1. Diamond or Rhinestone Hair Accessories
In 2005, we saw celebrity brides forgo the traditional tiara by pinning diamond bracelets and earrings into their hair. All brides can easily adopt this trend in a simple and elegant way. Another twist? Use beaded or rhinestone accessories in your bridal bouquet for shimmering beauty.2. Color in Unexpected Places
The trend of having colored trim on a wedding dress will continue, but brides will find new ways of incorporating color into their look. Perhaps it will be the blue or bright red bottoms of their shoes, or a colored crinoline underskirt. These are ideal because they don't interrupt the all-white model but they show off a bride's fun side when she is kicking up her heels to dance.3. Fur and Faux Fur
The ready-to-wear look of fur and faux-fur capelets will make its way to the wedding world with brides adding fur shrugs, or fur trim to their dresses. Don't take this trend too far, or you'll look like you've been attacked by the abominable snowman. But done right, and you've got an elegant cold weather look.4. Personal and Whimsical Touches
We live in an increasingly personalized world, and weddings are no exceptions to this trend. This trend can be found. in everything from your grandmother's best recipe as part of your menu, to names and places being used instead of numbers on the table assignments., to even whimsical and unique objects as wedding favors.5. Metallic Embroidery and Fabrics
Metallics have been trendy in fashion recently, as has embroidery and embellishment. In 2006, the two trends will come together with metallic threads being woven into wedding dresses or used in elaborate and simple embroideries. All over shimmer will look a little too "2005" so be sure to use metallics as an accent, rather than a main look.6. Hot Colors
The two hottest wedding colors will be chocolate brown and a rich orange, although usually not together. Chocolate brown is often paired with pastel colors such as blue, pink or sometimes, though rarely, a celadon green. Rich orange is also a popular choice. Be sure to understand that this is not glaring orange, but rather, one that suggests opulence and often has a bronze undertone. This orange can be paired with red or cream for beautiful results.7. Small Plates or Tapas
Give your guests a taste of a wide variety of food by offering them Spanish tapas. Particularly if you are looking to have a sophisticated evening wedding, or you don't quite have room to have a sit-down dinner, this is a useful trend. Alternatively, serve tapas at your cocktail hour, creating an urban lounge atmosphere for a sophisticated touch.8. Disposable Video Cameras
CVS introduced these one-time-use cameras this summer, and I think they'll be a big hit for weddings. As editing your own home movies is easier than ever, these will allow you to skip the videographer, and instead use the cute amateur recordings of your guests. Best of all, you'll get to see what was really interesting and important to your friends and family. At $29.99 per camera, plus extra for film processing, you'll want to save these for key guests, or put one on each table.9. Wedding Logos
In 2004 and 2005, the monogram reigned king with brides putting theirs on everything from the cake to their underwear. But that trend is finally dying and instead, couples are creating wedding logos. These graphic elements create a unified look for your wedding stationery, and can be anything from a flower to a bird, to a non-representational graphical element. They may reflect where you're getting married, your wedding theme, or one of your favorite things.10. Donations to Charity and Doing Good Through Your Wedding
From tsunamis to hurricanes to earthquakes, the world has been hit hard. People have been incredibly generous in giving to relief efforts, but the cleanup is far from over. Simultaneously, because people are donating to these causes, arts groups and other charities are seeing deep decreases in donations that they count on. So it's understandable that people want to use their weddings to give back.
Here's more information on weddings and charitable giving, and how you can make a difference.
