If you're planning a wedding sometime in the new year and want to see what trendy details you can incorporate into your wedding day, then you have come to the right place. We’ll all remember 2022 as the year of the post-pandemic wedding boom, but what does that mean for weddings in 2023? Here are 5 of our predictions for the New Year Wedding Trends…
1
Bye bye bachelor and bachelorettes…hello mixed-gender wedding parties!
It’s time to ditch the blanket terms ‘bridesmaids’ and ‘groomsmen’. Whose idea was it that gals can only have gals by their side before the big day and guys can only have guys? There’s tradition, of course. But when you think about it, it’s all rather antiquated, don’t you think?!
More and more couples are including their siblings and best friends of the opposite gender in their ‘bridal parties’ turning the industry on it’s head to found a new term: wedding parties. Mixed-gender wedding parties aren’t just a trend…they’re a progressive, thoughtful inclusion of those nearest and dearest to our brides and grooms, independent of gender.
If a groom’s sister is his most important gal, no reason she can’t stand on his side with his groomsmen as his ‘best woman’. And if a bride’s best pal is a guy, why can’t he join the bachelorette party? Gender aside, your “‘I do' Crew”, “wedding party”, or “party people” will be by your side no matter what. So in 2023, don’t feel limited by gender…pick your besties to join your wedding party.
Trending Wedding Colors: for 2023, it’s all things purple! Start with Eggplant, fig and plum, rich and elegant colors that will elevate any wedding table design. Pair these deep hues with muted whites and creams for Spring and Summer weddings, while for Fall and Winter, embelish them with brass, copper or gold to add a little bit of festive sparkle. Gold leaf on dried floral arrangements can add an extra layer of indulgence.
2
Cash Registries: tacky no more!
Let’s be totally candid here: if there's one thing all engaged couples wish they could ask for from their wedding guests, it's cash. Sure…tea cosies, glassware, linen sets and matching towels are all useful, beautiful gifts. But there’s nothing quite so versatile as good ol’ cash. Admittedly, in years gone by, it’s been a bit of an unspoken wedding no-no to ask for cash instead of doing a traditional registry.
But times are changing.
FINALLY asking for cash for your wedding gift is no longer being viewed as taboo. It’s become so easy now with cash transfers through websites such as Hitchd, which allow couples to set up specific funds showing guests exactly what their gift will be used for, like honeymoons, down payments on a home and furniture funds. It gives you major flexibility and also you're reassuring guests that the money they give won't be going to pay for the heating bill or for a shopping spree at Sephora.
3
Pastels are the new white, people!
In the past couple of years, there have been some interesting color developments. Aside from classic off-white bridal dresses, more blush and pale pink dresses have come into play, big time! But it’s 2023, and we’ve got a new kid on the block. Baby blue!
Photo by DreamArt Photography One of our beautiful brides wore a stunning baby blue gown for her welcome party at Grand Fiesta Americana Coral Beach
It was Ines Di Santo who broke the runway at Bridal Fashion Week this Fall with her gown of cascading tiers of a blue tulle train. This new colour palette is quite possibly the most distinctive of the 2023 wedding dress trends. Pastels are the new white, people!
4
Private Last Dance
Since the moment you get engaged, you dream about your wedding day: walking down the aisle, cutting the cake, the speeches, your first dance…but have your heard of a private last dance? Probably not…because who wants to think about the end of one of the best days of your life?! But hey, this finale is pretty beautiful…so listen up.
It’s a way to just slow down time a little. Being in the moment with your S.O. Let the last thing you do in your reception venue be a private, intimate dance with just the two of you. Doesn’t that just make your heart burst? Forget the first dance. This one tops it every time.
5
Hot Photography Trends: black & white, candid, flash
Remember that eyewatering flash on your 1990s-era disposable camera… the one with that high-key uber-bright-white flash? The result is a a paparazzi-style party image that leaves you looking and feeling like a papped celeb. Insufferable day to day for the A-listers. Gloriously indulgent for one day of your life. This effect doesn’t just apply to professional cameras…many couples buy disposable cameras in bulk and let their guests capture weird and wacky photos from their own perspective!
Let’s move onto another trend that will literally change the game in 2023. Love Drunk Photos. There’s going to be a hype around the blurry wedding photo, one that captures the dizzying bliss you felt on the big day. Before, blurry photos would be automatically disregarded and deleted but now, as social media is gradually trading perfection for authenticity with the likes of the app BeReal, we can only expect wedding photography to tag along! Instead of perfectly framed, 5* quality photographs, albums will have an editorial yet candid documentary-style vibe. Think black and white shot of your friends sipping whiskey at the open bar whilst playing a round of black jack, a candid shot of your mom chasing a ring-bearing toddler down the aisle and Auntie Barbra kicking her heels off as she jams out to a funky rendition of Billie Jean…
Goodbye perfectly posied photos; Hello candid moments and raw emotion. All the best, weirdest, most hilarious moments captured exactly as they are. No edit. No filter. No posing.
To sum it all up on the photography front: candid is key, party photos with major flash is IN, and love drunk bluriness is a vibe.
Getting married in 2023? DreamArt’s got you. We work hard to stay up to date with the latest photography trends and we will work with you to find an edit that suits you guys! Whether that’s traditional, editorial, love drunk blurry or flash central. Our bookings for 2023 are now open!