Do you want a grand affair similar to Prince William and Catherine Middleton’s wedding? Yes?! Well, now you can! How? Well, since every bride wants to be a princess for the day, the royal couple’s wedding will surely influence 2012’s wedding trends! Need some ideas? Here are a few trends that will please any “royal” couple!
A romantic warm neutral color scheme will be the rage in 2012! Kate picked a neutral wedding scheme consisting of white, cream, and gold. She probably picked her color scheme to offset the dark vivid red space. When you have a banquet room with bold colors, pick a neutral color scheme. This will pop the color of the room! By doing this, your room design will be cohesive. This reminds me – – pick your color scheme after you have picked your reception space. Not all colors will work with all rooms, unless the space is neutral!
Do you think the couple’s early morning wedding and wedding reception would influence wedding start times next year? If anything, it will help many couples stay on budget! In fact, a breakfast or brunch reception is less expensive than a dinner event. Why did William and Catherine’s wedding take place in the morning? Well, since Queen Victoria’s wedding, the English traditionally had their wedding ceremonies in the morning. After the ceremony, they would continue their festivities, at the bride’s house, for a formal brunch or tea. Usually, at the brunch, the couple would offer a piece of their wedding cake and serve champagne. Only the wealthy, like the royal couple, would serve a formal dinner. The event would include a sit down, ten courses meal, followed by dancing. Can’t afford to have a formal dinner after a brunch reception? Then continue to celebrate into the wee hours, with your friends, at your favorite night spot!
Will the royal cake influence 2012 wedding cake trends? Well, the bride knew exactly what she wanted – – a traditional English wedding cake with a modern twist! In fact, Catherine was hands on when designing their cake. The plan consisted of a very large multi-tiered cake, designed in white and off white, with a British floral theme. The bride wanted the cake’s design to include: symbolic flowers and elements of the Buckingham Palace architecture. When creating these design elements, Cairns, the baker, used her special ability – – the Lambeth technique! This popular, old fashion decorating style is a technique which implements the use of piping that creates intricate three-dimensional design elements. The cake was a traditional English fruit cake. It consisted of: brandy, nuts, raisins, currants, grated oranges, lemons, and spices. Then, topped with butter cream and white icing. Will you pick a neutral, multi-tiered fruit cake, with Lambeth, symbolic flowers, and architecture design elements? If so, you might be following a new trend!
Do you think a groom’s cake will become a trend this coming year? If so, I can’t wait to see the new original creations! Will’s request – – a traditional groom’s cake made entirely of McVitie’s chocolate biscuits! McVitie’s Cake Company used an old Royal Family recipe to create this cake. In fact, since 1893, McVitie Cake Company has baked wedding cakes, for the royal family!
Could you find ways of including “green” practices in your wedding? Yes?! Well, green weddings have been a trend for a while! However, the royal couple stepped it up a notch! They showed us that, even though green practices were included in their wedding planning, that their wedding didn’t sacrifice style and elegance. Why did they have a green wedding? Due to many dignitaries traveling from far destinations, their wedding caused a large carbon footprint. So, to balance it, the royal couple used green practices in many other facets of their day. First, they picked local seasonal flowers, for all their floral arrangements, conserving fuel energy. Then, they used Maple and Hornbeam potted trees for their ceremony and then reused them for their reception. After the wedding, they planted these trees in local parks, making use of recycling and introducing oxygen into the atmosphere. Next, their wedding menus consisted of organic dishes made with local ingredients. Finally, instead of accepting material gifts, gifts that would eventually end up in a landfill, the couple recommended contributing to their favorite charity.
