Food, flowers, décor. Follow these tips for a stylish wedding in the coming year 

Décor

The rustic wedding theme is getting a cosmopolitan update in 2014, according to the experts. “People are tired of the shabby-chic thing, so they’re going for an old-world glamour kind of vibe,” says Sara Burnett, the editor of wedding-inspiration blog Burnett’s Boards.

Weddings in the coming year will take on more vintage elements to transport guests to a union that could have easily taken place decades ago. Think less whitewashed furniture and more classic mid-century pieces, says Erin Taylor of Bustle Events, a California-based, event-planning firm. To help you set the scene, envision places with specific time periods, such as Venice, Italy, at the turn of the century.

“Vintage elements are romantic and bring an old-world charm to weddings,” says Deborah Collins Dunn, editor of the Wedding Thingz blog. And it’s the perfect way to incorporate the “something old” into the wedding tradition. “Many brides add old photos, books, typewriters and suitcases to the decor,” Dunn says. “One of my favorites is seeing old books on the reception tables for centerpieces.”

Use your own family heirlooms to give the setting a personal touch. If you’re short on pieces with a nostalgic feel, Burnett also suggests taking photographs with a double exposure. The effect will result in shadowy, beautifully haunting pictures.

When decorating, embrace elaborate prints. Solid colors and chevron are on their way out to make way for more unusual prints, like eye-catching geometric shapes. Don’t be afraid to mix and match patterns, either.

“Brides are getting a little more bold in their color palettes and rental choices,” Taylor says, and it extends all the way down to the smallest details like the invitations.

A few colors in particular are really making a splash. Expect weddings accents with hints of gray and mint green – a cousin of emerald, 2013’s color of the year.

Food and cake

For a trendy cocktail hour, presentation is key. Taylor suggests providing small tastes served in shot glasses. They can be filled with familiar hors d’oeuvres, or stuffed with bite-sized versions of homey favorites like macaroni and cheese or chicken potpie. But no matter the food, the local farm-to-table trend still reigns, so look into venues and caterers who source from local farms. “More people are concerned about where their food is coming from,” Taylor says. For cakes, both “naked” cakes – un-iced, exposed layers, as made famous by New York’s Momofuku Milk Bar – and ombré-colored cakes remain popular, but at the end of the meal, consider mixing it up with a sweet assortment of miniature treats. Serve your guests a variety of the trendy snack-size desserts – doughnuts, scones or handheld pies, which also can be a savory snack with a twist on the filling. Small scoops of ice cream topped with wafers also make for a simply delicious dish.

Flowers

Peonies are the lowers of the moment, and the bigger the better to make a statement piece that pops. Round out a peony bouquet with fillers like roses and hydrangeas. Tulips are another hot lower that can stand on their own in a vase. Pinks and peaches are classic lower colors that are especially popular for 2014, but your floral arrangements can veer off course to match your own theme.

Keeping with the vintage trend, don’t be afraid to adorn the setting with lowers that go beyond traditional blush hues. To tie a darker color scheme together, add in some dark floral arrangements for a look that’s elegant, not eerie. It’s perfect for making floral arrangements look like still-life art, a trend Burnett says florists will be experimenting with in the coming year.

Your floral arrangements don’t have to be relegated to table centerpieces. Brides of 2014 are playing with bold hair embellishments like dreamy lower crowns with tiny baby’s breath and large mixed bouquets.

– © Brides 365