Floral design trends for wedding’s & event’s.
Floral trends throughout the wedding and event sectors vary and also develop year on year, some trends tend to dip away to a point where they become less mainstream whilst others are most definitely here to stay. The trends that do tend to dip away also tend to reappear, sometimes with subtle, surprising and also refreshingly educated twist’s further down the line, after being tinkered with by the minds of the brave, inquisitive and creative. The trends that are thought of as the ones that are here to stay are also still subject to change! Classic elegance and English garden are both firm favourites for both brides and event clients throughout the UK but with a few small tweaks and some different shapes and or textures added to the mix, what was then an English garden is now an A-symmetrical suspended instillation, or even a bursting waist height meadow walkway!! Changing trends are important, they enable and encourage us to visit design points we might have previously disregarded as something too dull or even too risky. More importantly, changing trends give us a fresh as well as a firm starting point from which to develop new ideas, explore alternative options, incorporate exciting twist’s and or collaborations, so that the end result can be entirely more personalised, polished, informed and exciting.
One of the most exciting observations over recent years is that ‘the client’ is now as design savvy as us! Both Instagram and Pinterest are awash with every new style wave that hits the screens of our laptops and phones and clients everywhere, are becoming comprehensively more liberated when it comes to making design choices. Both personalisation and the pushing of personality will be seen more and more as time roll’s by, both brides and event clients will be aware of the trends that are circulating but will place importance on being able to personalise their design-scapes and add their own twist’s.
2019 saw the explosion that was Bohemian. Pampas grass filled displays decorated venues across the UK and structured shape grew in popularity to the point where ‘the instillation’ became a towering trend of its own. The industries future will see a further development of the Bohemian vibe, this I believe will develop substantially into a more Luxe version of it’s self and will incorporate, a largely more open-minded expanse of both creative venue styling methods as well as floral structures, table props, luxury linen and also tableware. Within 2019 there was a real serge towards becoming more creative when designing the table-scape. Coloured glass charger plates and matching glassware were on the rise in ultra-rich jewel tones and beautifully designed gold cutlery were an exciting addition. This will continue to develop and will be complimented by a colour palate I believe to be on its way to becoming one of the ‘new classics’, the earth tones. Tonal palates featuring nudes, caramel, saffron, ash, cappuccino and pastel blush are curtain to be popular throughout the seasons this year, especially due to the fact that this tonal range can more than handle being accented by much deeper and sophisticated hues such as rich claret, deep plum, emerald greens and burnt orange. A further trend development that again will grow in popularity this year is the addition of both dried blooms and bleached foliage’s. These two new textures started to appear last year but grew in popularity and will continue to do so alongside a whole host of dried and also bleached grasses, natural foliage’s and of course, our beloved Pampas.
The Pantone colour for 2020 has been announced as ‘Classic Blue’. The crisp coolness of this particular shade of blue offers simplicity as well as a real sense of peace and tranquillity. Classic Blue is the perfect accompaniment for the above-mentioned Bohemian vibe as it will be able to handle perfectly, an earth toned floral palate as well as the rich hues of the jewel tones.
The ‘installation’ is also a relatively new design option and or style choice and is most definitely here to stay for at least, the foreseeable future. This trend is a particular favourite of mine as it truly does encourage both florist’s and client’s alike to take an adventure into a way of thinking that is the complete opposite to the normal. Anything is possible with the instillation, any style can be incorporated with ease and the bolder you are prepared to dream, the more enveloping and dramatic the results will be. Both the wedding and the event industry throughout the UK have benefited hugely from the drama that is the instillation, from floral columns and giant woodland arches to hanging clouds of neon painted baby’s breath and Insta moment backdrops, it’s all possible and it has changed the way we think about venue styling.
A further growing trend that is set to be at the forefront during 2020 is the ‘foam free design’. This growing and more environmentally sound floral design trend is working hand In hand with the long-awaited re-emergence of the beloved English flower farms. Small independent flower growers are blooming all over the UK and are fast connecting with florist networks to ensure that the best possible produce can be sourced with ease. Services being offered by the more established of these flower farms include being able to book an appointment so that you can actually pick the flowers that you want to use! A further service being offered is the ability to have the main bulk of your chosen blooms delivered straight to your clients wedding or event venue. This service is perfect for the more practised ‘foam free’ florists as it not only ensures that the blooms that are chosen are 100% fresh, it also ensures that they have a virtually zero carbon footprint.
Foliage is set to be considerably paired down over the next year and the rise of the foliage wall is said to be coming to an end. Of course, foliage will always be widely used throughout the wedding and event industries but with open minds and some creative thinking, fresh approach’s towards how foliage is used are definitely on the horizon. Bold and contrasting colours are also set to see a rise in popularity, opposite colours will be chosen together in a juxtaposition of neon saturation and contrasting textures and monochromatic designs will be filled with flamingo pinks, fiery oranges, aqua menthe and phantom blue.
Modern Luxe will of course remain within the club class lounge of floral trends with its distinctively simplistic (and mostly) singular colour schemes. Both bright and off whites will continue to look stunning when highlighted by much richer tones such as antique gold and deep emerald greens, further palates such as mixed pinks have also been used throughout this trend with great success and will continue to do so for the foreseeable future. Modern Luxe will in my opinion continue to thrive for many years as long as its simplistic and also characteristic colour palates are continued to be both observed and also adhered too.
In conclusion and as far as the base trends are concerned, what comes next won’t be miles apart from what we have all enjoyed seeing in previous years. Relaxed and uber-cool Bohemian vibes will continue to look stunning, classic elegance and English garden will without doubt fill the screens of eager Instagram followers, the bold palates and ‘the instillation’ will make us all sit up in admiration, monochromatic palates and overlapping textures will undoubtably take centre stage and modern Luxe, will of course decorate the most outstanding of venue interiors. What I am overly excited to see throughout the coming years though is a real sense of educated refinement! A creative liberation which allows the design process to follow a more lateral path and one that encourages us to seek a fresh approach, a more refined and sophisticated approach to the way that we develop our design choices.
Personal preferences and individual style will always play a major part in how we interpret the base trends year on year and as long as we continue to think creatively, ask the question “what if” and refine our design-scape ideas, exciting times really will lay ahead!