It’s the inaugural “Midwest Wedding Trends” blog post! This series by Hitch Design Studio will continue with one post every six months listing new trends coming to the Midwest and trends that we already love — and think they should stick around. Drumroll please for the June, 2014 list…
TRENDS WE PREDICT ARE COMING TO THE MIDWEST:
COLOR TRENDS:
- Tiffany blue
- Poppy red
- Texture, along with color, will make an appearance on paper and fabric (invitations and table decor)
- Rose gold
- Variety of hues instead of one specific shade of color (multiple blues, shades of green, neutral palettes, etc.)
- Instead of harvest colors for a fall wedding, we predict dark plum, black cherry and pink will make an appearance as a color palette.
RECEPTION TRENDS:
- Big, eye-catching displays at your reception (decoration the whole space, not just the tables)
- Brewery weddings!
- Personal details from the couple will shine (an actual kayak with a water feature at the reception for the outdoorsy couple, some actual penguins walking around the reception for the animal lovers, sno-cone machines and specialty foods for cocktail hour)
- Wedding favors that are FAR more creative than Hershey Kisses or nuts and mints. Giving little succulent plants, a cute jar of your grandma’s favorite homemade jam, a small bottle of your favorite hot sauce, or an apple with the recipe for your mom’s best apple crisp recipe. What about a little jar of honey for your “Sweet Beginnings”? Hitch predicts people will get personal — and more creative.
- Bringing indoor furniture outdoors to create a reception space full of comfy chairs, oversized ottomans, wood tables, etc.
- Unique locations for ceremonies and receptions will start popping up! We know of a few new locations near Brookings, SD!
- Creating an environment for your wedding reception. The experience is what people will remember. People in the Midwest are married at a younger age than the rest of the United States. Men are average age of 29.0 and Women are 26.6, but still showcasing their styles at their wedding!
- Purposefully designing the outdoor space of your indoor reception
- Not-so-formal rehearsal dinners will find their way to backyard BBQs. After all, 17% of weddings are “casual”, 33% are choosing religious institutions (down from 41%). We predict a shift in weddings getting more casual or more upscale, black tie.
- Lots of food stations instead of a buffet.
INVITATIONS:
- Providing more information as part of your invitations to make out-of-town guests feel welcome (a map of the city, a welcome kit, a list of your favorite restaurants, activities and places to visit) Here are 10 simple ways to wow your wedding guests from TheKnot.com.
- Hitch thinks simple, classic, sophisticated invites are going to trend. Typography will be the star of the show. We predict less floral and fewer patterns (like stripes) on the actual invite; those patterns and fun elements will move to a second stage — like the envelope liner.
- Gift registries may occasionally show up on an invitation insert card, which is acceptable in the Midwest, but Hitch predicts that more people will begin sending gifts directly from those online registry sources, rather than bring their wrapped gift to the reception. (If this trend does arrive in the Midwest, be sure to have the gift sent either to the home of the bride’s parents or to the return address on the invitation.)
- Laser cutting. It’s one of our favorite stationery trends right now.
BOUQUET:
- We think bouquets will start getting less round and full, and start becoming more flowing, with greenery pouring from the sides.
GUEST BOOK:
- Think outside the book! We think guest book ideas like painting, signing a patch for a quilt, signing a map, putting their birthdays in a calendar, etching their names on a keepsake tray, signing a bench for your front porch, and filling out “recipes for a great dinner” or “recipes for a healthy marriage” prayer and advice cards are kept long after a book is tucked away.
TRENDS WE ALREADY LOVE AND THINK SHOULD STAY:
COLOR TRENDS:
- We love that gray is the new brown.
- We love that brides are taking a little risk when choosing color palettes (navy blue, white and burnt orange — pretty!)
- We love that brides are still following the 60-30-10 rule. (60% of your decorations should be one color [either a neutral or a bold, beautiful color], 30% should be your other color, and 10% should be your accent “pop” of color.)
- We love that couples aren’t over-doing it on the matchy-matchy styles.
RECEPTION TRENDS:
- Using bistro globe lights outdoors and indoors at your reception.
- Yes, we still like the mint, peach, coral, blush pink trend right now with soft greenery.
- Having a multiple flavors of cakes or cupcakes is a trend that shouldn’t ever go away!
INVITATIONS:
- Still using RSVP postcards. Sending postcards instead of envelope + insert card, saves you money on both postage and envelope cost. Efficient, likable, easy and beautiful. Sounds like that trend should stick around for a while.
- We like that the aesthetic of your invitations fits with the overall theme/feel of your wedding day. Your invitations are the first hint to guests for what to expect and how to dress on your wedding day. Continue to cue them with the underlying tones of your wedding invitations!
ONE TREND WE THINK SHOULD GET TO THE MIDWEST SOONER: ONLINE GIFT REGISTRIES
- “The most practical wedding registry of our generation” according to Entrepreneur magazine.
- “Wedding Republic” is an online registry for cash.
- www.honeyfund.com or www.honeymoonwishes.com are two great sites to allow guests to put cash towards your trip.
Future trends to check out:
2019 Wedding Trends & 2020 Wedding Trends
Hitch is attending “Wedding MBA”, a 3-day conference in Las Vegas this September to bring back even more wedding trends to the Midwest. We never stop learning and improving for you. 🙂
By: Renee Halgerson & Carrie Kuhl, Owners/Designers, Hitch Design Studio