Each year, ideas, styles and trends are publicised by wedding planners, interior designers and fashion gurus that form a blueprint for the next season’s weddings. While we are all for embracing individuality on your wedding day, we also hope our guide to the wedding trends of 2018 will inspire some great ideas for your big occasion.
Pantone is a US company famous for its Pantone Colour Matching System (PMS) which standardised the pigmentation of colour so everyone could replicate the exact colour anywhere. Each year Pantone releases its colour of the year, an announcement that impacts fashion and wedding trends enormously. The Pantone colour for 2018 is Ultra Violet, so expect lots of purple flowers, accents, accessories and even new-age crystals – think amethyst and agate as jewellery, table dressings and even place names. Luckily violet works with gold so the luxe look will go very nicely. And black apparently will make an appearance at weddings this year – you might want to look into this if you’re doing an autumn/winter wedding.
Last year’s Pantone colour was Greenery, and green remains high on the list of this year’s wedding trends. Wreaths and floral arrangements full of leaves remain all the rage, with actual blooms taking a step back. Freeform bouquets will lead the look down the aisle this year, which is great if you’re going to make your bouquet yourself. Hanging floral arrangements will be popular this year, a look that will allow more space on tables for food, drinks and design, and for guests to chat without floral interference!
The big theme this year seems to be one of nature – green leaves, crystals, wood, and metal – and this continues with hair and makeup. The natural look is in again this year. That’s not to say the glamourous wedding isn’t a go-to style anymore, just that the natural element is hot. Pearls make a classic natural accessory to a glorious ivory wedding dress, whether stitched on the fabric, worn around your neck or even threaded through your hair.
This year, dessert is not just going quirky – think meringues, macarons, cheesecake and doughnuts – it’s also going large scale: ladies and gentlemen, meet the dessert buffet table. This way you get all the sweet goodies you want plus a wedding cake for the traditionalists. Although many couples are foregoing the traditional completely with no three-tiered cake and no three-course sit-down meal. Expect food trucks, pizza ovens and even spit roasts with G&T and craft beer vans parked up alongside them.
Large country houses and fairy-tale settings are giving way to industrial venues accented with geometric metallic to complete that on-trend vintage style. Perspex and glass are also high on the fashion agenda, so if you can find an industrial greenhouse, you’ll be ticking all the boxes! Copper has moved beyond the kitchen and into weddings. Copper fits nicely with the industrial vibe – think lamps, tables, chairs, place names etc. – all of which sets the scene beautifully for an autumnal palette. And, instead of bunting, photo montages or fabrics, this year’s statement wall art is neon.
Hopefully, these trends, themes and colours will prove inspirational for your wedding day, whether you're getting a planner or going DIY. Although, another trend for 2018 is to ditch the wedding day and have a wedding weekend long on the after party. Many couples are opting for small invite lists that mean more money for the party. After all, how often do you get all your best mates in one room to celebrate you? You might as well enjoy it for as long as possible!