Do you have any old family traditions that you want to incorporate in your wedding? Kate did! Well, royal traditions anyway! One that was created by Queen Victoria. In fact, Queen Victoria started many of our wedding traditions! One important tradition – – the pure white wedding dress, which represented purity! She also started another “pure” tradition – – using symbolic white flowers in wedding flower arrangements! In fact, this tradition became very popular, during the Victorian era, as a way for lovers to communicate their feelings through use of flowers. So, Kate wanted to bring back this tradition by using white symbolic flowers in her wedding floral arrangements. For example, in her wedding bouquet, the Duchess of Cambridge included: Lily-of-Valley (representing sweetness and renewed happiness); Hyacinth (expressing devotion and fidelity); Myrtle (symbolic for love in absence or remembrance); and Kate’s own symbolic bloom – – Sweet William. Also, during the Victorian era, Orange Blossoms (representing fertility) were also very popular! Even Queen Victoria included them in her wedding head piece! Want to include symbolic flowers in your wedding arrangements? Here are some other suggestions: the Daisy, Freesia, and Gardenias, are symbolic of purity; the Stephanotis represents a happy marriage; Orchids expresses true love; Mums granted the couple wealth and abundance; and the red Rose representing true love. If you want an extensive list of flowers with their meanings, go to www.tokenz.com. At this website, you could find flowers to create your own message to your husband to be! Speaking of wedding flowers – – the flowers aren’t the only trend Catherine started. She changed the structure and size of her bouquet, making it smaller and loose.
Don’t want to throw your bouquet into a group of bachelorettes? Why not start a new tradition? How about using an old royal one? Every royal bride, including Kate, added a sprig of Myrtle to their bouquets. Where did they get this sprig? From Queen Victoria’s Myrtle plant in the royal garden! After the wedding, the bridesmaids than replant these sprigs back into the garden. The tradition states: If the sprig doesn’t regrow, the bridesmaid will end up an old maid! Of course, it would be difficult for you to pick a sprig from Queen Victoria’s plant! But, why don’t you plant some Myrtle, in your own garden?
If the royal Duchess can do it – – so can you! I am speaking of make-up ladies! Yes, Kate applied her own make-up! She wanted a natural look! Why do your own makeup? First, it can save you money. Second, you can apply your make-up the way you want it. Why is this important? Because you want to look like your natural self and not something you’re not! However, while applying your makeup, remember to apply it a little heavier then you usually would. That way you don’t look like a ghost in your pictures! If you want to see if you have applied enough, have someone take a test photo with a digital camera, before the wedding.
In England, dressing your bridesmaids in white is a tradition. Why? The old superstition suggests that the wedding party should wear clothing similar to the bride and groom to ward off evil spirits. Here, in the United States, we hardly see this tradition! Why? Because the bride doesn’t want the focus drawn away from her, on her big day! Do you think this English tradition will become a fad here in the states? Only time will tell!
And of course the biggest trend of the year – – Kate’s wedding dress! Kate’s dress consisted of: a traditional Grace Kelly style, A-line dress, with long sleeves of lace, a bustle, V-neck, buttons up the back, and a long train. For many years, the strapless wedding gown was the rage! However, after the world saw Kate’s dress, many designers quickly started reproducing her dress! One reason why this dress will become a trend: designers think that this style of dress will look good on most body types! However, not only will her dress influence next year’s wedding trends! Her sheer silk veil and Tierra will also be seen on many brides to come!
Another trend that Kate started was a second wedding dress! Purchasing a second simpler gown or cocktail dress will be popular next year! Brides want to find something more comfortable to celebrate and dance in!
Old royal traditions with a modern twist will influence the 2012’s wedding trends! From color scheme, a morning wedding, wedding cake, groom’s cake, “Green” practices, flower arrangements, traditions, make-up, bridesmaid’s dresses, and wedding dresses – – here are some of the newest wedding trends! If you follow these trends, you too, can become a princess for the day!
“Victorian Valentine’s Day Wedding”
“A Tea Party: One Popular Wedding Theme for 2011″
“What Type of Wedding Reception Will Suit Your Budget?”
Sources:
Lisa Hurley, ” Five Top Style Trends to Watch for from the Royal Wedding,” www.specialevents.com Gabriel O’Rorke, “Eco-Nuptials for Prince Will and Kate Middleton,” www.abcnews.go.com Lia Leendertz, ” Kate Middleton’s homegrown bouquet of lily of the valley follows royal code,” http://www.guardian.co.uk Wendy Koch, “Royal wedding of Kate Middleton, Prince William has green twist,” www.content.usatoday.com Colleen Vanderlinden, “Kate Middleton’s Bouquet: Flowers and Their Symbolism,” www.about.com “Meaning of Flowers,” www.tokenz.com Roya Nikkhah, “Royal Wedding: inside Kate and William’s extraordinary palace reception,” www.telegraph.co.uk “The Royal Wedding,” www.officialroyalwedding2011.org/