Wedding Trends for 2016

This is an exciting time of the year, the very beginning of the year. It is also a very weird time of the year. We are still emotionally hungover from the holiday season, the marathon run that begins the day after Thanksgiving and ends the second day of January. In addition to feeling a hurricane of emotions, some good some bad, we are also riding high on optimism and hope for the future. That is why we make New Year’s resolutions, but resolutions are not the only thing we pay attention to; we also pay attention to trends. Like resolutions, trends affect everything around us and ultimately change how we behave. We build weddings on a foundation of what is popular at the time and 2016 is poised to be a very interesting year for weddings. For starters, they will be more techie than ever before.

Marta Segal Block of The Huffington Post writes, “For the past few years technology has been at the top of every wedding trends list. But what those lists mean by “technology” has gotten a little old: hashtags, charging stations, that cool thing Disney does with the movie on the cake…Hardly the stuff of fairytales for most couples interested in technology.” Some technological innovations Block touches on are photo apps, drones, on demand bar service, and more. Perhaps the most important of these things is the on demand service, which is preventative measure against overspending on alcohol at your wedding. This is accomplished by giving the bride and groom the ability to order more alcohol if needed during the wedding itself.

Then there are trends that have nothing to do with technology, nothing really to do with increasing the efficiency of your wedding planning, but they deal more with the aesthetics of the wedding. This might involve your stationary and it seems that glitter on your stationary is out and foil stationary is in. The most aesthetic jarring change in trends for weddings in 2016 seem to involve the things that you sit on and at: Tables and chairs.

Danielle Rothweiler of The Huffington Post writes, “Keeping with the idea of tossing the formalities aside when planning a wedding, banquet round tables are starting to not be “in” anymore. Long tables, square tables and even a mix of everything look amazing at a wedding. However, the lucite and mirror tables are how you kick your wedding up from a 9 to a 10.”

Kicking your wedding up from a 9 to a 10? Who doesn’t want that to happen at their wedding? That is a big jump and if it requires something as simple as a changing of the guard in terms of tables and chairs, you should absolutely consider it. Remember how important aesthetics are to the overall vibe and success of your wedding.

In 2016, there will be technological innovations, a change in aesthetics, and last, but certainly not least, a greater presence on social media that may psychologically impact a bride and groom’s mentality going into the ceremony and reception. Rothweiler writes, “It doesn’t matter if it’s a massive celebrity wedding or a random “Real Weddings” feature that a bride wants. Everything blends together in social media land, and a bride can drown in the inspiration available to her. Getting overloaded on wedding details is not the bad part here. What’s bad is when the bride figures out what she wants, and her decision was influenced (unbeknownst to her) by hashtags like “Wedding Goal”.”

In 2016, a couple preparing for their wedding is more vulnerable than ever when it comes to hashtag psychology, pooling over Instagram photos of pricey weddings and wondering if their wedding can ever match up. This adds unnecessary pressure to an already stressful situation. You have to keep in mind that every wedding is different and no one set of standards applies to them all. Weddings should not be competitions; they should be about two hearts coming together as one and that is something you will not find in a toy box of hashtags.

At Kelli Burns Entertainment, we always keep our eyes on trends, because that makes us better at making your wedding the best it can possibly be.