Canadian wedding and event planner Melissa Andre of Melissa Andre Events, located in Toronto, shared her top wedding trends to look out for this year. If you are currently planning your nuptials, Melissa has a few tips for you:
29: What is this year's standout trend for bridal gowns?
Melissa Andre: Colour is certainly still a big trend in bridal and I'm happy to say that this trend isn't going anywhere. I saw Vera Wang using black in her recent collections. I had a client purchase a powder blue Oscar De La Renta gown for her 2014 nuptials recently. Monique Lhuillier is doing the softest most beautiful peachy blush colour. Beautifully detailed backs are also a huge trend in bridal wear. I love a little fashion surprise when the bride finally walks past her guests at the ceremony
29: What advice can you give brides who would like a themed wedding?
Andre: Every time I think I’ve decided on the best theme or look for one of my parties, I make sure I come up with something 10 times better. I'm always refreshing my ideas to really elevate the standards for parties. My best advice is to draw inspiration from your personal life rather than photos of other people's weddings. That's where the best ideas come from. What do you love? What do you want to be surrounded by? If you're a foodie, make sure your menu is truly exquisite. If you're a fashion-lover, consider a couture gown instead of something from a collection. I want guests to be transported into a beautiful wonderland so I spend a lot of time creating spaces that are truly a sensory experience.
29: What are some of the decor ideas that you are inspired by this year?
Andre: I'm inspired by movie sets, fairytales, my travels, architecture, fine art, pop art, hot air balloons, secret gardens, Ferris wheels and nursery rhymes. I love designing events for people who love to dream. I try to keep the look of my parties quite timeless rather than trendy, but give them a current feel with fresh colour combinations and finish. I recently used the Wizard of Oz as a design inspiration – but gave it an updated look with strong graphics; mixing powder blue with emerald green.
29: What are the flower and centrepiece trends this year?
Andre: Peonies are always the most popular request from brides. They're soft and romantic and I use them as much as I can when they're in season. There are so many ideas in my head of looks that would be gorgeous for a wedding – but I never just design a wedding based on a centrepiece. I look at the entire room, how the centrepiece works with the place setting, and the floor plan. We are designing a wedding right now with lush raspberry coloured florals and then sprinkling golden coloured pears, peaches, and grapes into the centrepieces for a really dreamy aesthetic. I like centrepieces that have a little element of surprise.
29: If you were planing "a standout wedding" what are three elements you would include?
1) A statement piece: We recently designed an event with a 360 degree bar in the centre of the room. We suspended chandeliers over it and designed a gorgeous graphic to be printed on the front of it so it was completely custom – Give your event a focal point!
2) Interactive menu Items. We designed the most gorgeous popsicle bar at a recent party – so much more fun than eating a typical creme bré»lé©e at your place setting. We featured mini egg popsicles, chocolate peanut butter, key lime pie – it was amazing.
3) A surprise! Whether it's a surprise performance, a room design transformation, or a "big reveal" of some kind – I love surprises at weddings!
