Midwest Wedding Trends (#14 in a Series): Colors, Food, Flowers, Entertainment and More

I am so excited to share some wedding trends coming your way for 2021! These trends are coming straight from the experts because I attended Wedding MBA 2020 virtually this year and heard from over 30 wedding professionals across the country sharing their trend predictions! I am a perpetual learner, so when I had the opportunity to expand my knowledge of the industry, I jumped on it!

Get ready for some amazing and inspirational trends for your 2021 wedding! Borrow from these ideas and make them your own. That’s what’s important when it comes to your wedding day — make sure it’s a reflection of YOU and your fiance.

Reception Detail Trends for 2021:

Statement-making entryways — These put guests in anticipation mode and make them welcomed. It gets them excited thinking, “Wow, if they put this much effort into the entrance, I wonder what we’re going to experience INSIDE the wedding reception!”

Ghost chairs and lounge furniture — Ghost chairs are the clear crystal-looking chairs that don’t distract from the flowers/altar/statement you’re trying to make at your wedding reception elsewhere. Lounge furniture is a great way to fill those spaces since you’ll most likely be booking a spacious venue due to Covid. Make sure these sitting areas are spread out and purposeful when filling the venue space!

Video and technology — Get ready for incorporating high-tech and high-touch experiences into your wedding reception, from 360 degree cameras, to GoPros, digital screens, and more for an entire wedding EXPERIENCE. Other ideas were green screen photo booths, Edison bulbs to fill a tall ceiling space, and video mapping.

Adding huge eye-catching elements — Adding huge elements to your already large venue is the perfect way to safely and effectively fill the space that you booked for your socially-distanced guests. These elements add physicality and glamour as a way to fill the negative space. Think chandeliers, greenery backdrops, and huge floral trees.

Photo by Andrea Eppolito c/o Wedding MBA

Mix round and rectangle tables — Using a mix of round, rectangle, high-top tables, 60″ rounds, 72″ rounds, and serp tables will make your reception interesting as you seat guests safely and comfortably. It will make your reception look dynamic, not empty.

At-home weddings with couture fashion — Small, personal at-home weddings will make a statement in 2021 with major couture fashion trends. They can be small, safe, and stunning.

Table Setting and Wedding Decoration Trends:

High-gloss mirrored tables — This trend is going to be amazing! Picture pops of color among metallics, mirrored tables, crystal chargers, and how all the elements will play off each other to sparkle.

Layered place settings — Give your table settings some height with layered menus, flowers, chargers (even multiple chargers!). Guests will be so impressed because you took the time to think of everything. Iridescent metallics will be totally IN.

Wedding Entertainment

Multi-level entertainment — Expect to see DJs above the dance floor in a plexi-glass booth, with layers of a room, with platforms, staging, and areas to dance separated by height. You might even see multiple dance floors to allow for socially distanced dancing!

Event production — 2021 is going to bring wedding entertainment features like hula dancers, trivia, and large event production. Expect to see wig bars at the photo booth, cigar bars, piano players, edgy hanging decor, and non-traditional entertainment options.

Floral Wedding Trends:

Floral accessories — Instead of traditional bouquets, 2021 is going to bring along some floral accessories, like floral crowns, body art, and installations.

Flowers that are trending — Thistle, dried flowers, painted foliage in metallics, oversized hanging flower installations, bouquets with overflowing greenery and huge florals, protea, antherium, ball dahlias, bunny tails, and birds of paradise are all blooms that will be trending in 2021.

Floral nests — Another surprising trend is that traditional floral arches are being replaced with floral nests for your ceremony. In fact, turning entire rooms into “indoor gardens” is a huge trend! (And could be huge on your budget).

Wedding Color Palette Trends:

Monochromatic Color Palette — Think all shades of red, or blue, or pale pinks. Monochromatic palettes are IN, paired with a metallic.

Textures AND colors — Don’t be afraid to work in some textures like velvet furniture, floral prints, boho patterns, leather accents, ruffles and fringe. Neutrals with a pop of color will definitely be a thing.

Colors that are trending — Here are some colors that are trending for 2021: jewel tones, calm colors (like sand, sage green, soft lavender, earthy-beige and taupe), translucent colors, clear/glass, cinnamon rose, terra cotta with taupe, near-black, light gray, bright blue, light beige with champagne, peach with blush, and the metallic of the year is silver.

Wedding Attire Trends:

Unconventional wedding attire — Yes, those capes, booties, hats, jumpsuits, large nouveau lace are all totally IN.

Wedding Food Trends:

Food and wine pairings — Food and wine pairings for a dinner experience will be “in” because people will be spending more time at the table, and not at a buffet. Guests want to feel settled in at their table place setting. Smaller weddings are the perfect place to introduce an especially artistic menu with multiple courses and multiple wine pairings. Your stationer (like Hitch Studio!) can help you print a fun food and wire pairing menu!

Progressive dinners and charcuterie — Because guests was an experience to remember, give them one! Consider doing progressive dinners or personal charcuterie, either on a small board or in a fun cup/jar. Make the food feel like it’s just for them, instead of a buffet-style appetizer table.

Food portions taking longer — One of our favorite food ideas that came from Wedding MBA was trying a 5-hour dinner and making the food more fun and interactive, while skipping the not-as-safe dancing portion. Here’s how you could make your 5-hour reception into a fun experience: 1 hour of butlered apps and cocktails, 2 hours of tapas, 1 hour of dessert plates, and 1 hour of late night snacks. People will love pairing these foods with wines and drinks all night long!

Cocktail-style reception — Another spin on this idea is to do a cocktail-style wedding, where you don’t actually share a table with other guests. It’s meant to be shared as you mix and mingle your way through the evening with hors’ douevre boxes, charcuterie cones, grab-and-go style appetizers. It saves you the cost of full dinner rentals. Think dessert stations with cheesecake building, barista coffee stations, cheese towers, cupcakes wth sprinkle buffets, food trucks, and fun late night snacks like oyster and shrimp bars.

Dessert trends using unexpected flavors — Again, pairing desserts with cocktails throughout your reception will be a hit! Here were some of the best pairings I heard at Wedding MBA: Mini bourbon cherry cake bites served with Manhattans, chocolate raspberry cupcakes served with a Port, triple citrus custard torte served with Poloma, elderflower creme brule served with Champagne, lavender ice cream in a lemon cone with lemon Pop Rocks served with Lavender Lemondrops, and mocha white chocolate truffles served with lime gin martinis.

Wedding Stationery:

Calligraphy and illustrations — Using hand-lettered calligraphy and illustrations on your custom wedding invitations is a very personal touch. When your invitation arrives to guests in a personalized envelope, they will be so excited to attend your wedding! Check out the one Hitch Studio recently printed with the help of a calligrapher.

Do you want to see ALL the trends we’ve ever posted? We’ve posted two per year since we started Hitch Studio? They go all the way back to 2014. Enjoy!