1. Ponies Are the New Puppies
From doggie ring bearers and flower-girl pups to wedding portrait cameos and magazine covers, our canine companions have had their moment. This year, we’re dying over a new trend – ponies. The fairytale vibes are out of control in these inspiration sessions dreamt up by photographer and styled shoot-extraordinaire, Erin Wilson (above) and by wedding planner Jessika McCuin of JM Wedding Group (below).
2. Children’s Court
A wedding party made up of mostly — or only — children is perhaps the biggest trend of the year. In fact, three brides featured in our Real Weddings section put their spin on this idea. We adore the precious photos that result from having a handful of cute little ones all dolled up. Plus, shenanigans are bound to happen and provide lots of chuckles from guests in the audience.
3. Weddings Planned in One Week
This is actually a little risky, unless you have a talented wedding planner in your family like Emma & Paul Lalonde (Emma's sister is planner Anne-Claire Allen Owens). Still, we love the execution of her impromptu I dos—it proves once more how incredible our Arkansas vendors are. Even in seven days, vendors like Proposals, Hanks Event Rentals, Boulevard Bread, Goodwin Manor and Silks a Bloom can pull off a masterpiece.
4. Super Stylish Grooms
Wedding menswear has changed a lot over the past few years, and we’re thrilled about it. There’s nothing better than a sharp-dressed groom, donning a suit or tuxedo and cool accessories he loves. The confidence of a stylin’ groom is a wedding photo game changer.
5. Stealing Your Wedding Inspo from the Stars
Bride Sydney Gibson Matusoff of Hot Springs did just that, deriving her ceremony décor from Kim Kardashian and Kanye West’s all-white wedding floral wall. Better yet, with the help of her planner Randi Slick of Signature Events, Sydney was able to transition the flower wall from a ceremony backdrop to an Instagram photo-op for guests at her reception.
6. Playful Hashtags
A custom hashtag for your wedding is pretty much standard protocol these days, and we still approve. Just be sure to push the envelope, be unique and make sure to promote the hashtag in many places throughout the day. We particularly liked how bride and groom Kelby and Russell Denton used cocktail napkins to keep their hashtag top of mind.
7. Custom Wedding Crest
As a decade of DIY comes to a close, an era of sophistication is being ushered in with a vengeance. Brides are splurging on creative crests that are carried through everything from invitations and aisle runners to cocktail glasses and reception uplighting. We love this old-school spin on the common monogram.
8. Sheer Bliss
Less is often more when it comes to tasteful wedding décor, especially in the instance of this gorgeously simple ceremony backdrop. Drape romantic fabric over a picturesque tree in a lovely spot that’s large enough to host your ceremony. Any billowing in the wind will only add to the wow-factor of this easy idea.
9. Chic Balloons
They do exist. And we’re starting to see Arkansas brides try their hand at this unique trend. Bride Cassie Carpenter and her planners at Bates-Reed Brides opted for a gathering of sleek white balloons with fresh fern accents – we are big fans.
10. A Kid's Table Everyone Wants to Sit At
Put our place cards down at this table; this looks like so much fun! We especially adore the multi-colored balloon arrangement for a festive centerpiece. Newlyweds Terricita LaShaun and DeJurne Mccall-Prince, you nailed it!
11. "Rock Wall"
Talk about taking your theme to new heights. Bride Elizabeth Seng and her planning pros from Rachel Haynes Events used uplighting to create a giant agate feature wall, in addition to using agates in the florals, on the cake and in the invitation design. Rock on!
