ESPECIALLY FOR YOU Natalie Goudge from La Fille Creative (www.lafillecreative.com) says: A wedding is the perfect occasion to showcase your uniqueness as a couple, as well as your love story. More and more, I see couples wanting to add personalised finishing touches to their wedding decorations, both as a way to stand out from the crowd and to keep forever as a memory of their special day. There are lots of elegant ways this can be achieved on the day ranging from our beautiful customised wedding cake toppers, to personalised reception signage to show off your sense of humour. Personalising your wedding doesn’t have to be limited to the big day either; the lead up to the event is a great way to add a personal flair. Go for monogrammed save-the-dates in your style or bridesmaid proposals and gifts they won’t forget. It’s in these small details that couples are able to really express their personalities and style to make a wedding day that’s truly unique. Why not create day that’s designed especially for you? SMALL AND PERFECTLY FORMED Rachel Leon, weddings and events manager at The Manor, Greasby (www.themanorgreasby.co.uk) says: While the heritage and tradition of the classic big white wedding is going nowhere for plenty of couples in 2023, many are broadening their horizons and envision more informal celebrations such as wedding dinners, activities and parties, versus the traditional, formal reception. In terms of the “I dos,” we’re seeing a rise in elopements, putting the couple and their vows at the centre of the occasion before joining families together to celebrate afterwards. While pandemic weddings may be a thing of the past, we’re still seeing couples retaining the intimacy of smaller celebrations and even microweddings. The average number of guests has dropped post-pandemic, indicating that close-knit celebrations are in favour. We’re also seeing couples approach their big day with a great consciousness for sustainability. Waste-reducing ideas such as wedding dress rental, embracing vintage bridal attire and jewellery, renting key décor elements and utilising eco-friendly dried flowers are all fantastic ways to minimise your wedding-day wastage. Plus, sourcing close to home for wedding services and suppliers not only aids the environment but gives your big day its own local character. Pssst... The Manor at Greasby, on the Wirral, will open in February, with The Barn at the Manor available for 2023 wedding bookings. GREEN FINGERS Nathalie Somerset from Somerset Blooms (https://somersetblooms.co.uk) says: With the sustainable floristry movement growing, couples are more aware of seasonal florals and working with the time of year to create designs to express their style and personality. Locally-grown flowers ensure freshness and quality while sustainable designs open up endless options for how couples can utilise their flowers on the day, which don’t come at a cost to the planet. With floral trends inspired by celebrity weddings, I anticipate a demand for largescale designs such as those seen at Pixie Lott’s, and Nicola and Brooklyn Beckham’s big days, which exhibited beauty, grandeur and sustainability. With Covid pushing weddings back, couples are now making statements with bold colours in their floral designs. So, I’m expecting to see bright seasonal florals such as coral peonies, blue delphiniums, dahlias, tulips, agapanthus and sweet peas to trend in 2023. Each season carries its own individual beauty, scent and colour palette to work with while still leaving room for couples to exhibit their individuality. Based on recent requests for 2023 I’m also seeing a shift from traditional, round posy-style bouquets to hand-tied versions with an emphasis on foliage such as eucalyptus and populus for a freshly-picked feel. 71 EXPERT ADVICE
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