By Kelly Loss
Wedding trends often encompass decor and design, but this fall, wedding trends are focusing on memories and experiences for family, guests and the couple. Here are some of the newest trends to watch this fall wedding season.
Choosing to enter the ceremony with your partner
Wedding ceremonies typically have partners enter separately, with parents accompanying the couple to the front of the ceremony. Traditionalists love the sense of passing their children to their spouse, but modern couples are leaning toward honoring their parents in other ways throughout the ceremony and using the beginning of the ceremony to show their unity as a couple.
Self-officiating your wedding
While Virginia does not have a self-officiating option, some couples choose to self-officiate their wedding in the presence of friends and family before or after having an officiant certify their marriage. Some couples also choose to travel to Washington, D.C., where they can self-officiate, and save their ceremony as a private event and celebrate with guests at a party in Virginia.
Both options allow couples to create a ceremony that is unique to them, choosing a format to their ceremony that focuses on their preferences for a memorable experience.
Cocktail reception before the ceremony
Couples are looking to make the event more hospitable by offering light snacks and drinks as the guests arrive for the ceremony. Couples might choose to have an event start time about 30 minutes earlier than their ceremony and allow friends and family to say hello and catch up before the ceremony begins.
Combined vows
Similar to the couple entering into the ceremony together, couples are choosing to write their vows together and then reading them as a story to their guests during the ceremony. This allows the wedding guests to learn about the couple’s courtship through a cohesive story.
The preparation of creating vows in this way creates a collaborative experience for the couple when designing their wedding ceremony.
Dinner party vs. dance party
While the dance party trend is fully immersed in wedding traditions, couples that prefer more subdued events or are marrying later in life are choosing an upscale dinner party theme for their wedding that prioritizes intimate conversations, delicious food and beverage with the evening centered around the table instead of the dance floor.
Small or non-existent wedding party
Wedding parties are scaling down as couples are choosing to reduce their wedding party to zero or having one person stand with them during the ceremony. Having a smaller or no wedding party relieves the couple of the difficulty in choosing who should be included, while also allowing their friends and family to be present at the ceremony without worrying about tasks for the wedding.
Couples can counterbalance this by having a small gathering with the friends and family as they get ready for their wedding, incorporating them into the day without the cost or obligations that come with traditional wedding parties.
Interested in learning more about these newest trends or how your wedding can incorporate more of these personalized details? Consider working with your wedding day team on what they have found interesting and inspiring at other weddings. They see a lot of weddings and can provide feedback on how these trends impact a guest experience.
The author is an Alexandria-based photographer who has been documenting wedding stories since 2013.
The post Check out 6 new wedding trends this fall appeared first on Alexandria Times.
