Despite a worldwide pandemic, people still meet, fall in love, and choose to marry. If you were one of the unfortunate brides-to-be to have planned your wedding this year we feel for you. Sending an “Un-Save” the date is one option, doing so while going through with your big much smaller more intimate day is another.

Small weddings don’t have to be any less grand. That’s why we were delighted to find 7 trends for weddings this fall season that we fell in love with. From the surprising to the sustainable, to the sweet and simple here’s what made our list…

Minimony or Micro Weddings

In post-pandemic times, about 20,000 to 30,000 weddings happen every weekend in the United States according to TheKnot.com. With all the travel and crowd restrictions we would have expected a lot of outright nuptial cancellations. Instead, brides and grooms are going through with their marriage plans but on a much smaller scale in “mini-monies” (mini ceremonies with up to 10 close friends and family members) or micro-weddings with 50 guests or less. Going down the proverbial aisle in either a “mini-mony” or micro wedding can turn their original budget into “mini-money”, but many couples are opting to shift their full budget onto things like more decadent meals, top-shelf open bar, or hotel rooms for guests. 

Non-Traditional Wedding Parties

We love the idea of a bro-maid (man friend on the bride’s side participating in the wedding party) or a groom’s woman (the opposite of the bro-maid) and love the fluidity. Life isn’t traditional and not everyone has a same-sex bestie! What are other non-traditional parties? Brides and grooms are including kids in their wedding parties, grandparents (aww), and pets!  

Blankets instead of favors?

Can we just say what a cozy and wonderful idea this is? Especially if the blankets are personalized!  With gatherings being the safest when outdoors, Covid-19 weddings are bound to bump into some crisp, Fall air and a blanket is the perfect, comfy wrap to watch the “I do’s” take place! The best part? A blanket is a perfect memento for future outdoor activities (like who doesn’t want to remember all the interesting events they participated in during the Pandemic?)! 

Sustainability

Weddings can produce a lot of waste so we love this year’s trend toward making them sustainable events. We especially love the scalability depending on how much time and energy you have to put into it. Every small effort helps the environment and during Covid and smaller weddings, a sustainable event is much easier to accomplish. How can you achieve some sustainability in your own wedding? Try some of these ideas…

• Skip paper invitations or print on eco-friendly paper with soy inks, or plant-able paper
• Instruct guests to rsvp via email
• Wear or buy second hand or vintage (including the rings)
• Choose potted plants as much as possible for decorations
• Choose a menu with locally sourced ingredients
• No single-use plates and utensils
• Donate any leftover foods, plants, and flowers.
• Instruct guests to donate to charity instead of giving gifts or register for non-tangible things like gift cards or honeymoon experiences.

Giving Back

Planning a wedding during a pandemic can give a wonderful opportunity to give back to those in need. We are seeing a lot of great examples of people using their wedding for an opportunity to make it a philanthropic day. From brides giving their dresses to other brides-in-need, guests making charitable donations in lieu of gifts, to volunteering instead of a honeymoon, couples are using their wedding day as a chance to give back.  

Mini Cakes!

Yes!  Mini-cakes make a showing in all their tiny cuteness! When something as grand as a wedding is brought down to scale there isn’t a need for a 3 or 4 tier cake making more room for a delightful single-tiered cake or a variety of mini single-serve cakes. Let us eat mini-cakes!

Pockets?

If you’ve ever answered to someone who admired your dress, pj’s etc., with “Thanks, it’s got pockets!” then you’ve got to love a wedding dress with pockets! Now you don’t need your partner wearing the pants to carry your tissue or lipstick!

If you’re getting married this fall we hope the day is as special and beautiful as you!  See you in the next blog!  

Deb Fries is a freelance designer and writer and worked for Julianna Rae in Graphics and Customer Service.  She now writes lifestyle pieces for the blog while snacking on mini cakes and wearing the Moonlight Serenade Short Silk Robe (with pockets of course)!