From flowers to photography & linens to lighting, event trends come & go rapidly in our fast paced world. The biggest event in most people’s lives is their wedding, so it is natural that they want the most au currant styles & trends.  Austin is home to many educated, computer savvy people who search the internet for the latest trends to make their wedding the talk of the town.

   2014 weddings are a definite break from the last several years of shabby chic, neutrals & mason jars tied with raffia.  Let’s start with the RING!!!  Yellow gold is making a comeback as are fancy cut center diamonds & floral details along the side of the ring.  A big, new style is  horizontal setting of the center stone.  This east-west setting makes the stone appear larger than it actually is.

   After the ring, the first thing a woman does is look for a wedding gown.  Thanks goodness the years of strapless are over. Only women who hit the gym 5 days a week for years look good in strapless, but that was all that was being offered for the last several years.  Sleeves (sooooooo forgiving!) are making a comeback.  Lace sleeves are really hot.  In fact, lace everywhere is really hot.  Halter tops are also being featured on runways, some with very plunging necklines.  The third silhouette showing a lot of positive interest is the body hugging design.  As far as color, blush is extremely popular both for brides & their bridesmaids.

    In event décor, women want to wow their family & friends & this is the time to do it.  According to Ken Sharples, Creative Director for Premiere Party Central, the trend for the overall look of a wedding reception is lavish.  Gold & silver prevail with lots of sequins & sparkle.  Chandeliers are not a new thing, but they are being used in new ways such as groupings of them hanging over dining tables or in outdoor settings.  And according to Katherine McCommon with Intelligent Lighting Design, couples are asking for gold, glitzy & huge chandeliers.  She says gold is the new black.  Gold or silver candelabras, gold rimmed china & dancing to big bands is the style of the moment.  Glitter is everywhere: from invitations, to menus, escort cards & guest books.

    Ken says the alternative to metallics are pastels including the use of colored crystal stemware which is being requested regularly.  Pink isn’t just for little girls birthday parties anymore.  Soft shades of the color are showing up in dresses, linens, even wedding cakes.

   Undeniably, nothing sets the mood of an event like lighting and in today’s high tech world, the options for lighting are seemingly endless. Katherine says that she is receiving requests from sophisticated couples for café lights, Edison lights, café string lights & tree illuminations.  Lighting is the ultimate design element!

   Mary Baird-Wilcock, owner of The Simplifiers Event Planning, says that she is seeing a new trend in floral design.  The “just picked” look is prevalent in many of the weddings she is planning.  Bouquets are not tightly packed, but loose with lots of height, depth & texture.

   Mary also says for Austin couples she is seeing a lot of very sophisticated, but understated, minimalist, posh.  Both Mary & Ken agree that the Austin wedding couples seem to be more educated & have more refined tastes.  They want every element of the event to be cohesive & they don’t leave out any details.

   Part Two of this blog will cover trends in wedding food, cakes & honeymoons.  There are some exciting trends in these areas, so stay tuned!

All photos courtesy of Google Images.