As 2019 begins, several leading names across the luxury wedding industry are predicting a shift towards more personal styling, softer aesthetics and experience-led celebrations.
From wedding planners and florists to couture designers and luxury stationery specialists, these are the luxury wedding trends expected to shape weddings in 2019.
Wedding Styling
“I’ve never been one to do trends – I’m much better at creating them,” says Colin Cowie, the party and wedding planner of choice for celebrities including Jennifer Aniston, Tom Cruise, Jennifer Lopez, Oprah Winfrey, Ryan Seacrest and Kim Kardashian. “We work around our client’s unique DNA and cater everything guests smell, touch, taste, see and hear to that DNA. This means you end up with something unique that truly tells a story.”
“Of course, being in the industry for as long as I have, I can quickly pick up on a few luxury wedding trends we can expect to see in 2019. Keep an eye out for the return of modern, contemporary, minimalist looks; this year, less is more. Out with the over-the-top floral walls and in with non-traditional florals composed of wheat or grass.”
“Round ceremonies are something I’ve always enjoyed designing because they ensure friends and loved ones are no more than a few feet away from the couple, creating a more intimate atmosphere. Eco-friendly weddings will definitely be trending this year, and with that will continue the rise of vegan meal options.”
“I’ve also begun to see many couples request limited phone use throughout their celebrations, keeping everyone present and unhidden by a phone screen. Without the constant phone use, a creative way to stay away from the usual photo wall is to create an interactive vignette that doubles as a photo opportunity.”
Wedding Stationery
Luxury wedding invitation company Giant Invitations predicts monograms, metallics and custom envelopes to be among the biggest stationery trends for 2019.
“Metallic hot stamp foiling has always been popular and it continues to grow. This year we expect to see a higher demand for copper foiling, followed by rose gold foiling.”
“Metallic hot stamp foiling has always been popular and it continues to grow. This year we will expect to “You will also see more nature-inspired invitations and softer touches including the use of watercolours and deckled edges. A popular trend for 2019 includes adding your own custom illustration of the venue to the invitation.”
“Taking a page from traditional and classic designs, interlocking monograms and monogram wreaths are back. Using the couple’s initials, monograms are an amazing way to add a personal touch.
Lastly, there will be a greater demand for custom-designed envelopes. Expect to see more bold-coloured envelopes and linings.”
Bridal Gowns
“Designers are just loving feathers. They are going to be everywhere,” says Alin Le’ Kal, the celebrity couture designer who debuted his bridal collection at Paris Fashion Week. “You can’t go wrong with crystals and feathers, and I think they’ll continue into 2020.”
Wedding Flowers
Sustainability is becoming an increasingly important conversation across the wedding industry, particularly within floristry and large-scale installations.
“In 2019 we are seeing the move away from larger bridal bouquets to smaller, more delicate ones,” says The Flower Appreciation Society, voted Best Wedding Florist in London by Vogue.
“Seasonality and locally sourced flowers are becoming extremely important with issues of sustainability and the environment in mind. This means that we are designing bridal bouquets using delicate garden flowers, in considered seasonal colour palettes and in light, delicate and airy compositions. Each individual flower has lots of space to shine and be appreciated.”
“Another trend for 2019 is floral foam-free installations. We are trying to design all of our large-scale installations using chicken wire, water vials and vessels instead of the more traditional floristry foam.
Floral foam has lots of nasty chemicals in, doesn’t properly biodegrade and releases tiny microplastics into the water when you soak it. This means that installations are becoming more considered and looser in feel as florists have to think cleverly about how to design larger pieces using construction materials that can be reused again and again.”
Bridal Makeup
“I definitely feel that for luxury wedding trends in 2019, less is more,” says celebrity makeup artist Melissa Sassine.
“Even though brides want flawless long-lasting bridal makeup, they still want to look like the best version of themselves, without overly dramatic eyes and harsh contours.”
“My favourite bridal colour palettes consist of beautiful neutral tones and light champagne shimmer on the eyes, fluffy lashes, natural bronzers to warm up the skin, soft highlighters and pink or nude lustrous lips.”
Wedding Hair
Tiffany Thurtell, Creative Director at celebrity salon Alan Buki Hair, comments:
“The biggest luxury wedding trend we have seen coming into 2019 is hair accessories. Hair throughout 2018 became so undone and relaxed, giving a very bohemian vibe. Moving into 2019, hair is still looking relaxed with glossy loose waves. However, it is becoming more polished with a glam-luxe feel.”
“The use of hair accessories is very of the moment. You could use a hair scarf, hair clips or diamond hair pins. Ponytails are also on trend, with extensions being used to create a much fuller, textured look. Brides can also use extension ponytails for multiple hair looks on their wedding day.”
Wedding Cakes
Multi-award-winning wedding cake designer Faye Cahill predicts more artistic and playful cake designs for 2019.
“Think painted watercolour finishes, palette knife textures, fondant ruffles, drippy icing and abstract sculptures of chocolate and isomalt.”
“As Living Coral is the colour of the year, I think we will see a move away from dull neutrals to more vibrant hues. For wedding cakes, that will be more restrained than for celebration cakes. However, some couples will choose to go all out and express the joy of their union.”
For more destination wedding inspiration, venue guides and wedding planning advice, explore other blogs by Beyond Weddings.