Wedding planning advice: Trends and themes that will dominate the UK wedding scene in 2018

We are all about being your self and organising a wedding exactly the way you want it, no matter what magazines or blogs say. However inspiration is a wonderful thing and we will always do our best to show you what is out there to spark a bit of creativity.
What if you have a venue, want your wedding to be beautiful but have absolutely no designer skills? Then quickly get yourself a stylist – like our guest author today – Chenai of by Chenai . She prepared for you a round up of what will light up the 2018 wedding scene from fashion style to venue selection. We hope it will give you some amazing new ideas (we are loving these grazing tables!!).

Whilst it’s always important for personal style to dictate your wedding planning and styling decisions, we can’t ignore the influence that art, design, and fashion play on the choices we made in society & culture. With this in mind, here’s my big 8 themes for 2018 weddings.

The Grazing Table

It genuinely surprises me that this has yet to permeate wedding culture in Britain. No, really, I mean it. Australia has been ahead of the curve on this front as evidenced by the number of platter companies offering the service. The beauty of the grazing table is that it lends itself  to an informal setting and when styled creatively and (depending on size and scale) is an  affordable option for feeding  guests. It can be a show stopper between acts, instead of canapes between ceremony and reception for example and thanks to likes of Grape and Fig, the first platter company in the UK, I guarantee you, many a summer and outdoor wedding will feature grazing tables next year.

Photo from Grape and Fig

 

Royal Wedding Style

Unless you’ve been living under a  very large rock, you can’t have missed the engagement news of our favourite royal, Prince Harry to Meghan Markle. Every single detail from her dress to who will serve has her bridesmaids has been written about in blogs in publications everywhere but undoubtedly the so called  ‘Meghan Markle ‘ effect will influence bridal style from Spring 2018 onwards.

 

Unconventional venues

Village Hall? Check. A field at the back of your dad’s friend’s neighbours house? Check. A cosy pub? Check. Railway arches? Check.
You get  the picture. Traditional venues often satisfy the requirements of lovely views, gardens or rooms and make for wonderful photos. However, great value and flexibility is to be found in non traditional spaces. Increasingly, couples are getting bolder in their thinking where venue search is concerned and and as long as it has basic facilities, you know like electricity and running water (or at least  access to) we’ll continue to see couples opting for everything but the country manor house.

Image from Shoreditch.com

Wedding Stationery

Paper is so last November (just kidding). However, increasingly the use of natural materials is being employed  in place of paper for place names for example. Champagne corks, stone pebbles, tiles, slate pieces, leaves are all options being considered by couples who have an abundance of other natural elements like plush greenery. We’ll also definitely see the continued rise of well executed hand lettering and fine art let stationary choices next year.

By inLoftCalligraphy & Dimitria Jordan

 

Wedding Cakes

The naked wedding cake had a huge moment. Huge. It seemed that every shoot or wedding you saw with a natural, rustic or boho feel, there they were. 2018 will see a return to the structured tier cake for sure and whilst most people won’t go for 5 tier tower with ruffled icing and sugar flowers, there’s definitely a swing towards structural design, and the amazing use of colour as evidenced by the likes of confectioner Butter Beautiful.

By Butter Beautiful

 

Wedding favours

NOT. This for me is a ‘Got to go in 2018’. Numerous surveys show that guests don’t want to be lumbered with taking a candle or jar of jam with your wedding date on it home. I know it’s about the sentiment but your guests will appreciate the fact that you have bought them together for (hopefully) a wonderful celebration where they have been fed and watered. I always advise couples to maximise their budgets and I would suggest to cut the wedding favours , in favour of spending that money on getting the DJ you really want or putting it towards another big cost.

Wedding entertainment

I ‘m not talking about magicians or anything cringe, but I  have seen and attended weddings where a comedian has been hired to act as master of ceremonies over a traditional toastmaster for example. And what about the bands taking wedding parties to a whole new level? Like Old Dirty Brasstards for example, the  tweed clad brass and drum collective who perform a fusion of genres of music or Michael G. Moore known as The Pianoman, who can play any song that wedding guests request [which is encouraged] and can on his own get the whole room up and dancing.

Metallics

In everything. Yellow and Rose gold foil in stationary, cutlery and cake designs. Copper in vases, candelabra and lanterns. You’ve probably seen geometrics playing a huge part  in wedding styling as it has transferred from interior design, along with that is the use of metallics which  will continue to be big choice for styling in 2018 and I’m here for it. Paired down with simple green foliage or dressed up with lavish bouquets. I’m also excited  to see a rise in iridescent finishes from cutlery to hollographic print in stationary.

From Revelry Events blog

 

Chenai Bukutu Is a London based creator of contemporary weddings & events with a great eye for detail. She can usually be found hosting dinners for her girlfriends, cooking up a storm in her kitchen (and or dancing) when she’s not reading/ writing for pleasure. Follow her on Facebook and Instagram and check out her website.