With 2022 right around the corner, it’s time to take a look at the trends we can expect to see popping up in weddings over the next year. Listed below are 22 trends from cake flavors to color schemes that will help you plan your 2022 wedding.

1. Weekday Weddings

This trend is a product of how crazy the 2020 and 2021 wedding seasons have been. With reschedules, postponements, and a surge in engagements, weekend wedding dates are pretty limited for 2022. For this reason we can expect to see an abnormal amount of weddings happening during the week. While this may be different than what we’re used to, it’s actually a great way for the bride and groom to save a huge chunk of money on the cost of their venue.

2. Bold Color Palettes

Gone are the days of muted blush tones and soft shades of green. In 2022  you can expect to see brighter, richer, deeper, and bolder tones at the weddings you attend. Different color schemes we’re seeing

• Greenery: different shades of green and brown
• Monochromatic color schemes
• Terracotta & Rust: perfect for boho, retro, rustic
• Jewel Tones: dark and moody, perfect for fall & more

3. Specialty Wedding Vendors

While your big day naturally requires a certain amount of wedding vendors, we’re seeing it more and more that couples bring in more than just the standard list. We’re seeing couples focus more on the entertainment of their guests, bringing in live event painting, game stations, beer burros, photobooths, mobile bars and more!

4. Non-Traditional Wedding Parties

With weddings becoming more individualized, creating your unique and special bridal party is a large part of that. Whether you have more dogs than friends or if you’re best friends with someone of the opposite gender, there’s room in the modern wedding for everyone: keep an eye out for bro-maids and grooms women.

5. Eco-Friendly and Environmentally Sustainable Options

Modern day couples know the negative impact that single use disposables and unethically sourced food and fashion have on our communities and the over-all health of the planet. We’re seeing people put an emphasis on reusable, re-sellable, and even rentable items. If you’re looking to be more eco-friendly on your big day make sure to ask yourself the important questions like “is this a must-have or is there a better option?”, “could I borrow this instead of buying it?” etc.

6. Personalized Bridal Attire

Out with the old and in with the new, bridal gown shopping is becoming more and more about you as the bride and less and less about typical bridal style. With more color, more volume, more glitz and glam available, but also simple, chic, and timeless available too. It is about what you feel good in, not about what a bride “should” wear to their wedding. You can go as big or as small as you want and no one will judge you for either.

7. More Dramatic Makeup

While brides are gravitating toward a more minimalistic bridal look, the idea of having one big statement like eyeliner or a bold lip color will be on the rise in 2022. We’re seeing less smokey eye looks and a shift away from a fully done up makeup look. If you’re looking for a way to keep your wedding day look as natural as possible, look into skin care treatments from people like Body Concepts to help your skin get that glow that you’ll wanna see in your wedding photos.

Also see a full list of our recommended makeup artists in the San Antonio area.

8. Unique Wedding Ceremony Arches

With more unique venues and ceremony situations popping up, we are seeing wedding arches become more unique as well. This is a simple way to make a space completely unique and feel like its yours for your wedding day. Arches can even be reused during the reception for an added backdrop for photos, your cake, you name it.

9. Balloon Decorations

Have them on their own for a fun and allergy friendly wedding, or mix them up with your florals for an added unique touch on your big day. Balloons can add some serious celebration vibes to whatever themed wedding you’re planning. You can create simple décor or immaculate framed entrances to your ballroom, whatever it is you’re looking for, balloons can help with.

10. Acrylic Décor

Clear acrylic can help elevate a lot of different elements for your wedding. Chairs, invitations, name cards, welcome signs, even containers to fill with stunning florals. We love that this trend can mesh well with any wedding theme and that some of these acrylic items will last way longer and are incredibly more durable than other material options.

11. Food Trucks

Not just in weddings, but everywhere in life, food trucks are in baby. This is a super fun way to switch up the reception and cocktail hour for your guests and give them a unique experience they might not have ever seen at a wedding before. You can bring in food trucks to serve appetizers, desserts, or the full entrée. Pizza, tacos, custard and more!

