Trend Forecast, Part 2

 

As we head closer to the holiday season, many are looking farther and preparing for a better year come Jan. 1, 2021. In the spirit of looking forward, we recently reported on the online wedding registry and planning site WeddingWire.com’s eight wedding trends to watch for in 2021.

Wedding Wire, however, was not the only national authority to make its trend predictions for weddings in the new year. National magazine and online wedding resource The Knot also released its trend forecast with over 20 wedding trends from décor to food to watch out for.

Like Wedding Wire, The Knot had many trends related to our “new normal” for events while we navigate the coronavirus pandemic. The pandemic has pushed both couples and wedding professionals to pivot from traditional approaches and get creative with the event limitations faced by New Orleans and many cities around the country. A few similar trends include weekday wedding celebrations, heavy focus on lighting and bite-sized passed hors d’oeuvres or individual plated and smaller food.

There were a few on the list that really stood out to us as potential showstoppers or additional ways for the couple or wedding professionals to stretch their creativity. First on that list for us was the welcome box. We’ve all heard of a welcome basket for out-of-town guests or your bridal party arriving at a hotel room, but this trend would take the desire for safety (and disinfection) during COVID and marry it with the welcome basket. This welcome box, or “welcome send-off kit” as they mention in the release about the trend predictions, would add a guest-centric in detail, particularly for smaller weddings, providing personal hand sanitizers and masks, take-home favors and other personalized programing or event details for each attendee.

Something else Wedding Wire mentioned in its report was an emphasis on entertainment, adding in that DJs or bands may now act as emcee’s for additional entertainment options like standup comedians or costumed dancers. The Knot’s take on this is more entertainment for everyone to get involved in and not just watch. Outdoor weddings lend themselves to outdoor doings such as game-like activities or s’mores under the stars.

A final trend that interested us was The Knot’s prediction of coordinated guest dress codes. It is typical for a couple to put “black-tie” or “formal attire” on a wedding invitation to inform the guests of the suggested attire, however, The Knot thinks it will be taken a step further with couples leaning more towards fun and casual preferences, but with a coordinated twist as the wedding guest list will be smaller and easier to manipulate. With a smaller number of guests, communicating a color scheme or aesthetic gives the couple control over how everyone looks in the wedding space and makes for show-stopping photography.

 

Those are just a few of The Knots trend predictions. Click here to read the full list and let us know your favorites in the comments below.

 

 

Digital Sponsors

Become a MyNewOrleans.com sponsor ...