Tip of the Day #90: Top Wedding Trends for 2018 - What's In and What's Out

2017 has been quite a busy year for team Square Mile Events.  In terms of weddings and events our team had the great pleasure of planning and designing weddings for many tri-state area brides.  We also designed and produced The Knot NYC Workshop with the fabulous team at The Knot and have branched out into designing social events including milestone birthdays, bar/bat mitzvahs and showers.  

The excitement brought on by a new year helps to drive creativity, bring renewed energy and create positive thinking.  In 2018 we are expecting to see a lot of couples focusing on experiential event elements and other worldly celestial wedding design.  We hope you enjoy our top tips for 2018 wedding trends.

Food + Drink
Food will continue to be fun and playful with a focus on honoring a couple's heritages with ethnic bites and the incorporation of family recipes into appetizers and main dishes.  Cocktail hour bites will see an upgrade with interactive food displays including multi-step bites (think shooters) adorned with creative and unique garnishes.

Speciality cocktails will remain a popular feature and guests can expect to see more custom bars featuring mirrored surfaces, custom monograms and greenery like this bar shot by Liz Banfield Photography. 

Cake
We are expecting to see a lot of metallic accents incorporated into cake decor in 2018.   Brides are also opting for organically-grown edible flowers to adorn their cakes to avoid any potential pesticides or toxins.

Fashion
We're seeing stars!  Celestial accents are popping up in decor, cake design, lighting and, of course, fashion.  We also anticipate seeing fun and modern structured jackets and chic pant suits.

Design + Decor
The rustic wedding decor of 2016 and 2017 is now evolving into more of a boho chic vibe.  We expect whimsical designs featuring colored candles, dream catcher decor and greenery adorned bars.  As noted in our January newsletter we anticipate seeing a lot of luxe velvet incorporated into wedding design and fashion.  We also expect to see a lot of celestial and astrological inspired parties.  Neon marquee lights will be a fun addition to escort card and favor tables.

Hair + Makeup
Brides are making bolder choices with hair, including funky pink and mermaid ombre hair like the creation below by Tiffany M Hair.  Adding braids and texture will also be popular as the Boho "undone" beauty trend continues to reign for 2018.

For makeup we anticipate seeing brides playing with color.  A big trend we're seeing is pink eyeshadow, berry lips and cream blush for a dewy, natural flush.  Beauty giant Glossier makes a cult favorite "cloud paint" blush.

Bachelorette Parties
2018 is the year of travel!  Many bachelorette parties will be hosted in exotic locales like Mexico and the Caribbean.  Start saving up, bridesmaids.  Also, celebrating with theme nights will be a big hit for 2018 brides.

Invitations + Printed Goods
Paper gets gussied up with bright envelope liners, highly stylized envelopes featuring designs and clear vellum styles with bold calligraphy.  We will also see a lot of metallics in invitation design and printing.

Flowers
We expect to see flowers of varying styles and colors displayed in interesting and unique ways.  Think potted plants, hanging flowers and circular wreaths used for arches and repurposed as photo backdrops.  

Entertainment
After parties will be huge in 2018 and planned down to the very last detail.  You can expect to see entertainment acts like aerial acrobats, glow-in-the-dark performers and celebrity DJs.

Music
It's all about the experience - hybrid DJ and band duos and entertainment will be the focus for 2018.

Lighting
Twinkle, twinkle little star!  We expect to see the celestial trend translate into lighting with beautiful Edison Bulbs and pixie lights for a romantic vibe.

Favors
The days of grabbing an engraved bottle opener or box of almond candies from a favor table are over.  Guests can expect to have an interactive experience at the end of the evening with hot dog stands reminiscent of the famous NYC stands or performers passing out sweet treats.

Reception Venues
Destination weddings will be at an all-time high this year.  Couples are focused on experiential weddings and are opting to create a vacation ambiance via destination themed fetes.  Think breezy beach bash and cozy mountain getaway.

Planning Process
We're seeing shorter engagements and an increase in destination weddings or couples planning their wedding details from afar.  Skype is a glorious tool!

Technology
Drones have now become accessible for the average wedding budget.  Some brides are even opting to hide a GoPro camera in their bouquets to capture the fun of the day from a unique perspective.

What are your thoughts?  Love the list?  Hate it?  Weigh in on YOUR predictions for 2018 weddings and what you hope to see in the coming year!