These kinds of annual "wedding trend" posts give me the shits. It's 2020 and your wedding doesn't need to follow anyone else's trends to be a completely awesome experience!
So, forget about what's going to be Instagrammable on your big day, and focus more on what's going to be meaningful to you and your partner. With this in mind, The Happy Celebrant is proud to present the Top-5 Wedding Trends of 2020 (for people who hate trends).
Trend #1: Wedding Dresses
They come in all shapes, sizes, colours, styles, patterns, textures...
Endless racks and countless pages of different varieties that quickly blend together in a lace-covered blur. Selecting the right dress can feel like and all-consuming and completely overwhelming experience, which is the last thing you want from your wedding.
Because of this, the 2020 trend for wedding dresses is to wear whatever makes you feel absolutely incredible!! It doesn't need to be white and poufely (that's a real word, right..?) It doesn't need to be traditional. It doesn't need to meet anyone else's expectations of how a wedding dress should look, except your own.
What it does need to do is make you feel empowered, like the goddess you are. It also needs to be comfortable, because breathing and movement are just as important as receiving compliments all day.
My Tip: You do you. If you've had your eye on a particular piece of clothing and keep telling yourself that you'd totally wear it, if only you had the right occasion - well, your wedding is the perfect occasion to wear that something special! Just buy it, feel incredible and look spectacular.
Trend #2: Wedding Rings
Long before Beyoncé made such a big deal out of putting a ring on it, people have been exchanging wedding rings since Ancient Egyptian times, 6000 years ago. Back then though, they were made from papyrus, hemp, reeds and rushes that were braided and twisted together to form the ring.
Today, wedding rings play such a huge part in the wedding industry that couples can feel pressured into buying something they might not necessarily want - mostly due to other people's expectations of what's considered right.
The 2020 trend for wedding rings is that there's only one right way of doing things; and that's your way. If exchanging rings is something that's important to you, then go for it. If not, just skip it and do whatever feels right for you.
My Tip: You do you. If you both want the fanciest, most pimped-out rings ever conceived, then get those. Or, if doing a short course to hand-make each other's rings is more meaningful to the pair of you; then do that. However, if you don't really want to do the wedding rings thing, there's no law that says you must exchange rings to make it a legal wedding, so feel free to choose the nude option too.
Trend #3: Wedding Parties (aka Bridesmaids and Groomsmen)
We've all been to those weddings where there's more people in the wedding party than there are guests at the wedding - and that's all good, as long as you want them there for the right reasons.
Having an assembly of similarly dressed people does have the advantage of making wedding photos look more fun; plus, having bridesmaids and groomsmen means there's someone to organise all of your pre and post-wedding parties. One downside to having a huge wedding party is that it can be really expensive - for you and the people you're asking too.
Before thinking about returning the favour because you were in the wedding party of your cousin/best friend/work colleague, the 2020 trend for wedding parties is to consider whether this age-old wedding tradition is something that's actually meaningful to you, or not.
My Tip: You do you. If you're having one or even 12 people standing by your side as you get married to the person you love, just make sure they're there because it's meaningful to you. However, if you're choosing to fly solo instead, that's all good too.
Trend #4: Wedding Cakes
Let them eat cake!
...or not. Nobody cares either way.
Yes, people love dessert. But people also love lots of other treats at the tail end of a wedding.
There's a heap of alternatives you could consider that might be more aligned with you. A good friend of mine hands out flavoured ice blocks at the end of his parties, and his guests love this! Or you might know a little bakery/cheese shop/or ice creamery that you and your partner love visiting together. Hit them up and see if they'd supply the dessert for your wedding feast instead.
With this in mind, the major trend for wedding cakes in 2020 is to just get a cake if you want one, or skip it if you don't. Easy as!
My Tip: You do you. If a wedding cake is something you feel is important to share with your guests, then get a wedding cake. If it's not so important for you, no one's going to be concerned if it's not there.
Trend #5: The Marriage Celebrant
#nopressure, but choosing the right Celebrant for your ceremony can mean the difference between having a kickass, awesome and memorable ceremony that gets talked about for years to come; or the kind of ceremony that people wish would just end because it's stopping them from enjoying the post-ceremony drinks.
Regardless of whether you choose to have a religious or non-religious ceremony, the 2020 trend for Marriage Celebrants is to find one who makes you feel relaxed. Trust your gut. Don't feel pressured into using your Aunty Mavis, who became a Celebrant 100 years ago and sticks to the same script for every ceremony. Instead, choose someone who's as unique and fun as you are - it'll definitely make for a better ceremony!
My Tip: You do you. Most people have never met a Celebrant before, so they're coming in blind and unsure of what to expect. I always recommend that a couple meets up with a variety of Marriage Celebrants, across a range of different price points. This way, they'll gain a better idea of what they're looking for and be able to decide which Celebrant feels just right for them.
So, these are The Happy Celebrant's Top 5 Wedding Trends of 2020 (for people who hate trends.)
I hope these tips give you the confidence to shout one thing loudly from the rooftops whenever someone comes at you with their expectations of your wedding...
