Welcome to the Year of Intentionality
Every year, The Knot Editors compile a list of wedding trends we forecast for the year ahead. Traditionally, this has encompassed color palettes, cake trends, floral inspiration and the excitement that comes with weddings. Over time, couples have leaned into experiences over aesthetics, creating hyper-personalized affairs and curated guest “moments.” The onset of the coronavirus, however, cannot be overlooked as it relates back to weddings in 2021, and from the flames of a pandemic has arisen a need for the nouveau: new wedding trends, new experiences, new design elements, all to capture couples’ new beginnings.
“Weddings aren’t stopping,” notes New York-based planner Amy Shey Jacobs of Chandelier Events. “And trends are born of necessity. For example: When I got married, save-the-dates weren’t a thing. Now, we’re seeing the need for change-the-dates too.” As couples increasingly marry the necessity with the new, we welcome 2021 wedding trends as it’s coupled with the Year of Intentionality.
While it’s now standard to have hand sanitizer and social distancing signs available at events, the guest entry touchpoint is another way to make your loved ones feel that they’re cared for on your wedding day. “With some weddings being downsized to more intimate numbers, you will see more guest-centered details, starting from welcome to send-off kits,” predicts Georgia-based planner Terrica Skaggs of Cocktails & Details.
Already, couples have started to work with their pros to design welcome boxes, the experiential alternative to the welcome bag. (After all, who doesn’t like an unboxing?) The concept behind these boxes is to safely house all event necessities in one place, including personalized hand sanitizers, masks, programs and details, and even take-home favors, allowing guests to experience the warmth of being welcomed into the wedding weekend—a gift for all involved.
Tents and Twinkly Lights
As more outdoor weddings are taking place around the world, there’s a surge in interest in wedding tents and mood lighting to bring a romantic and airy ambiance to every occasion. “Couples are leaning into nature and fresh air in ways they did not in the past,” notes planner and designer Jove Meyer of his namesake firm. “In 2021 and moving forward, outdoor weddings will be on trend as they’re also more safe for guests and vendors. Tented weddings are the new ballroom.”
Turn to your planners and venues for options to help with elegant and whimsical tented options, as well potential lighting technicians who can help create the exact ambiance you’d like. In all, the visual enhancement of pulling together drapery from tents with proper lighting provides an altogether different, fairytale-like environment on your wedding day. Let the breeze and the brightness in.
Mini D’Oeuvres
A charcuterie board for one? Please and thank you. Smaller plates and individualized portions are on the upswing with examples including single-serve grazing boards, mason jars supplemented by dips and dressings and, even, picnic baskets (to stay or to go). Couples are finding safe and sweet ways to celebrate their unions with inventive cocktail hour themes. For example, one planner’s cocktail hour for a Southern-themed wedding featured individualized bite-size portions of fried chicken, shrimp and grits and oysters Rockefeller all displayed on a single plate. Guests will be thrilled by its convenience and wowed by the presentation.
Tiny Toasts
While a good best man and maid of honor toast is much appreciated, weddings will be innately more intimate in 2021, meaning most guests will have a rather close relationship to the couple. Multiple top planners and vendors predict the rise of “tiny toasts” at weddings, where loved ones are asked to share a fond memory of the couple, dinner party style.
“Speeches have become more casual,” notes photographer Yumi Matsuo. “Since it feels more like a dinner party, the formality of speeches and toasts is gone. I had two weddings in a row where every guest had a speech prepared. In reverse, couples are also proposing tiny toasts to their loved ones for making it to their weddings by thanking them throughout the event in small ways.
Mismatched Seating
You’ve seen mismatched bridesmaid dresses, but suddenly, coordinators and planners are going crazy for mismatched seating and tables. “This includes how your table is set against unique floor plans,” notes Jacobs. “In the same way bridesmaids went from being matchy-matchy to mismatched, wedding tables are now being adjusted.”
In the past, ceremony spaces and reception venues had standardized options for seating (square, rectangular, circular, the options are endless), often without mixing and matching layouts. With unconventional reception designs on the rise, mismatched tables (some for four and others for six) not only safely reflect this time, but they photograph magnificently.
Bistro-Style Entertainment
Relaxed-but-formal environments are conducive to a similar style of entertainment, which planners are now referring to as cafe or bistro-style performances. We forecast an uptick in acoustic performances, dance tributes and a variety of musical options as a 2021 wedding trend. “As a planner being forced to think outside-the-box, it’s created a new excitement for ideas,” says Jacobs. “We’re rife with inspiration.”
If you really want to lean into the cafe aesthetic at your reception, consider hiring an acoustic group or have your DJ play coffee shop songs during a “coffee hour,” and completing the concept with baristas serving lattes—with alcohol or simple decaf.
Living Room Decor
Cozy throws, plush pillows and couches, microfiber that translates magnificently to the outdoors. The outdoor lounge lives on in 2021, but the furnishings are no longer about the antique aesthetic as much as it’s a cozy farmhouse rendition of a living room plucked straight from Magnolia to an airy field.
“Creating a comfortable, safe environment from the start is absolutely essential, and the right design can do that,” says New Orleans-based planner Michelle Norwood of her eponymous firm. “Choose comfortable chairs and lounge-seating furnishings for comfort and warmth. Guests will likely find themselves seated for longer, so choose pieces that are not only beautiful but plush.”
Finally, make the living room come out from the grounds of your chosen outdoor destination. “Incorporating greenery and other natural elements into the design can also help to make guests feel at home,” concludes Norwood. “It’s for once they’ve found a spot to sit and enjoy the party.”
Visual Planning
Technology has evolved wedding experiences through the years, and in 2021, now the wedding planning process will particularly be impacted. The rise of virtual invitations, Zoom weddings and the use of updated communications via wedding websites (pssst: you can build yours and send out invitations all in one place on The Knot) is resulting in new technology for visual planning experiences.
“Look to AR and technology to play a big role in not just how you plan, but your guest experience and the wedding day,” notes Annie Lee, planner and innovator behind international event firm Daughter of Design. “Everything from trying on dresses virtually to AR wedding invitations that give tours, and even glimpses into the wedding location… Plus, photos with guests who cannot be there or with the couple at the wedding—AR is going to be a great inclusion.”
Single-Tier and Mini Cakes
Couples are certainly getting spicy with the sweet tradition of wedding cakes. In 2021, we forecast cakes will grow smaller in size, but more dynamic in detail. “Long gone are the days where only large cakes make an impact,” says Dallas-based planner Ashley Mason of Saunter Weddings. “A well-designed smaller cake can have a major wow factor. Whether it’s an intricate pattern inspired by the detail on your gown or vibrant flowers that play with your color palette. We’ve seen a trio of single tier cakes on display as another blossoming trend. You can take elements from the wedding design to mix and match the styles of the tiers for a cohesive look.”
“I recently suggested mini cakes to my clients and they fell head over heels with the idea,” Norwood adds. “To up the ante on the cake display, we custom designed half marble, half wooden coasters for guests. Each coaster was engraved with the couple’s initials, and when guests were served their mini cakes, they also received their surprise wedding favors. It was such a fun way for guests to ‘eat’ their way to the wedding favor.”