In part one of this blog, we discussed trends in wedding gowns, flowers, lighting & décor.  In this second part we will be sharing new trends in catering, wedding cake & honeymoons.

      The biggest trend in catering for weddings seems to be upscale comfort food, served family style, by waiters.  Think mac & cheese with salami, garlic, peppers & sun-dried tomatoes, or home-style biscuits as sandwich & burger wraps.  Locally sourced everything is the wave of the future as is ice cream as a main dessert, replacing cupcakes & doughnuts. 

   With the popularity of food trucks throughout the city, brides & grooms are choosing to have multiple trucks service their weddings.  Mary Baird-Wilcock, owner of The Simplifiers Event Planning, cautions that if you are going to use food trucks be sure to hire a planner because each truck comes with its own unique way of doing things & may or may not have everything needed to service a wedding reception or may not even understand what is required of them for such an event.  Lydia Smith, consultant with DNA Events, says that several food trucks now have totally separate catering menus.  DNA has been a leader in promoting the food truck phenomenon for weddings.  They hosted the first Food Truck Expo in Austin at the end of 2012 & will be hosting their second one on April 10^th at Lone Oak Barn, a new wedding/event venue in Round Rock. (For more information go to www.dnaeventsaustin.com).

For guests, one of the more anticipated aspects of a reception is the cake.  Today cakes are anything but boring white or ivory stacks.  Fairy dust glitter is being used as are bright, bold colors with textures & patterns.  An extremely new trend is the “naked wedding cake.”  These are typically stacked cakes without icing covering them.  Very unusual & totally Austin!  In wedding cake décor, tall candle toppers are the newest rage.

And now for the much anticipated honeymoon.  The honeymoon is the time to relax or unwind after months of decision making, planning & sometimes worrying!  New trends in honeymoons include “glamping” which is glamourous camping- such as the wedding  weekend celebration of local favorite (and Academy Award Winner) Matthew McConaughey to Camilla Alves.  Guests slept in air conditioned tents with luxury bath accommodations but ate around a campfire & enjoyed the natural beauty of the Hill Country.  Adventure honeymoons are on the rise as couples forsake a week or so of idle bliss for more interactive sightseeing such as a safari, bike trips through a foreign country or scuba diving off the Great Barrier Reef.  Private villa rentals are also on the rise.  These combine luxury & style while retaining distinctly local character. (For more information go to www.vrbo.com).

As you plan your wedding , I hope this blog stirs some creative juices in your mind.  There are many talented wedding professionals throughout the United States.  These people are on top of the trends, in fact, many times they start the trends!  If you do not have the time or the desire to personally research all of the talented vendors you will need to create the perfect day, hire an experienced, well-respected event planner to be your guide.  The money you spend on them will save you countless hours, headaches & even money spent with some of the vendors.  If you want recommendations for good planners, just ask an event rental consultant.  We deal with all of the planners in our area & we can certainly steer you in the right direction. (For more information contact diane.lyerly@premierepartycentral.com).

All photos courtesy of Google Images