Wedding planners share 5 trends that are in and 5 that are out this summer

Wedding planner Samantha Bottomley, founder of Best Events Co., told Insider that personal touches like writing handwritten notes are trending this summer.Including handwritten notes to each guest is something increasing numbers of our couples are doing this year, Bottomley said. Some opt to include a note in their guests' welcome baskets while others use postcard-style escort cards with personal notes on each one.Destination-wedding and event planner Anastasia Stevenson of Coastal Creative Weddings told Insider that couples are opting for floral ceilings this summer.Centerpieces are always a staple, and young couples are looking for other ways to express themselves and make their event unique, Stevenson said. Statement-making ceiling installations and lighting make a big pop in the décor for their event.Sheavonne Harris, wedding planner and founder of Events by Sheavonne, told Insider that more couples are prioritizing wedding after-parties this summer.Wedding after-parties are a big trend this summer, Harris said. It's all about keeping the music going, cocktails, and a late-night snack. Many couples are booking local bars or reserving more time at the reception venue to show their guests a great time.According to Harris, couples are choosing to dance the night away due to the inability to host events like these during the COVID-19 pandemic.Feyisola Ogunfemi, wedding planner and owner at Statuesque Events, said dance-floor wraps are rising in popularity this summer.Now that larger weddings are coming back, so are larger dance floors with beautiful custom floor wraps complete with borders, metallic folds, and custom prints to elevate the style of events, Ogunfemi said.Mary Thornton, wedding planner and owner of Party Party, told Insider that nuptials that expand over the course of a weekend are on the rise. Couples continue to plan multiday events starting several days before the actual day, Thornton said. There is an emphasis on spending as much time with their guests as possible. One wedding may include multiple dinners and parties, so it's important that guests know this arrangement in advance.Buffets began waning in popularity in response to the COVID-19 pandemic last season and, according to Stevenson, they won't likely be coming back for the summer.Buffets are out this season, Stevenson said. COVID-19 has made hosts and guests wary of being so close and sharing a food table in that way.According to Stevenson, more couples want to go more upscale, with multicourse plated dinners.A trend I see slowly leaving the celebration is the wedding cake, Harris said. I'm seeing more dessert alternatives to the classic wedding cake. Guests are opting for tarts, cookies, or miniature desserts.Couples hosting a summer wedding can offer a few small desserts for guests to choose from instead of a wedding cake.Wedding and event planner Cathleen Holloway of Holloway Events told Insider that couples are swapping muted color palettes for brighter, more colorful ones.Clients are wanting color and happiness, Holloway said. A wedding is a celebration of the creation of a new family. Why do we want to mute the happiness? We're seeing more color palettes, and we're so happy to see it.Many couples opted for smaller weddings and elopements in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, and according to Thornton, these less-populated ceremonies aren't going away.Small is here to stay, Thornton said. Many couples saw the benefits of the smaller COVID-19 weddings and are opting to keep it on the smaller side for both local and destination weddings.According to Thornton, more couples have realized that bigger is not necessarily better from a financial standpoint and when considering how intimate they want their wedding to be.Some couples choose to set up a table for guests to drop gifts at, but these are waning in popularity.Digital gifting is all the rage now and so much more convenient for couples and guests, Stevenson said.Stevenson said she hasn't seen a single gift table in 2022 and doesn't expect to this summer either.

Wedding planners share 5 trends that are in and 5 that are out this summer

More couples are writing handwritten notes to guests.

Over-the-top floral ceiling installations are trending.

Extended after-parties are on the rise.

Dance-floor wraps are hot this season.

Multiday-wedding weekends are in style.

Buffets are continuing to decrease in popularity.

The traditional wedding cake is falling out of favor.

Colorful palettes are in, and muted colors are out.

Big weddings might not be as popular this summer.

Many couples are forgoing an entire gift table.