2016 wedding trends – as predicted by the Australian wedding industry

We’re all about doing your own thing and creating a wedding day that feels personal to you. Wedding trends come and go, so ultimately we say choose your own adventure: opt for a venue you want to spend time in, styling that will make you happy and fashion that makes you feel good. 

But.

Let’s face it, we all love to know what’s trending. And unless you’re spending every second of every day trawling through bridal blogs, magazines and Pinterest, it’s difficult to know what the next ‘big thing’ will be in this industry.

So we figured ‘why not ask the experts’,  i.e. our amazing wedding vendors? After all, they’re privy to a great deal of celebrations and get to experience (and create) many of these trends first-hand.

Read on to find out what our vendors are predicting for 2016. We’ve weighed in with some of our observations and conjectures at the end too.  

• CASUAL, OUTDOOR WEDDINGS

Image by Studio Something

I just think the more casual the better these days. – Justine Rose

Weddings are becoming more and more relaxed with that casual vibe taking centre stage. – Garnish Creative Catering

The more casual the better. – Love Seat

Outdoor weddings. – Hi-Yo Silver

Cocktail wedding dresses, and a less formal approach to the day. – Marry Me Megan

• MINIMALISM

Sign from The Super Styler

A swing back to timeless, classic elegance. – Blooms by Bethan

Understated elegance and awesome signage. – Ruby Tree Creative

Clean, tailored lines and structured gowns. – Karen Willis Holmes

Back to classic and timeless journalistic images. – John Benavente

Minimalism, really stripping back on each element of the day and not over-styling. Choosing the pieces that ‘make the cut” with such care and thought so that it’s really bespoke with high impact and loads of detail. – The Butcher, The Baker, The Stylist and Creator

Pared back styling with bold, luxe elements and lots of texture. – Pippin & Otto

• NEW RULES

Photo credit: Justin Aaron

Friends performing more ceremonies with celebrants just doing the legalities. – Julia’s Celebrant Agency

Black (or any colour other than white) wedding dresses. – The Canavan

Live streaming the day with apps like Periscope. – Lionheart Photography

Coffee caravans at every reception (this may be a projection of personal desires). – Katherine Wilson Photography

Continued movement towards less traditional wedding spaces/all-in-one ceremony + reception venues. – Marry Me Nicky

B.Y.P – Bring Your Pet? – Bless Photography

Spending the day together before the ceremony. – Michael Briggs Photography

• FESTIVAL VIBES

Photo by She Takes Pictures He Makes Films

Wedfest. – Gathering Events

Coachella/festival type wedding feel. – Oomph Booth

Festival weddings with multiple bands. – Dot and Herbie

• MOTHER NATURE OVERLOAD

Image by John Benavente

A focus on being eco-friendly. – Wild at Heart

Green, green, green! – Duüet Wedding Photography and Videography

It’s all about the foliage – here, there and everywhere. – Bespoke Country weddings

Even more sustainable / eco-friendly. – One Day Collective

Nature, nature, nature. Flora, natural materials, simplicity, back to basics. – Mrs Ink & Co

Clean modern lines with pops of colour and greenery. – Ivory Lane Styling and Events

A muted palette with nature explosions. – George & Smee

• UNPLUGGED CEREMONIES

Image by Through The Woods We Ran

Couples are asking their guests to put away their cameras during the ceremony, which means everyone can relax and enjoy the wedding. We’ve got the photos and film covered! – Anthea and Lyndon

No phones allowed. – Raise Your Glass Ceremonies

• ELOPEMENTS

Image by Izo Photography, elopement arranged by The Elopement Collective

Elopements. – Mitch Pohl Photography

Elopement as the new norm. Completely intimate, incredibly personal, genuinely all about your commitment to each other, with only each other. – Daniel Ferris Photography

• SAME-SEX MARRIAGE

Image by Lara Hotz. Also a little note: we recognise same-sex marriage is an equal right rather than a trend but we also feel it deserves as much public recognition as possible. Hence – inclusion in this article.

Fingers crossed for legal gay marriages in Aus! – Chasing Brightness

Equal marriage rights for all – hopefully! – Red Berry Photography

Same sex marriage (hopefully). – Luke Going Photography

Tailored, white tuxedo suits and equality – yeehah! – Hoorah Events

And some of our own personal predictions include:

• Any-day-of-the-week-weddings: stuff work, get married instead.

• Wedding fun and games taken to new heights: hoop toss and Jenga move over for table tennis and organised Zumba sessions on the dance floor.

• The anti-arrival: no need to splash cash on a fancy car – arrive instead on the back of a ute/on a tractor/in a bus/via a regular car. This coincides with the fact that many couples are already staying at their venue and may not even need transport at all.

• Capitalising on public holidays for destination weddings: this isn’t new but should definitely continue.

• Both bride and groom doing speeches: trust us, your guests want to hear from both of you. You could do your speech together if you’d prefer not to speak solo too.

• Integrating your views on same-sex marriage into your ceremony: legally, your celebrant needs to state that marriage is between a man and a woman. But it doesn’t mean that they can’t follow that statement up with a disclaimer that you believe it should be for everyone.

• Wedding itineraries: the rise in destination weddings means that weddings become more than just a single day – couples can extend the fun times by organising pre and post-wedding activities. Some examples (tried and successfully tested by us at our weddings) include a wine tour, a post-wedding BBQ, a pub lunch and a water-slide day.

++++++

Article photo credit: Mitch Pohl.

Need some completely awesome wedding vendors for your big day? Search here.

Interested in the 15 big lessons we learnt from our own weddings? You can read them here.