Obviously I like to try to keep up on the latest wedding trends, and I love looking at the forecasted trends for the year and contrasting them with what I actually see from real brides. Trends and reality are not always the same and quite often one is slow to follow the other. Sometimes the brides are behind and sometimes the trends are.
These days I see velvet everywhere. Lush velvet dresses are all over Pinterest boards and in editorial shoots in magazines. Designers like Sorella Vita have added velvet touches to a few bridesmaids styles and you can even find velvet wedding dresses. Some of our brides have incorporated velvet into their ceremonies and receptions, but it remains to be seen whether velvet is something thats really happening, or whether its just something trendsetters want to happen.
I dont know that Id call myself a trendsetter (although it has been said, and I was the first person in my sixth grade class to wear glitter lip gloss), but I am all on board with velvet. In fact, Im kicking myself that I got rid of my eighth grade red velvet jumper. I still dream about it.
Velvet is rich and beautiful. It adds texture and depth, and its an easy way to add some pizzazz to your wedding that you wont regret later.
The only problem with velvet is that it often screams winter. I get it. Its a warm fabric, it clings, and Christmas bows are almost exclusively velvet.
So the real challenge to the velvet trend and all those who support it is to find ways to reinvent it. Velvet has the ability to be so much more than a tree skirt, and Ive got some great examples of how.
Change up the Color Scheme
Think outside the color box here. While you might traditionally see velvet in deep shades of red and evergreen, it looks just as stunning in a dusty rose or a rich teal. By using a wider range of colors you help draw velvet out of its winter shell and into the sun of spring, summer and fall.
Think Beyond the Dresses
While I love wearing velvet I think there is a big argument to be made for using it in less expected places. It can instantly dress up your escort card table or make your centerpieces pop as a table runner. You can use velvet embossed details on your invitations or add a velvet ribbon to just about anything. By using it in less obvious places you help it not only transcend seasons, but also time.
Drop it in as a Backdrop
Velvet has a really nice way of draping and it pools on the floor with a really nice dramatic rippling kind of effect. That means it makes a great backdrop for anything from your ceremony to your photo booth. You dont have to go all out with a full wall of flowers or get crazy with patterns. All you need is a few yards of solid velvet in the appropriate colors and the result is stunning.
Using velvet touches in your wedding is a great way to walk the line between trendy and timeless, and it's versatile enough to use any time of year in lots of different ways.
{Lindsey}