12. Smaller + More Detailed Wedding Cakes

Along with a lot of wedding trends we’re seeing this season, the size of the cake may be shrinking but the detail sure isn’t. Couples are spending more money on higher quality products instead of getting more of less. In addition to the individuality, couples are also leaning toward dessert bar options instead of the traditional cake, so a smaller cake can be brought in just for the cutting of the cake tradition.

13. Unique Cake Flavors

Couples that are still opting to have a cake, aren’t just going for wedding cake or red velvet anymore. Bakers are pairing up with couples to find flavors that mean something to them, are connected to some sort of memory, or are connected to who they are as a couple. Flavors like lemon-lavender-prosecco and caramel macchiato are expected to be in higher demand than just your plain ole vanilla and chocolate.

14. Greenery

With florals at the top of the list for price and budget allocation, it’s not a surprise why so many couples are opting for minimalistic florals and more of an emphasis on greenery. We see it draped on the banister of the staircase, we see it on the wedding arches, we see it hanging above tables during the reception. It keeps the party feeling decorated and elevated while keeping the floral budget a little bit lower than what we’ve seen in the past.

15. Garden + Bridgerton Inspired Weddings

Bridgerton inspired weddings aren’t going anywhere anytime soon, folks. Since the release of the Netflix show in 2020 the weddings scene has been flooded with whimsical florals and big flowy dresses. Expect tea and biscuits to be served while a string quartet plays classical music under a canopy of flowers. Regency blue and pastel colors, vintage china, tiny waistlines, check out these blogs (insert styled shots) for more inspo on this topic.

16. Vintage Inspired Jewelry

Since this is the roaring 20’s take 2, a bit of vintage was to be expected with the influx of Gatsby themed weddings we’ve been seeing. We specifically see vintage detailing show up a lot in the jewelry brides have been choosing to wear for their big day. From grandmothers veil and pearls, to emerald cut diamond engagement rings, 2022 will be full of all the vintage goodness.

17. Reception Outfits

What better way to feel unique on your big day than to have two separate looks for both halves of your party? Go for more of a traditional look at your ceremony and then break free into something more modern like a mini dress or pantsuit for your reception. Not only do you get to have fun picking out two outfits, but then you don’t have to worry about getting your expensive gorgeous wedding dress ruined at the reception. Drinks spilling? Mud being tracked? Who knows! But you’re good because you have two outfits anyways.

18. Midnight Snacks

The party must go on, and what better way to keep it going than midnight snacks? Texas chains like Whataburger offer late night catering so you and your guests won’t starve while trying to dance the night away at your reception. These are especially good if you have an earlier ceremony and have a reception going into the wee hours of the morning.

19. Cash + Donation Based Registries

I mean how many kitchen aid mixers can be sold to a whole generation of newly weds… come on! Traditionally a gift is expected from a guest, but now we’re seeing that shift into contributing to funds and donating to causes. Couples don’t want to be overwhelmed with stuff they think they need but probably will only ever use once. They want money to put toward a down payment on a home or don’t want anything for themselves at all. Instead in those cases, couples will ask their guests to donate their favorite causes.

20. Dried Florals

Live your boho dreams through gorgeous dried floral bouquets and arrangements. Talk about texture heaven- there is so much room to create unique looks full of sensory with the help of dried florals. On top of that, worry less about post wedding preservation knowing that the flowers have already dried and could be easily reused for décor around your house.

21. Metallics

From candle holders, to bridesmaids dresses, metallics are back- especially bright golds. Expect tablescapes full of mixed and matched metals for sure. Other fun ways to add metallics are in your fashion accessories and even try edible glitter in your drinks or on your cake!

22. Outdoor Weddings + Receptions

The pandemic has left us with a lot of big changes for weddings, but outdoor ceremonies and receptions have to be some of the biggest onse- especially for those of us here in Texas. While we typically saw more outdoor wedding ceremonies happening in late fall and early spring, now they are happening all year round. We love the ability this provides to create an incredible unique backdrop for your wedding and make sure your guests feel comfortable while they celebrate you during these times.

That wraps up our list of 22 wedding trends that you need to keep an eye out for in 2022.

Anything we missed? Let us know in the comments below.