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While weddings are often rooted in tradition, many couples are making more modernized choices for their big day, like planning a ‘first look’ and sending out email invites.

By Annie Ward

Made You Look

While tradition says seeing the bride before the big reveal brings bad luck, modern nuptials call for just the opposite. Enter the “first look,” where couples see each other before the ceremony, explains Laina Schropp, owner of Laina Elizabeth Events in Middletown, Delaware. Meant to free up time for more celebration after the vows, she says, first looks are immediately followed by wedding party photos. (Another bonus: That professionally applied makeup is still fresh, that salon blowout still bouncy.) As far as photos go, candid shots are popular, as are a few film and black-and-white shots.

Informal Affair

Also parting with tradition is the formal sit-down dinner reception. These days, says Happy Hour Events founder Dana Ferreri (Rehoboth Beach), couples are personalizing their celebration in a more casual way. “There’s a mix of lounge and cocktail seating with dinner stations. With no assigned seating and no formal dining, it actually gives guests more time to enjoy the party,” she points out. Receptions should be authentic to the couple they are celebrating, so be sure to add details that truly make it your own. Ferreri has seen everything from Dogfish Head growler mugs as centerpieces to white bounce houses to food trucks and chicken-wing bars.

“Green” Your Invitations

Ever checked your email to discover a wedding invite? If not, chances are you will soon. More couples are opting for virtual save the dates, invites and RSVPs, another trend born from the COVID-19 pandemic. Now, some are even incorporating QR codes to organize their guest list. Perks include faster delivery and less waste, says Schropp, adding that they also save money at a time when couples are being more frugal. Virtual invites have become so popular that planning websites like The Knot and Wedding Wire offer software that helps hosts virtually track RSVPs online.

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Boho is Back (Again)

For spring and summer, natural décor is on trend yet again. “Florals are a lot more deconstructed and natural-looking,” Ferreri says, while “adding greenery and baby’s breath help soften [décor] and liven up the environment.” Oftentimes the greenery even takes center stage. “With the pandemic influencing the floral industry and causing shortages [of] popular flowers,” couples are instead going heavy on the foliage and using flowers and macramé for subtle pops of color. With boho trends as big as they are in the wedding world, adds Schropp, “lots of couples are picking earth and jewel tones,” that complement them.