Planning a wedding? Christina Holt from Wedding Concepts describes the hottest trends from the past wedding season...

Fun with food

Uncomplicated food dished up to encourage social interaction and to minimise interference with the natural flow of events. Bowl food, circulated spontaneously was very popular. So were platters for sharing between the guests at their tables.

Salmon and wok stations with live chefs had people running back for seconds.

Ingredients were flavorful and local — often combining South African with European culinary trends.

At lunch wedding picnics, guests were made to make their own pizza's and for those still hungry, wedding cake slices were boxed in quaint parcels and sent home as stylish doggy bags.

Colourful and exotic drinks emerged this season with personalised cocktails, pink champagne, fresh lemonade and mini hot chocolates proving the most popular.

Personalised venues

Marquees are still the dream wedding venue for many couples who have already found their perfect outdoor setting. Whether it's a friend's wine estate; a public beach; a private sanctuary; or even a private villa, its worth investigating if you haven't thought about it before.

Wedding Concepts transformed the most unlikely spaces into boutique venues offering individually customised ceremonies, reception and lounge areas. Different tent options are available, for all budgets and weather conditions.

Wedding experience

Weddings are now stretching across a few days or a long weekend. Couples over the past season treated their guests to pre-wedding bread-baking parties, cricket matches, brunches, boat rides and post-wedding picnics and braai's.

The trend allows everyone to enjoy each other's company for longer and for couples to surprise their guests with unusual activities, making the wedding a multi-faceted, interactive affair.

Décor adventures

Weddings with 'wow' factors over the past season showcased tailored paneling that created clever divisions within open spaces. It worked very well in larger spaces where small groups were hosted, especially demarcating the dining, dancing and lounging areas. It also creates a sense of enclosure and warmth.

Elsewhere, paneling was used to dress-up dull wall surfaces. The design was matched to the stationary and table settings, ensuring consistency in the room.

Funky furniture

Lounge areas are becoming increasingly popular. Now there is a move towards styling your furniture. Individual stools are being upholstered in chic fabrics, white couches enhanced with quirky scatter cushions, Ottomans arranged around low coffeetables and dessert served on daybeds.

The trend is dictated by class and comfort. The areas look equally fantastic under shady trees in a garden setting and next to the dancefloor in a dimly-lit area.

Floral fancies

This season saw the introduction of bold, colourful arrangements in contemporary containers with individual flower stems. Luxurious orchids were very popular and flower balls were suspended in mid-air. To the opposite end there was definite move back to simple, basic arrangements that whisper rather than shout.

Stationary

Wedding Concepts asked Elsje from Elsje Designs about the fastest moving stationary trends of the season. She described all-over patterns replacing the traditional motif.

"Choose a pattern inspired by your wedding dress or linen selected for your reception; and incorporate this as a signature look on all your stationary."

But as with décor, indifference to rules has proven refreshing.

"Couture texture refers to the incorporating of velvet or Perspex; canvas or wood; any unique material that ensures a tactile and unforgettable experience for each guest."

"Papers in rich hues with white lettering set the fashion-forward bride apart from the rest."

At the end of the day however, weddings will be weddings and any old paper will not do. "Embellishing your invitation with small rhinestones, tiny pearl-toned beads, or miniature Swarovski crystals is equally en vogue."

For more information about premium weddings in the Western Cape call +27 21 426 5783 or visit www.weddingconcepts.co.za