2011/2012 Wedding Trend Predictions by WeDDings Jubilee Planning

With 2010 out of the way, so are many past trends. This new year brings with it an air of excitement with a new decade beginning; and the anticipation of the 'sure-to-be' jaw-dropping Royal wedding of Prince William and Kate Middleton. Since world events tend to be used as inspiration, it is sure to play a role in your upcoming wedding.

Following is the top 10 list of what I, your trusted Wedding Planner, feel we will see a lot more of this year and into 2012.

1. Two Wedding Dresses; One for the ceremony and one for the reception. (Special thanks to Chelsea Clinton for reviving this trend as it is one of my favorites).


2. Couture hair designs; lavish hair accessories; stunning hats as well as high quality veils will be a spotlight this season.

3. Victorian and Edwardian era influences will be prevalent in designer Haute Couture dresses. We will see some breathtaking custom designs from fabulous designers worldwide.


4. Sapphire Blues, Violets and Yellows; Golds; Royal Blues & Purples and Charcoals; will be just some of the colors we see in floral design, decor and accents for the big day.


5. Cakes will be more elaborate and grandiose in their designs. Amazing cake artists will present incredible works of art as a focal point for your special day.


6. Brooch Bridal Bouquets and Wedding Bridal Bouquets with vintage Jewels surrounding them will create personalized and unique arrangements.


7. Liqueur sampling stations, specialty tea stations, wine and champagne stations will create the WOW factor to any after dinner station.


8. There will be a greater focus on the Grooms-to-be. From custom designed wedding attire, grooming services and inspired wedding design . The Groom will definitely shine this season.


9. Destination weddings will continue to rise in popularity, however, there will be a higher demand in private and remote locations. People will seek out intimate villa's, private islands and quaint towns around the world to host their weddings.


10. Couples will be heading to more exotic honeymoon locations. Africa, Thailand and Costa Rica will be welcoming a lot more couples in 2011 and 2012 that are looking for a once in a lifetime experience.

Three Myths debunked about hiring a Wedding Planner

Congratulations to all you newly engaged winter couples! Surely the joy of the holidays and the excitement of your upcoming nuptials have you and your fiancé exhilarated!

With the new wave of wedding shows upon us and the plethora of information and ideas available online & in magazines, you are sure to get overloaded and confused about what to do and when to do it. In most cases, you may even lose track of what your initial vision for your wedding was to begin with!

It’s really sad when I see so many couples lose track of their vision! It’s even worse when I see the amount of stress a couple will endure to avoid paying a professional to help them out! Unfortunately, there are too many misconceptions when it comes to hiring wedding planners!


Following, I’ve put together a list of the three most common myths debunked about hiring a Wedding Planner!

Myth #1 “A Wedding Planner is too expensive and we need to stick to our budget!”

Even if you want to plan it all yourself a wedding planner is invaluable. A reputable planner will help you create a breakdown for your budget as well as maximizing the services you receive without breaking the bank!

For the price of a planner, you will likely end up saving 2 or 3 times that cost, simply from the vendor referrals and contacts that they can offer you. For example, a recent couple that hired me for 10 hours of consultation and day-of for their wedding ended up saving over $5000.00! I also booked their Sandals honeymoon at no cost! You can’t get better than that!

Myth #2 “I know exactly what I want and I can do it best on my own! A planner won’t understand my vision.”                         
                                                          
Although it may be fact that you can do it yourself, you need to be aware that you and your fiancé will need an extraordinary amount of time off from your jobs to visit venues, vendors and to handle any DIY projects. You will be using any and all spare time to tend to the planning and the stress levels will be unlike anything you have ever experienced. It takes a couple approximately 250 hours to plan an average wedding. Most people don’t have that kind of time.

As for your vision, your perfect planner will not only understand your vision, they will feel it too! They will be able to make various suggestions that are on par with your ideas. Your ideal planner should have a personality that clicks with yours and that of your fiancé; after all, you need to feel comfortable with them.

Myth #3 “A wedding planner will only refer me to expensive vendors that they get kickbacks or referral fees from!”

The top reason to hire a wedding planner is for you to get the most trusted and skilled vendors within (or under), your budget! For good planners, referrals solely match the clients needs, not our pockets! We value our clients and would never betray the trust they have in us.

Unfortunately however, just like in all industries, there are many unethical ‘professionals’ that ruin it for the rest of us qualified planners. Regrettably, some do take kickbacks and are not looking out for the best interest of their clients.

Fortunately, that is not the rule! To avoid bad referrals and dishonorable planners, search for a WPIC (Wedding Planners Institute of Canada) certified wedding planner. It is completely prohibited for us to take kickbacks as we can be stripped of our certification, not to mention our reputation!

All in all, hiring a planner is definitely the way to go! With so many decisions to make, why not have a professional guide and assist you along the way! It’s the most important decision you make to begin planning your big day!