2021 is set to be THE year for weddings. After a difficult 2020 dominated by the coronavirus outbreak and the consequential lockdowns, Australian couples are looking forward to the New Year. Many have postponed their wedding day date until 2021 in the hope that event and travel restrictions are fully eased and there is more freedom. We cannot know what the future holds, but regardless of what will happen in the following months, 2021 wedding trends will definitely be quite different from what we had before Covid-19. Keep on reading to find out what your 2021 wedding could look like and what to include in your wedding planning checklist:
Complying with Covid-Safe Regulations
Covid-safe continues but restrictions in Australia (especially QLD) are starting to relax. The last changes to these guidelines were made in November 2020, affecting a variety of social gatherings, such as outdoor events, events at indoor venues, weddings, funerals, and other social gatherings.Your wedding planning depends largely on the regulations affecting businesses involved such as wedding venues and vendors; business restrictions during the pandemic allows vendors to reopen and operate in a way that does not compromise the health of customers/clients and staff. Some of the rules currently in place include:
- Each person should have an available space of 2 metres for indoor activities;
- A maximum of 200 people can attend wedding ceremonies and funerals;
- Dancing is allowed in outdoor spaces as long as the 1 person per 2 square metre rule is respected;
- Outdoor events can have 1,500 attendees under a COVID Safe event checklist;
- Customers must stay 1.5 metres apart at all times, except if they are in the same group;
- Businesses are required to collect and store information from customers, employees and contractors who visit your business. This information can help authorities trace Covid-19 infections;
- Businesses need to ensure there is appropriate distance between staff and customers, and between individual customers or groups (1.5 metres).
2021 Wedding Trends Every Bride Needs To Know
No Buffet Catering
Buffet catering used to be the go-to option low-cost for serving dinner at larger weddings. Self-serve buffets are currently prohibited in 2020, and it is likely that they will continue to be avoided next year as well. The problem is this option involves sharing utensils and eating from uncovered dishes of food, so safer alternatives are preferred now, such as sit-down plated dinners or food trucks.
A Simplified Approach to Weddings
No Receiving Line
The receiving line is an old custom intended to greet guests. Its purpose was to enable the bride and the groom to speak to each guest and thank them for coming. When you have a large wedding and your guests arrive at different times, this custom can totally drain your energy and consume a lot of time. Luckily, the Covid-19 crisis has given the final blow to the receiving line due to social distancing rules.
Elopement
Many couples in 2020 decided to go ahead with their weddings in a smaller, simpler and more intimate fashion. Faced with the restrictions on travel, venues and vendors, many engaged couples decided to forego the wait and get married with just a couple of attendees. Australia tourism called for Australian to ‘Holiday Here This Year’ and with that we saw more couples travelling within in their own state to holiday destinations to say ‘I Do’ away from home. Confidence is growing but with restrictions going up and down and uncertainty still looming it is likely the trend of ‘eloping’ will continue into 2021.
Colour Palette Trends
The Covid outbreak should not be allowed to overshadow your wedding plans, taking away from the fun of ticking off your wedding planning checklist. Plan your wedding as you would have in 2019, looking at trends, colours and activities but simply adapt to meet regulations.Fresh colour palettes are on trend for 2021 and more couples will incorporate brighter palettes into their wedding décor, inspired by nature. Whites and creams are no longer recommended by wedding planners and it is easy to understand why: after a long period of isolation and restrictions, people want to have fun in bright, vibrant decors that incorporate all sorts of colours. Daring wedding colour trends will be one of the signs that people want to enjoy post-Covid life to the fullest. The shift in colour palettes is also visible in the falling demand for green and white floral décor; couples now opting for more rich tones, often inspired by autumnal colours. Coloured suits will also be a trend in 2021 and we will see more colourful tuxedos in tasteful tones like burgundy and forest green.
Wedding Gown Trends
Weddings are synonymous with hope and trust, and this is even more important after such an unusual and difficult year. Despite the uncertainty, every future bride has the right to dream about her wedding dress. Some wedding dress designers have announced that they will skip the Spring 2021 release and will only present a new collection in October 2021. Under these circumstances, the most popular wedding dress trends include backless dresses, micro-weddings adding popularity to mini-dress style dresses, square necks and shoulder-capes. Boho styles will continue to ever be a popular option, with a boho-lux vibe considered to be both effortlessly beautiful and timeless.
Jewellery Trend
The vibrant wedding colour trends of 2021 are evolving the standard for wedding jewellery. Couples are now opting for yellow-gold bands and settings and cool-toned metals like white gold and platinum are losing their popularity.
Destination Wedding
A destination wedding venue is preferable going into 2021, with couples spending so much time at home, who doesn’t relish the thought of getting away? This option is more attractive for guests, can be more affordable than typical weddings, and provides advantages such as reduced Covid restrictions in other states and a change of scenery from your usual environment. If you live in Queensland, you won’t even have to travel out of state for a luxurious, tropical escape. You can choose a luxury Whitsunday wedding venue like Villa Botanica, which offers unforgettable destination weddings.
Virtual Wedding
One always needs to be prepared for the worst. After a disruptive 2020, you are probably over the word “virtual”, but a virtual wedding but this route offers the perfect solution to sharing your wedding with guests overseas. Some couples put more emphasis on starting their married life together and place less value on organising an extravagant wedding. As a result, we have even seen brides and grooms getting married during lockdown and broadcasting their wedding to guests so they don’t have to wait until they tie the knot. Although 2021 is still going to have aspects of uncertainty, it should not be the deciding factor when planning your wedding. Plan with confidence, adapt where necessary and most of all – have fun! What should be on your 2021 wedding checklist? The first aspect is choosing a suitable wedding venue, regardless of how 2021 wedding trends will evolve. Consider a Whitsunday wedding venue like Villa Botanica to simplify your planning and be less affected by Covid-19 restrictions.
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