GOODBYE, 2020

What’s Trending in Weddings for 2021

Written by JENNIFER DZIEDZIC  |  Photographed by LISA MARIE PHOTOGRAPHY

Every year, new wedding trends emerge. With the event planning chaos that resulted from COVID-19 last year, many of this year’s new trends are related to the pandemic.

When guests can’t attend the ceremony, there are new options that keep them included, according to Candace Frank and Jennifer Gowing of Evermore Wedding and Events in Newnan. Partnering with Grice Grove gifting company, they offer the Evermore Experience, which is basically a virtual wedding in a box. Guests open the box as the ceremony gets underway while watching the wedding via a videographer’s live stream, enabling loved ones to enjoy the experience from afar.

There’s no reason this new trend couldn’t continue  beyond COVID-19, according to Frank.

“We’ve always had instances in weddings where Grandma can’t fly in or a best friend is a nurse and can’t get off work,” she says.

Wedding planners are also seeing a trend that shifts toward spectator entertainment instead of guests dancing at receptions. One example is dueling pianos, according to Frank, who says guests enjoy watching a performance.

Another offshoot from the pandemic is that couples are beginning to opt for smaller weddings, which are more manageable.

“I think they are spending the same amount of money; they are just making the event more special and more intimate,” says Frank. “The climate’s different and it has affected everyone, so it’s not just a singular wedding industry issue.”

Erin Walton, of Next Level Agency in Newnan, says the trend toward rustic barn scene weddings continues.

“Everyone is into the farm tables and lace, mason jars, wood slab pieces and simple floral arrangements,” she says. “Throw in some white draping and chandeliers, and it becomes a separate feel.”

Recently, Next Level Agency created an entire scene for a weekend wedding party.

“This was to take place on a family farm of over 490 acres in Monticello,” says Walton. “The farm has remnants of old homeplace chimneys as well as small hunting cabins that are super rustic. I had to create a scene from the bride’s vision by bringing in furniture for a styled photoshoot, tents because of the chance of bad weather, farmhouse tables, mobile bar, portable bathrooms – you name it.”

Gowing encourages brides-to-be to take heart in the age of coronavirus.

“This is going to be with us a while, but as a wedding and event community, we’ve come up with ways to have the wedding safely and have the day that you want,” she says. “It just may look a little bit different.”

NCM