2013 / 2014 Wedding Trends
We are often asked for ideas, comments and suggestions on the next season’s wedding trends. At the time of writing this article will summarise 6 months of commentary on 2013 & 2014 wedding trends as we highlight a few select ideas that we believe will remain popular for this season and the next.
Most notably, there is one particular style that will dominate the wedding industry. The style has been around for several years already, in a wide variety of industries, but never more so in the wedding industry than right now. It began its slow permeation a few years ago and has steadily grown and increased in depth, detail and range as each new season comes around. So for 2013 and beyond, one of the most popular styles or themes in the wedding industry will be vintage. Primarily Art Deco, so think Roaring Twenties, flapper’s, feathers, crystal and lace. However if this style doesn’t rock your boat and you want some alternatives, look to the 1940's/50's, the tried and tested 1960's or even '70's. Patterns, Polka Dots, Checks, Stripes and Paisley; maybe even Gingham!
Vintage Wedding Trends
Having indicated this article will focus on the Roaring Twenties, I feel bound to give a quick nod to Grace Kelly. We accept that she was an icon of the 1950's Golden Age, however her influence on fashion remains strong to this day. Kelly's wedding dress is often cited as the most elegant and most memorable bridal dress of all time. Naturally you will see many similarities between her dress and the 2013, 2014 and probably 2015 collections from most of the top bridal dress designers. And you can clearly see that her style of dress was heavily influenced by the 1920's
Grace Kelly on her wedding day
First up... look out for lace and long sleeves. Lace will be everywhere – in fact you won’t even need to look to find it!
Vintage styled Manuel Mota long sleeve and lace bridal dress
Manuel Mota, lace and long sleeves
Long sleeved lace wedding dress by Jesus Peiro
Exquisite lace dress by Oscar de la Renta
Monique Lhuillier lace bridal dress
Then bridal dresses with inspirational statement backs – from bare and plunging to crystal encrusted lace creations. With or without the long sleeves!
Inbal Dror, lace dress and statement back
Inbal Dror, lace with train
Claire Pettibone dress with fabulous statement back
Long sleeved wedding dress, with statement back by Jesus Peiro
Crystals and rhinestones will also be prevalent. So too bejewelled necklines, as well as bejewelled sashes and crystal bridal belts…
Vera Wang crystal bridal belt
Badgley Mischka crystal bridal sash
Jenny Packham vintage art deco dress
Crystal vintage styled bridal bracelets
These Art Deco bracelets lead us nicely onto our next topic, that of bridal accessories. In essence, watch out for lace bridal gloves as well as vintage styled lace or embroidered bridal cuffs.
Bridal cuffs by Queen of Cuffs
More bridal cuffs by Queen of Cuffs
Additionally, next year there will be an increasing number of brides wearing some delightfully creative headpieces instead of the more traditional tiaras and veils. Art Deco influenced, of course!
Recall the Vintage flapper 1920's styled headpiece from Stephanie Browne at the top of the post.
Meanwhile, when it comes to footwear, we suspect that bejewelled crystal, lace or metallic toned peep-toe bridal shoes will be all the rage. Mostly white crystal but there will no doubt be some brides opting for coloured stones.
Harriet Wilde crystal peep toe bridal shoes
Aruna Seth lace and crystal peep toe bridal shoes
Christian Louboutin crystal encrusted peep toe bridal shoes
Colourful brooch peep toe bridal shoes by TLC Creations
Yes, it's a slight deviation away from the Twenties theme I know, but we are still sticking to the main focus of the article - that of 2013 and 2014 wedding trends. So, what better way to follow the bright and colourful brooch theme than with a bright and colourful brooch bouquet? These are a hot favourite of ours at present and a great way personalise a wedding. Their popularity is certainly going to rocket over the next year or two. The designers we have selected are among the most creative you will find. Most of the designs you will find are individual, one off pieces, made bespoke for clients. There are however a few designers that will hire out their creations.
Back to the Twenties... Feathers were especially popular. You can therefore expect to see feathers utilised in many different ways at weddings throughout 2013 and beyond. From big and bold centrepieces and focal points to bridal bouquets, hair accessories, boas and even buttonholes Ostrich feathers or peacock feathers are most apt.
Ostrich feather wedding decoration - image by Art Of Her
Vintage, Art Deco tea sets will remain a firm favourite in 2013. The trend is expected to continue as we move through 2014, especially for weddings with an English Country Garden Party type theme going on. No need to trawl the second hand junk shops and purchase these nowadays for there are a variety of businesses that hire out some exquisite pieces of crockery, including tea cups and saucers and tea pots, as well as dinner places and sides.
Vintage crockery from My Vintage Party
Vintage crockery from My Vintage Party
Stationery is the penultimate element I want to look at here, simply because there are some absolutely stunning art deco designs finding their way onto the market. Here are a few of them that have caught our eyes.
More Art Deco wedding stationery by Lucky Luxe
These are just a few suggestions on how one might wish to style a 2013 or 2014 wedding. Clearly we have not even touched on some major elements that could be styled accordingly, such as music and entertainment or food and drink. These will have to be left for another post. Instead I'm going to conclude with a forecast on popular colours for 2013. Generally, you can look to the dress designers for an early indication of what colours are going to be 'hot' next year. Alternatively, keep an eye on Pantone - their forecast for Spring 2013 is below. Our money is on emerald, navy blue and violet.
Whilst silver, dark grey, burgundy and dark purple are our own wild cards...
Pantone Colour Chart, Spring 2013