2011 was the year of the wedding. From Kate Middleton, Kate Moss to Kim Kardashian, last year will ever be known for the weddings witnessed by the world. It’s been estimated that an astounding two to three billion people tuned in to watch the future King of England and his beautiful bride, Kate Middleton, walk down the lengthy aisle at Westminster Abbey. Kim Kardashian’s barely existent marriage was kicked off with a $10 million wedding and resulted in record breaking magazine sales and a TV series. Yes, even if you had no interest at all in weddings, they were hard to escape in 2011!
Last year was also quite a success for the Spokane and Coeur d’ Alene wedding scene, which has made a splash on the national wedding map. Local couples and area vendors have had their weddings and photo shoots featured on some of the top wedding blogs in the world, putting our neck of the woods on par with the wedding elite.
After such a big year for weddings, 2012 is bound to be another great year for nuptials. Some of the trends from last year will become bigger and better and the influence of celebrity weddings will make their way to the masses. It’s a year to watch!
- Barn Chic
Rustic is something the Inland Northwest does very well, but this year, brides will glam up their outdoorsy venues by adding some shimmer and shine to the mix. The Spokane and Coeur d’Alene area has no shortage of old refurbished barns, many of which have become wedding venues. While still embracing the hay bales and horse stalls, the brides of 2012 will add chandeliers, princess gowns and a whole lot of glitter to make these barn weddings the perfect combination of rustic elegance.
To bring a little glamour to your own barn wedding, think of ways to marry the two styles. Juxtapose the old wood floors and tables with lace tablecloths and metallic vases with romantic flowers. Choose a stylish wedding dress and pair it with chandelier earrings and a statement necklace.
To find your perfect bridal accessories, Spokane’s own Dodson’s Jewelers, is your one stop shop. As well as engagement and wedding rings, they also carry a wide selection of one-of-a-kind pieces and some vintage jewelry as well!
2. Non-Traditional Wedding Food
It’s time to say good-bye to the standard wedding buffet. This year is all about getting creative with wedding food. This can mean anything from a taco truck, a hotdog cart, a family style Indian feast or a sushi bar. Whatever foods you and your fiancé enjoy, you can serve at your wedding.
Don’t be afraid to make your food choices as casual as you want, people love comfort food at a wedding! You could have your caterer prepare hamburger sliders, fish and chips served in newspaper cones or have a pig roast. There are no wrong answers for this trend!
3. Custom Wedding
One of the biggest changes the wedding industry has seen in the last couple years is the shift from the cookie cutter wedding to the customized wedding. Couples are striving to make their big day as unique and reflective of their personalities as possible, starting with the engagement ring. And no one knows this fact better than Dodson’s Jewelers, who has been in the Spokane jewelry business for 125 years.
“Increasingly were seeing more interest in custom work. There is so much information out there for people in terms of ideas for weddings and styles, they love different elements and can’t find exactly what they want so they will come to us to create it,” says Penn Fix, owner of Dodson’s Jewelers.
Dodson’s has computer software that creates a ring design and allows the client to see what the ring will look like before it’s made so they can make sure they approve.
Wedding customization is all in the details. Think of ways to tie in the things that are important to you as a couple. To pay tribute to your families, you could display photos of your grandparents and parents on their wedding days, or have a reading that was important to a deceased loved one in your ceremony.
Hobbies and interests are also a great way to bring in customization. If you’re both WSU fans, you could name your tables after some of your favorite places on campus. If you love to read you could use old books in your centerpieces or if you love to travel, have a travel themed wedding!
- The Kate Effect
On April 29, 2011 the world tuned in to watch the royal wedding, and what a wedding it was! Kate Middleton stepped out onto world’s stage in an exquisite Alexander McQueen gown designed by Sarah Buton. The dress was couture at its finest featuring hand-sewn lace and a silhouette, which paid tribute to Grace Kelly.
The wedding watched by billions has impacted wedding trends worldwide and here in Spokane. Starting with Kate’s legendary diamond encrusted sapphire engagement ring previously owned by Princess Diana.
“Since the royal wedding people have more interest in color stones, either included as side stones or the main stone,” says Fix.
And the royal effect doesn’t stop there. The ceremony at Westminster Abbey featured an avenue of 20-foot English field maple trees down the long aisle; Spokane area brides are following suit, though perhaps on a lesser scale. Trees are a great way to create a big impact in a simple way. Two tall trees around your altar are all you need to create an idyllic romantic setting for your ceremony.
- Double Dresses
Brides have decided that two wedding dresses are better than one! For the last couple years having a wedding gown for the ceremony and one for the reception has been an increasingly popular trend for weddings.
We all love a beautiful formal wedding gown, but when it comes time for dancing, slipping out of the corset and into something a little more forgiving gives brides the chance to really let loose on the dance floor.
Alex Topik is the owner of The Alteration Center in Spokane and has been altering wedding dresses for many years. “I think having two dresses is a good idea, because the ceremony should be a more formal look, and the reception should be a more relaxed and open look,” he says.
