The Best Wedding Trends for 2021-2022. Tying the knot this year or next? Our top trends could be your 'something borrowed'...

Once upon a time, wedding planning was quite generic, based on cultural traditions. Over the decades it has undergone something of a liberation - couples could set the tone and they would get the majority of their inspiration from attending other weddings. Supplemented by a glossy mag or two.

These days, social media has erupted the wedding industry. We've arrived in the age of wedding individuality, and just about anyone can go viral and go on to influence others. 

Anyone planning a wedding in 2021 and 2022 has access to an endless amount of external inspiration. Now that lockdown restrictions have lifted, have a look at these wedding trends. Yours to pilfer or pie off.

Local Love

Right now it's all about reducing airmiles and #supportingsmall. Local is perfect on paper. Like it or not, we're in the middle of a climate crisis. While an exotic holiday is one thing, unnecessary travel is a big no-no. 

Choosing to support local businesses, from bridal salons to bakeries, is one way you can make a difference. What's more, small businesses have been hit the hardest by the pandemic. Amazon and other big corporations profited from lockdown, but this year and next couples will be using their consumer power to vote with their feet.  

Immersive Experiences

A wedding venue can be a thing of true beauty. Delectable food, gorgeous outfits and fantastical floral displays. Add heightened emotions and champagne for an experience to remember.

The memories we make at the weddings of dear friends and family stay with us for life. For better and for worse, if there are disposable cameras and a free bar...

The weddings that are now going ahead are all about maximising the experience. Because we all want to get on with living. To do, and feel, more. One way to help this would be to hire a couple of babysitters for a wedding to allow parents to let their hair down. Another is to go all out, whether that is with extravagant colours and decorations, or a help yourself cocktail bar.

Weekday Weddings

Gone are the days of day of the week fascism. Fun does exist outside of Saturdays. While this flexibility has been born out of necessity, as a way fit in all the rescheduled weddings, there are cogent reasons to consider a weekday wedding on merit alone. 

For one, you'll get the same venue at a cheaper price. No scrimping on quality required. It's also a great way to streamline your guest list. You know that your closest family and friends will take holiday leave for your big day, and it takes away any obligation to invite all of your colleagues (unless they pull a company holiday, Dunder Mifflin style). 

Eco-free Weddings

With weddings being all about committing to a long and happy future, it's just common sense to minimise the environmental impact of your big day. No happily-ever-after on a dead planet.

One way to take this step is to make your wedding completely plastic free, as Princess Eugenie and Jack Brooksbank did back in 2018. This involves more thought than you might think. You might think of place settings and wedding favours, but everything from stag/hen do decorations, bottles of bar drinks, and the beauty cosmetics you'll use for the day can be sources of single-use or virgin plastics.

Luckily, eco-friendly weddings are as easy on the eye as they are on the atmosphere. Dry petals from your garden to use as confetti – the vibrant petals of garden roses curl and fade to gorgeous muted pastel shades. And a wedding needn't be about harvesting fresh flowers. Some eco-conscious couples are opting for live potted plants. Not only will these survive the special day, but you get to take them home with you. Another way to give back to the soil is with a tree planting. Planting a young sapling together and watching it grow with your marriage, is a romantic and poignant way to mark time. Who knows, one day your children and grandchildren might play under its branches. It's a nice thought that an Oak or another beautiful native tree should be a flourishing reminder of you both hundreds of years into the future.

Garden Parties

The outside is in, and gardens and tents are back in a big way. At their best, inner city venues are slick and stylish, but a proper English garden wedding is a fairytale. 

Most 2021 and 2022 weddings are taking place in spacious gardens and sun-drenched outdoor terraces. With a large, opulently decorated tent. The tent offers protection from the elements to give you peace of mind, as well as the perfect canvas to decorate. The frame can be strung with flowers and foliage or light displays. As darkness falls, a tent has a soft and warm glow which makes for atmospheric photography and sets the tone for the evening.

Your Day, Your Way

During this long hiatus from normality, we’ve all had time to rethink things. Living through a life-altering pandemic will do that. Two hour daily commutes, the fringe you cut in March 2020. Weddings are no exception. 

This celebration has been pared down to what it is really all about. You and the person you love, celebrating your love and committing to each other in the presence of your loved ones. You're at the epicentre, so you get to call all the shots.

At Ye Olde Bell Hotel & Spa we understand this instinctively. Our 4-star hotel is one of the region’s best-loved wedding venues. The 17th Century landmark has been lovingly restored, respecting its heritage whilst bringing it firmly into the 21st Century. Think lavish antiques, stunning drapes, rich carpets and sparkling chandeliers. All complement the traditional warmth of a country house with the modern luxuries of a contemporary hotel. With an award-winning spa to boot. Located on the borders of Nottinghamshire, Yorkshire and Lincolnshire, this stylish and quintessentially English hotel, is where the magic truly begins.

Learn more about how we can bring your dream wedding to life.