There’s a brand new shiny rock on your left hand. Now what do you do? If you are feeling slightly overwhelmed with planning for your wedding this year, have no fear – Grand Salon Reception Halls & Ballrooms is here to help with 2016 wedding trends.

Intimacy, authenticity and uniqueness will continue to dominate weddings in 2016. Sticking to official procedures is out and leaning towards injecting more of your personality as a couple is here to stay, according to the Huffington Post. “As weddings stray from the formalities more and more, and guest lists include more friends and less family (sorry moms), couples are doing whatever they can to make it a party.”

Although, the desired increase in personality and individuality has definitely led to higher price tags on average for weddings in 2016. The Knot’s annual survey confirms this fact, reporting that the average price of a wedding rose 4 percent to $31,213 in 2014. PR Newswire explains that these higher wedding costs could also contribute to the general shift of Millennials marrying later in life.

In addition to ever-increasing higher costs, we have identified five separate categories of 2016 wedding trends: venue, decor, hair/makeup/dress, food & drink and technology.

Embracing Technology

Drones! GoPros! Apps! The continuing presence and involvement of technology allows you new & creative ways to plan and document your special day. Of course, utilizing popular apps like Airbnb, to make sure your guests have a place to stay at the end of the night, and Uber, to make sure they can get there, is a great idea.

But, The Knot also suggests you utilize other new apps to help you plan your big day. “Lots of couples are enlisting wedding planning help through apps like TaskRabbit to take on any small to-dos, TouristEye to help plan the honeymoon itinerary, and The Knot Wedding Planner app to find and get in touch with all of the right wedding pros.”

Another cool app to explore is Guesterly. Guesterly allows you to quickly and easily create a guidebook that you can give to your wedding guests as a favor, or at the start of your wedding weekend so that unacquainted people can connect.

However, make sure you don’t allow technology to overtake your wedding experience. Just ask yourself, is this new technology something that will help you and your guests enjoy the day, or will it be a shiny distraction?

Inspired Venues

Your wedding is obviously going to be one of the most important days in your life. With that in mind, you should plan to celebrate this milestone in an amazing venue with those closest to you. It seems that couples are continuing to lean towards inviting people to their wedding that they have actually spent time with in the past few years.

Although, a major consideration for exactly who you will invite will be based on the size of your venue and your wedding date. Choosing a date is one of the most important decisions in the entire wedding planning process, because it will impact every other aspect of your big day. Our advice is that you choose very wisely when picking a date. And, definitely consider these dates that the Knot suggests you avoid.

As for inspired venues, Bridal Guide agrees that more and more couples want to showcase who they are at their wedding. As a result, “couples are increasingly looking for ways to bring in elements of places that hold special memories – no matter where the actual wedding is being held.”

Unique Hair/Makeup/Dress

More playful wedding dress designs for the bride. Unique and individual dresses for the bridesmaids. Multiple outfits for the ceremony, reception and after-party. It’s clear that couples are much more interested in going down the aisle their own way, particularly the bride.

Martha Stewart Weddings suggests you follow the trend by presenting classic styles in a new way, nudging tradition forward. You want to enhance conventional customs rather than completely stray from tradition. Celebrate your individuality!

Blended Decor

Pantone recently released the 2016 Pantone Color of the Year, which for the first time ever was a blend of two shades: Rose Quartz and Serenity. With this in mind, it’s clear that mix-matching the decor for your wedding is definitely in.

“Brides are choosing centerpieces that are in the same color tones, but of different sizes. They are also changing the shape of the tables, mixing round with square. These trends give the reception tables a more interesting look and a less “coordinated” feel. Unique vase fillers include plastic pearls, fake snow, sea glass shells, acrylic ice, water absorbing crystals and fresh fruits such as lemons and limes.”

Put your own personal spin on romance and fun! Try mixing up your centerpieces and look to find the right mix of style and simplicity to serve as the cornerstone of your fabulous wedding decor.

Creative & Tasty Food & Drink

As a natural reflection of a couple’s personality, food and drink are taking center stage at weddings this year, according to The Knot. “We’re talking hanging salad stations, doughnut dessert walls that double as escort cards and beer-garden-inspired stations, complete with beer steins made of ice.”

The sophistication certainly applies to the dessert course as well. And, because of people’s ever-refining palates these days, a vanilla cake just won’t do anymore. Consider picking a more unique cake flavor, like white chocolate mousse, lemon, champagne, lavendar-vanilla, apple spice, green tea or chai latte.

Ask your caterer to help you come up with some creative ideas for a cutting edge menu of creative cocktails and sophisticated dishes. Or, follow the lead of some innovative couples and actually hire a food stylist!

Remember, everyone talks about the food before, during and after a wedding. But, they will talk much more about the food if it’s bad. Don’t let bad food be the talk of your wedding!

Celebrate Your Wedding At Grand Salon Reception Hall

We hope these 2016 wedding trends give you inspiration if you are planning for a wedding this year. We’d love to help you celebrate this amazing milestone event in one of the grandest banquet halls in Miami.

We are the best wedding venue in Miami, located in the heart of Kendall. We can comfortably accommodate a reception of up to 200 guests with plenty of space for dancing and mingling.

Call Grand Salon Reception Halls & Ballrooms to schedule a visit in one of the biggest and best reception & banquet halls in Miami for a complete list of package details and prices. We look forward to serving you soon.