But don’t feel you need to break the bank to buy an expensive second wedding dress, choose something fun and casual. Check out discount stores or even white bridesmaid dresses to score a great deal!
- Married on Location
Instead of having the ceremony and reception at two different locations, increasingly, couples are choosing to have both events at one venue. This saves time and keeps things simple for your guests.
Choosing a large venue like Center Place in the Spokane Valley, which has over 54,000 beautiful square feet of event space, will make having your wedding at one location much easier. You can have your ceremony in one room and your reception in another, with little worry about quickly taking down and setting up.
A great way to keep your guests entertained is with a cocktail hour with passed hors d’oeuvres. The Mirabeau Park is a wedding venue conveniently located in the Spokane Valley, which features a beautiful courtyard for couples to hold their ceremony and would also be a great place to have your cocktail hour.
If you really want to go the extra mile, hire a string quartet or pianist to play for this in-between time. It’s a great way to set the tone and mood of your wedding and a way for you to spend some time with your guests.
- Post Wedding Shoots
Between getting your hair done, getting your bridesmaids’ hair done, making sure your make-up is perfect and camera ready, putting on your dress (which is no easy feat!), getting the bridal party all in one place, taking a million pictures and ensuring you talk to each one of your guests…oh, and managing to get married at some point, wedding days tend to be stressful!
With such a tight schedule, sometimes you don’t get all the photos that you want, so many couples have been doing photo shoots after their wedding. These shoots range from a simple day after shoot where you put on your wedding attire and take more casual photos to a trash the dress session where you get to roll around in the mud or take a swim in your pristine wedding gown!
Some couples are even doing special shoots on their first anniversary. This is a great way to celebrate your first year of marriage and get some more casual photos. Your anniversary shoot should take place at a location that is important to the two of you, like your home, the place you had your first date or a spot you regularly go.
- Mismatched Bridesmaids
Gone are the days when a row of overly sized taffeta gowns in a putrid color was standard for bridesmaids. The brides’ favorite ladies are now getting gowns, which are almost as impressive as the brides (“almost” being the keyword).
Instead of trying to find one dress to suit the very different body types of their bridesmaids, many brides are letting their bridesmaids choose their own dress. She will tell them the color and type she would prefer, and they choose a dress that pleases both her and them. It’s a win for all!
To pull off the mismatched bridesmaid look, choose a color that will either be easy to match or choose different colors that complement each other well. You could also have your bridesmaids choose from one designer, so you can ensure the color is the same.
- Do It Yourself
With tightened purse strings the world over, many brides are deciding to put a little elbow grease into their wedding to cut costs. Every couple should decide what the priorities of their wedding are, then decide what they may need to sacrifice or do themselves.
With the plethora of wedding resources available these days, finding instructions has never been easier. You can find templates for making table numbers, step-by-step guides for making your own bouquets or even recipes for wedding cakes.
Not only is DIY a good money saver, it also gives you a chance to put your personal touch on your wedding day. You could make little jars of your grandmother’s jam as favors, or you could design a photo booth with fun props so your guests have a little memento from your wedding.
A word of warning though, don’t get carried away with too many DIY projects. If you extend yourself too much, you will be stressed and not enjoy your wedding day as much. Professionals are professionals for a reason, so be careful in what you choose to do yourself.
- Planning Online
Brides using the Internet to plan their weddings is nothing new. It’s estimated that 97% of couples use the web at some point in their planning, but 2012 will see this number go even higher.
With resources like wedding blogs, vendor directories and sites like Pinterest, there is no shortage of wedding inspiration for everything from your bouquet, wedding dress to your groom’s cuff links. There’s so much wedding inspiration out there that navigating the online wedding world can be a bit of a challenge.
To find the resources right for you, first decide what kind of wedding you’re planning. Do you have a vintage theme? Are you interested in DIY projects? Would you like tips for planning a wedding on a shoestring budget? There is a wedding blog for almost any type of wedding, so just do a Google search for your niche and you are sure to find what you’re looking for.
Locally, sites like AppleBrides.com, a blog dedicated to weddings in the Inland Northwest, are perfect for getting ideas and inspiration from other Spokane and Coeur d’Alene brides and sourcing all your vendors. Apple Brides features a local wedding, daily, and has an extensive vendor directory to help you find everything from your photographer to your caterer.
One of the very first things you should do when you get engaged is set up a Pinterest page. Pinterest is an (highly addictive) online pinboard where you can store and categorize all the inspiring things you find around the web. You can pin a photo from virtually any website right onto a specific board on Pinterest, so you can come back to it later. For example, if you are looking for wedding hairstyles and find one you love on AppleBrides.com, you can pin it to your board to show to your hairstylist. Pinterest also allows you to follow your friends and favorite wedding blogs to get even more ideas!
Rachel Sandall is the editor of AppleBrides.com, a website dedicated to weddings in the Inland Northwest.
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Websites to check out for your wedding:
AppleBrides.com
Pinterest.com
StyleMePretty.com
RuffledBlog.com
DIYbride.com
