Tech-savvy couples will encourage guests to snap pics and use custom Instagram hashtags, providing phone-charging stations to ensure everyone’s batteries are fully charged.
On the opposite end of the spectrum, others will shun social media entirely, requesting guests check their smartphones at the door.
One of the biggest themes this year is to mix rustic and natural with sophistication and glam. Piece together lots of lush greenery with pops of sparkle and bling. Look for wedding dresses that are ethereal in nature with floral accent. If you love animals, don't be afraid to incorporate that into your wedding theme. Look for animals printed on everything from invitations to ceremony programs to escort cards to bring your woodland wedding together.
Please Don't Instagram My Wedding!
Detach yourself from your cellphone is the theme for many weddings this year. Couples want their guest to enjoy the wedding and the time shared instead of having their guests glued to their phones. Take cue from Michael Jordan's recent wedding in Palm Beach, Florida where no cellphones were allowed. Give your guests a option if they bring their cellphones from a phone check at the door to special holding area. Make sure your guests are aware of your request by including it in your wedding website or ceremony program. Make sure your guests know that they are to refrain from taking photos or video and are there to enjoy your special day totally unplugged.
#SuperCharged Guests
Ont the total opposite of the spectrum are the couple who want their guest to capture every single moment of their wedding whether by cellphone or video. Some couple are even opting for creating their own special hashtag for the vent so all the guests can view each others photos and videos.One way to endure that guests never run out of battery life is to create charging stations at the reception. These chic and modern changing stations are as beautiful as they are functional. Look for cocktail tables with pretty linens and having florists create small flatbeds of roses or wheatgrass with little flowers and cords popping up.
All-Nighter Weddings
More and more couples are opting for all night weddings that last hours on end. The twist with this is changing venues. Look for receptions that end in one location and start somewhere else. Couple are changing each venue style and vibe to keep the party flowing. Look for after parties with different themes that will encompass couture late-night comfort food bites and custom drink pairings. One big important to-do for those taking this route: arrange for transportation home or back to the hotel so that none of the guests drive home afterwards.
Jeweled Necklines
Bring on the bling on wedding dresses this year. On the runways, necklines were all about added sparkle from the demure crystal beading to the more extravagant embroidered rhinestones and crystals. The dresses in themselves were full classic silhouettes so as to not take away from the necklines. Since most wedding photos are taken from the waist up, sparkly or unique details are best captured on the neckline or around the waist of the wedding dress.
Has the Trash the Dress sessions seen its heyday? It may seem so with more and more brides opting instead to keep their dresses intact for more formal portraits. Although most brides do opt for formal portraits of herself in her wedding dress, the Southern bride gives formal portraiture a new meaning and would never think of trashing their dresses. Formal bridal party portraits and family shots too are back in style and sometimes even sans smile!
Brights Are Back
Color is something that has been trickling its way back into weddings and not just sweet pastels but bright bold colors. Don't think rainbow though. Think more along the lines of your basic primary colors like reds in the form of poppy, oranges in the form of tangerine and blues and purples in the form of indigo. Infuse your color not only into your bridesmaids dresses but also into your florals, decorations, table settings and even your nail polish.
The Year of the Flower
You can't even begin to think about a wedding without flowers. Luckily in 2014 flowers are taking more of a center stage. Look for oversized cascade bridal bouquets and elaborate flower installations that hang over the dance floor. Flowers are being woven into the décor more than ever by draping elaborate displays over tables, having fresh flower ceremony arches, decking out cake canopies with flowers and displaying escort cards and seating arrangements on a fresh flower wall. Don't be surprised if you even see a confetti cannon shooting rose petals during the couple's grand exit.
Long Live the Photo Booth
In recent years, the photo booth has taking a whole new aspect to wedding, from vintage photo boots, tot themed photo booths to even monogrammed photo strips as favors and point-and-shoot booths that project guests' photos in real time over the dance floor. In 2014, use a slow motion video booth that using a special infrared camera, a videographer creates an amazing keepsake.
The Dream of the '90s Is Alive
First the 80s were back and now the '90s. Look for '90s inspiration for you wedding from ready-to-wear fashion to home design trends and even Billboard's "The Hot 100" music list. Keep the party going with temporary tattoo wedding favor, hip hop music groups and even break dancers to entertain guests while the band or DJ takes a break, and of course crop-top wedding dresses.
Music that fits your theme.
New York society bandleader Alex Donner says his clients are requesting music to go along with wedding themes ranging from films (The Great Gatsby) to locales (like France — all songs were performed in French!)
