10 Fun wedding trends for 2011

The rustic South

The rise in rustic weddings in the past several years mirrors a growing hunger in popular culture for all things southern (think The Civil Wars, J.Crew fashion, artisan jeans, home-brewed beer). Today’s vintage and rustic weddings are all about embracing simplicity and infusing new life into old things. From location (barns or old warehouses) to furniture & decor (antiques and flea market favorites) to apparel (vintage clothes and even broach bouquets), many couples are going for the nostalgic feel of the old South.

Something blue

Blue is popping up a lot this summer. It’s sophisticated yet feminine; elegant without being fussy. Blue is amazingly flexible as a color and can evoke a variety of feelings: playfulness, sweetness or elegance. You may see it in the form of blue satin pumps for the bride, blue Converse for the guys, blueberry tarts, navy blue linens, teal blue tumblers or blue-tinted Mason jars at the reception. Blues of all shades are coming out in force at weddings, taking the “…something borrowed, something blue” to new levels.

Seen here: I DO Shoe Stickers in Blue Glitterby Forweddingsake – $1

Cultural cues

Couples looking to add levity to their big day are incorporating pop culture trends. Food cart fare is showing up in pre-wedding cocktail hours and the after-parties. Culturally significant themes like retro Asian flavors and ethnic icons like sushi, ninjas, geisha girls and Chinese lanterns are being used in inventive ways. Vintage board games are showing up as Monopoly pieces in bouquets and Scrabble letter tiles as signs for the buffet.

Death of the wedding cake

The exorbitant cost of traditional tiered wedding cakes has given way to nontraditional desserts like square mini-cakes and cupcake tiers.

Other trends include dessert buffets that might feature pies, macaroons, Whoopie Pies, cake pops, color-coordinated candy and ice cream sundae stations.

Seen here: Custom cakeby Tammy Coe Cakes – Made to order

Destination staycation

With the economy still in the dumps and local destinations struggling to recover, couples may choose to stay close to home for their honeymoon. They may choose to drive to their location instead of flying or take advantage of great travel deals to cities like New Orleans, where they can get more for their money than they could at a traditional honeymoon destination.