After the vows, it’s time for the “wows”—when the newlywed couple celebrates their union with friends and family. To help make your wedding receptions in 2024 more memorable than ever, we’ve rounded up ideas from industry experts, who share fun and interesting trends they’re seeing in drinks and desserts (watch this space for part two of this article, listing 12 décor and entertainment reception trends).
From nostalgia-themed celebrations to multi-day affairs, experts divulge 20 of the top trends influencing weddings in the new year.
Ring the bells and strike up the band—big weddings are back, and couples are getting ready to splurge as they tie the knot. “Our 2022 clients are ready to celebrate in a big way!” says Amy Ackerman, owner of JDV Occasions in Atlanta.
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Hopefully we’re seeing the light at the end of the tunnel when it comes to the COVID-19 pandemic and its transformative effect on catered events. Yet even during the strictest days of lockdown, innovative caterers found ways to help clients celebrate events from home. And according to the two top caterers profiled here, clients will continue to book similar events even when society emerges from the COVID-19 danger zone—and the loyalty earned during these trying times will pay off for years to come.
No one in the wedding industry will forget this year anytime soon. The COVID-19 pandemic prompted couples everywhere to change their 2020 wedding plans. Approximately 50 percent of weddings scheduled for this year have been postponed to 2021, estimates Richard Markel, president of the Association for Wedding Professionals International.
St. Louis-based Butler’s Pantry “has mastered the Pandemic Pivot—taking an event originally planned for hundreds and transforming it into a private ceremony for 50 or less,” says Bridget Bitza, vice president of sales and catering.
The pandemic has resulted in the postponement or cancellation of many full-sized weddings in 2020, but there is a sweet side.
Regardless of the severity of restrictions, which vary from state to state, caterers hosting micro and mini receptions everywhere are challenged to uphold safety protocols without extinguishing excitement—and often dessert is the lifesaver.
On June 5, Indianapolis-based Thomas Caterers of Distinction catered its first full-service event post-COVID-19: a wedding reception for Jackie and Sean Linehan at Black Iris Estate, a Thomas Caterers venue in Carmel, Ind.
Wondering which blooms your clients will be requesting for their events in the new year? The Flower Trends Forecast 2020, recently released by International Floral Distributors (IFD), gives a sense of how floral décor is expected to blossom next year.
