Though wedding trends adjust organically from year to year in line with current fashion, certain high-visibility events set the pace for a season or more of marriage celebrations. Like white bridal gowns coming into fashion after Queen Victoria married in one in 1840, wedding trends for 2019 will be influenced by last spring’s royal wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle. Dresses with clean lines and classic silhouettes matched with natural, glow-y makeup grace the aisles for an air of sophisticated glamour, and textured greenery and taupe grasses provide a lush, neutral base for floral arrangements. These sprays of blossoms and fronds are featuring vibrant hints of color and natural elements in unpredictable shapes, such as fruit, stones, and delicate tree branches. Fashioned into garlands, bouquets, and centerpieces, these natural touches bedeck the aisles and banquet tables, drape from the walls and eaves, and are even found as accents in the bride’s hair or jewelry. The 2019 Pantone color of the year is a deep, rouged peach called “living coral.” It’s being paired with rich, bruised tones like merlot, charcoal, ochre, and sapphire.
The most liberating trend on the rise is the gleeful disregard of traditional gender roles. More and more brides are choosing their best male friends to be dapper bridesmen, and grooms are asking their lady friends to be smartly clad groomsmaids. Many couples are choosing to walk down the aisle together, rather than inserting the notion of the bride (or groom) being “given away” by a parental figure. The tradition of incorporating the father of the bride can be lovely, but it doesn’t account for people without parents, and can be confusing for people with blended or same-sex families. Even Meghan Markle, whose father was too ill to escort her, walked halfway down the aisle by herself. Walking the aisle together is also a tidy solution for couples who are turned off by the implications of a bride being transferred from the “ownership” of her father to the care of her husband.
Eco-conscious, ethical choices are still popular, with many couples using local vendors and artisans to source their weddings. This includes artists and calligraphers to pen illustrations and lettering for stationery, bakers to create a one-of-a-kind statement-piece cake, and mixologists to present locally sourced farm-to-table cocktails.