffet without leaving their seat. It’s perfect for fostering a sense of community at each table. Many of our couples are opting for family style cuisines that don't necessarily have anything to do with their own culture or even wedding theme, but they serve it because they love it. Think Middle Eastern platters or gourmet Carribean-style seafood. Mix it up!

SEAT FREAK

Gone are the days when you would group your guests together in neat circles of 8-10. Couples are mixing their seating layouts up a little and going for more 'cool cafe' than 'conference'. A combination of long banqueting tables with smaller square shapes make a room look more dynamic and interesting, and you don't need to prescribe to sets of a certain number. So 2016 will see couples fostering more fun and community at their dinners by having more unusual reception set ups.

BIG PICTURE

First Look photos are sweeping the UK after being fairly standard practice in the US for a good while. Drones are all the rage with many photographers investing in the new technology to achieve epic, sweeping shots of the wedding. Perfect if you have a stunner of a venue.

This might be more of a wish than a prediction, but...formal, posed photos could be making a come-back in the form of 'Annie Lebovitz for Vanity Fair', cinematic photography. Highly styled, editorial photos, with no smiles, just class. This we would definitely like to see, a revival of group portraits that aren't boring. 

EMBELLISH

Wedding dresses of 2016 are getting a serious dose of drama. Embellishment of all kinds - fringe, beading, illusion and cut-outs - are adorning the brides of next year. Australian bridal couture designer J'aton Couture is our current style crush - these dresses are uber-dramatic, Instagram-worthy and, dare we say it, pretty sexy. It's a brave new bride, people!

If you're inspired by any of these trends, just drop us a line and we can help make them a reality on your big day!