Trends for 2009

(Photo courtesy of Seattle Flowers)

I am so excited about what industry insiders are saying about wedding trends we can look forward to in the coming year. Of course, some are remnants from last year (trends don't necessarily die after 365 days), trends like grey is the new brown, which was the new black. Grey will continue to be a popular neutral for the coming year, echoing that obsession we have with all things platinum. Think silvery, shimmery, and modern. I have a vision of gorgeous white silk with sparkling rhinestones as the inspiration for a classic new modern wedding scheme based on the color grey. But as the color experts will say, grey goes with everything from pastels to jewel tones.

What really has me excited are the bursts of saturation we should expect seeing. Gone are the sage greens and buttercup yellow; enter fuchsia, flame orange, bright yellow and turquoise! Think tropic locale when planning this year. Fantastic--I love color, and I love the tropics even more! Of course the new trends can easily be overdone (Turquoise wedding gown anyone?). Splashes of these in an otherwise neutral weddingscape will have miles of impact. For instance, to add a splash to your white gown, place a gorgeous red-orange flower in your hair. To add drama to a ho-hum place setting, dress your white linens with fuchsia trimmed plates and napkins. Don't forget the centerpieces--I smell roses! Big, bright, beautiful roses! I am a rose fanatic, so when I picture this season's trend colors, I envision a giant centerpiece of bright orange roses. For those of you interested in DIY, the best place for DIY roses I can find is www.globalrose.com They offer the best prices (18 inch roses for small centerpieces go for about $.62 a stem). And the quality is fantastic!

Of course, the easiest place to add drama in terms of color, is in your wedding stationery--invitations, place cards, escort cards, butler boxes--all of them scream to be dressed in the colors of the season. I foresee butler boxes becoming a new trend this year as well. A butler box acts as your escort card and includes your menu, a special note, and perhaps a favor. All tucked neatly in an adorable keepsake box.