The modern trends you'll want to include in your 2020 wedding are here
From modest weddings in feminine tones to sustainable weddings, balloon confetti, vegan menus and the biggest wedding trends of 2020 have been revealed.
We spoke to experts in venues, food, drink, décor, dresses and more about what trends you can expect to see next year. If you’re planning your 2020 wedding, start pinning these now!
1. Sustainable Weddings
Sustainability has been a huge topic in the news for all of 2019 and will continue into 2020. With Princess Eugenie’s environmentally-conscious wedding this year, so many eco-friendly options have popped up for couples. Central to this is drastically reducing the amount of plastics used in your wedding and your carbon footprint – and there’s lots of ways you’ll see this happen.
For their flowers, couples are choosing locally grown, seasonal and even foraged flowers to give an aesthetic edge and boost their eco-credentials. Expect to see more living trees and plants in ceramic pots and cool containers instead of cut flowers. These will be planted after the wedding or given as gifts to guests.
2. The Return of the Rose
The ‘It’ flower of 2020 will be the rose. After years of succulents, anthurium lilies and pampas grass, the classic rose is ready for a comeback. “Blown out and seen in single colour formations, this classic beauty, ever the symbol or romance, will reclaim the wedding throne this coming year,” says Most Curious founder Rebecca.
If you’re unsure where to start adding in roses, a bridal bouquet made of only one colour of roses is striking and statement. In winter, go for deep reds and pure whites. In spring and summer, peach, coral, lemon yellow and dusky pinks are beautiful. Weave roses into centrepieces, flower crowns, buttonholes and more for a delightful scent as well as look. Our florist Just Peachy is a real expert in her field and she’ll be able to guide you in choosing the best wedding roses for your big day!
3. ‘Instagram’ Venues
The flipside to city weddings will be a rise in millennials choosing grand, impressive stately homes and alternative venues for their wedding day. It’s predicted that more couples will choose to go all out for one memorable day, willing to spend big on a venue specifically because it provides an Instagram-worthy backdrop.
Once again, celebrities are leading the trend. Ellie Goulding held her reception at the stunning Castle Howard in Yorkshire, while Sophie Turner and Joe Jonas chose a magnificent chateau in France. Picture botanical gardens, castles, greenhouses, vineyards and museums – something to put a smile on your face and look good on social media. Check out our totally instagrammable wedding venues here!
4. Groomsmen Grooming
Gone are the days when the groom had little to do with the wedding planning. Every stage of the wedding planning journey is now a joint decision between the couple, with men taking the lead in their outfit and grooming choices.
You’ll see more grooms and ushers making a day out of their suit buying, or choosing to get them made to measure at a tailor’s that offers the same kind of special treatment as at a bridal boutique (just with whiskey not Prosecco). They’ll invest in a special wedding day cologne, splash out on skincare products and facials, hire a personal trainer, and get the lads together for a traditional barber shop wet shave and haircut just before the wedding. 2020 is all about grooms treating themselves. Book your grooms in for their suit appointment with our experts here.
5. Self-Service Bars
More and more couples are choosing to create self-service bars, beer taps and ’70s style cocktail bars at their weddings which I anticipate to only rise in 2020. While arguably dangerous particularly amongst those more indulgent among us, they do make life easier for the bride and groom and give a more casual approach.
Expect buckets, bathtubs, hollowed logs and wheelbarrows filled with ice and bottles of beer or pre-mixed signature cocktails dotted around receptions. Pop-up bars will be adorned with bottles of spirits and mixers. It might seem like a trend for those with deep pockets, but you can make your own DIY beer tap station pretty easily. A local brewery will happily sell you kegs and may even help make a special brew just for your big day. Just check the corkage charge on your venue.
6. Confetti Alternatives
Confetti has had its day. While bio-degradeable petal confetti is a popular alternative, lots of other different ways of sending off the newlyweds after they’ve said their vows are going to be big in 2020.
Ribbon wands are one of our favourites. Pastel shades look amazing being waved aloft at spring and summer weddings, while jewel tones and rich earthy colours look fabulous in autumn and winter. You’ll find almost any colour of ribbon wand you could imagine on Etsy but it’s also easy to DIY your own. Bubbles will also stake their place as a confetti alternative. A cloud of bubbles around the couple looks incredible in photos, especially at a sunny wedding where they’ll catch the light. Bubble are pretty eco-friendly too, just make sure to buy recyclable tubes of them. We also love the idea of a sea of balloons lining your path as you walk out post-nuptials and Bibbidi Bobbidi Balloons would be able to put together the most stunning look for your picture perfect moment!
7. Gender-Mixed Wedding Parties
Instead of all-female bridesmaids and all-male groomsmen, 2020 will see a mix-up in how we choose who’s in our wedding party.
With a rise in humanist weddings, a decline in religious ceremonies and more gay weddings, how we marry in 2020 is going to be very different from previous years. This will show itself most in the wedding party as gendered traditions are thrown out the window and replaced with just the people the couple want standing by their side.
We’ll see more best women and males of honour, plus groomswomen and bridesmen. And there’ll be less use of the term ‘bridal party’. After all, there’s not always a bride.
8. Feminine Tones
Interior design firms are pushing feminine tones straight through 2019 and into 2020 with variations of pink. These tones are all about different shades of pink – but more subtle. Blush, millennial pink, bronze, taupe, and other light pink shades work really well together to create a serene, elegant atmosphere. Cherry blossom trees look fantastic and fit perfectly with this trend.
9. Modest Weddings
Twenty guests on a wind-swept hillside witnessing the exchange of vows. A modest, fifty-strong gang of friends and family at a secret manor house sharing champagne and impromptu song, or just you, your betrothed and some witnesses you picked up earlier on a paradise beach. Micro-weddings save money, cut down on planning and eliminate guest list agony as you simply invite only those who absolutely must be there. Did someone say Vegas?