Southern Living
Weddings
The Top Wedding Trends for 2017

The Top Wedding Trends for 2017

By Anna Aguillard

Getty/AleksandarNakic

Nobody is objecting to these timeless trends.

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Soft Petal Blooms

Getty

As if our love for peonies could be any stronger. This year, peonies, garden roses, ranunculus, and dahlias will be the top blooms requested for bouquets and arrangements.

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Hanging Floral Centerpieces

Pinterest/Colin Cowie

Invert your arrangements, because nobody likes huge floral centerpieces blocking conversation from across the table. You can make your arrangements as plush as possible with this dreamy decorating trend.

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A “Gift Lounge”

Pinterest/Vinewood Plantation

The Knot is declaring the “Gift Lounge” to be 2017’s replacement for welcome bags and gift bags. Instead of individually wrapping gifts for each guest, put out an assortment of a few of your favorite things that your guests can pick and choose from as they leave your reception.

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Sparkles

Pinterest/Jenny Packham

Metallic, bejeweled dresses flooded the Spring 2017 bridal runways. We love this trend for the bride OR the bridesmaids (but maybe not both).

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Dramatic Greenery

Pinterest/Weddingomania

Lush, whimsical, and full greenery is making a huge appearance in 2017. It works as both a neutral backdrop and as a pop of color.

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Saturated Color

Pinterest

This year, we're moving away from the all-white and neutral-toned wedding parties. While these color schemes still have a place in our hearts, they tend to wash out a venue if you’re not careful. Opt for wedding colors in jewel tones and saturated shades of mustard yellow, bold orange, plum, and deep green

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Virtual Wedding Planners

Getty/omgimages

It sounds unconventional, but virtual wedding planner apps like Loverly have received rave reviews. The App collects real wedding photos for Pinterest-style inspiration, and allows you to build a wedding to-do list, select a flat-fee wedding planning package, and then “live happily ever after.”

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Love Games

Pinterest/deerpearlflowers

The good kind! Give guests all-around entertainment with fun games, like this nuptial-themed game of tic-tac-toe, or a kid-friendly game of wedding I Spy.

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Things That Only Happen At Southern Weddings

Most weddings have an excited couple, more than a few loved ones, a grand send-off, and an 'I do' kiss – but Southerners have added their own charm to wedding traditions. We've mastered the art of soul food, we usually have fantastic 75˚ (enviable, really) weather, and our wedding receptions are full of syrupy drawls. If you find yourself at nuptials below the Mason-Dixon, you'll find some extra-special moments: seersucker suits, a buried bottle of bourbon, and a wedding cake with charms baked into it. Although very central to our region, these special Southern wedding traditions are celebrated for very specific reasons. We choose seersucker because it'll hold off the strong Southern heat. We bury bourbon so that we won't have to handle so much of that strong Southern heat. And, we pull charms so that our futures will be as lucky and prosperous as the bride and groom's. What's your favorite Southern wedding tradition?

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Wedding Cake Alternatives

Pinterest/Katie Jackson

It’s 2017, and you can decide whether or not you want to serve (and spend on) a wedding cake. Many couples will choose to serve individual cupcakes that taste just as good as a cake in order to cut costs. Or, build a sundae bar just because you like sundaes. Your call.

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Including Your Pup

Pinterest

Here’s a trend that already has our full support! Pups already pop up in wedding ceremonies every now and then; expect couples extending formal invitations to their dog groomsmen to become more and more common.

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Candid Captures

Getty/Zigy Kaluzny-Charles Thatcher

Thing photojournalism style. Instead of posed portraits, couples want authentic photographs that capture the ceremony, their unfiltered love, and the unique personalities of their guest.

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Tone-on-Tone Color Scheme

Pinterest

A sophisticated color palette of similar shades yields a refined, timeless wedding tradition that certainly will never go out of style.

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Innovative Escort Cards

Pinterest/deerpearlfeathers

Upgrade your escort cards by presenting them in an interesting way, like in a glass of champagne.

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Classic Drinks

Pinterest

Gone are the days of these new-age fruity concoctions. In 2017, the reign will return to traditional cocktails like Moscow Mules, Pimm's Cups, and Sidecars.

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Nixing the Receiving Line

Getty/Hans Neleman

They can be too formal, too stuffy, and all too time-consuming. Instead, have a cocktail hour and focus on making your rounds.

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Trees

Pinterest/deerpearlflowers

Perhaps unexpected but still all the more lovely, small trees are popping up in centerpieces everywhere, particularly delicate-branched trees like olive, citrus cypress, and birch.

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Nighttime Outdoor Ceremonies

Getty/Nazir Azhari Bin Mohd Anis

Here’s a trend we can get behind – nighttime ceremonies mean bearable wedding temperatures in the heat of the summer dow in the South. They also mean that lighting and candles take the place of elaborate floral arrangements.

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