LESS IS MORE: MONOCHROME AND MINIMALISM IN THE WEDDING WORLD
Looking back at the development of the last 10 to 15 years, it can be seen that the scope of possibilities for the design of weddings probably has no limits. Even more floristry, even more decoration, even more highlights for the wedding party. And if every bridal couple didn’t have a budget limit, the costs for the most beautiful day in their lives would probably explode. But what about the good, well-known saying “less is more”? Especially in the last year, the trends „monochrome“ and „minimalism“ have also made a name for themselves in the world of weddings. And in 2021, too, we will see a lot of it. I exchanged ideas with Madlen from marrybylen, who as a wedding planner, together with Trang, Haley, Franziska and Wiebke, is always up-to-date when it comes to the big trends in weddings.
What is meant by a monochrome decoration concept? The focus here is on a selected and reduced palette of related colors that run like a red thread through the entire decoration. Anyone who thinks that a certain amount of boredom will show up so quickly should be convinced otherwise. „The related colors make everything very harmonious and at the same time bring a certain warmth and elegance to the whole decoration concept,“ says the marrybylen team with conviction. “You often see white in combination with one or more colors, which is also very beautiful and can also look very chic, as you can see from countless examples. But if you design the whole thing in monochrome, the design gets a stronger coherent setting, since everything looks very uniform overall.” The classic colors white and pink will not be swept off the market this year either. But this year we should also see many pastel colors, especially blue.
Myth number two: You can’t integrate a personal touch into a very simple decoration concept. Not correct! Simply focusing on your favorite colour, choosing your favorite flower or a special guest gift that is related to the bridal couple radiate individual splendor.
Let’s turn to the second trend mentioned at the beginning, which also focuses on the essentials, but is by no means any less stylish: minimalism. Lost in regular Pinterest screenings and interior blogs, I realize that this trend is becoming more and more popular, especially with a focus on sustainability. Many couples who value sustainable living and living want to stay true to their wedding concept. At this point one can question whether it should only be the decoration concept and the celebration can also be held in a pompous location – or whether it should be reduced to the minimum, if so. marrybylen says: “When we think of locations that lend themselves to the minimalist style, they tend to be lofts, which are very clean and simple, often with high ceilings and large windows. For us, minimalism is generally more straightforward and there is nothing ornate.” With one of their planned weddings, however, they proved that a minimalist concept can also be implemented in a castle. Small self-made meadow bouquets in bottles on the tables and a very clean and simple stationery with delicate, black lettering made the reduced concept special.
Finally, I asked Madlen, Trang, Haley, Franziska and Wiebke for their three ultimate tips for a sustainable decoration concept:
TIP 1: CHOOSE YOUR VENUE WELL CONSIDERED
Questions can always be asked here about how work is done in relation to waste disposal, recycling and so on. When it comes to catering and bar catering, care should be taken to ensure that they work with regional products and do not use plastic straws, for example.
TIP 2: COOPERATION WITH SUSTAINABLE VENDORS
There are now many stylists who mainly only work with natural and sustainable products. And when it comes to floristry, it doesn’t always have to be fresh flowers. Both dried flowers and artificial flowers have been very popular for about two years. These are now so well made that it is often not even noticeable that they are fake. And if you want, you can also combine them with real flowers. Paying attention to this is not only good for the environment, but also usually easy on the wallet, as these are often cheaper to process and artificial flowers are often rented out.
TIP 3: CHOOSING SUSTAINABLE STATIONERY
There are suppliers of stationery who only work with sustainably produced materials. One of the most commonly used paper materials is not only FSC certified, but is made with 100% wind energy. In the production of stationery, for example, mypaperlove only works with local (and analogue) partners in order to avoid long shipping routes or the like.
At the beginning I wrote about the constantly expanding range of possibilities, but now I have come to the conclusion that it is often the small things that not only make up life, but also make up special celebrations. It’s not about triumphing over the decorating concepts of other weddings, it’s about staying true to your own style. „The couple should always pay attention to the personal touch,“ confirms Madlen. And as we have learned, this can also be implemented fabulously in a minimalist wedding concept with small but fine highlights.
Many thanks to Karo for this great cooperation and the informative article. You can find out more about Karo’s wedding blog here: www.alifefullofserendipity.wordpress.com/blog/