5 top wedding trends for 2013
This year, couples will be saying I do to rosy gowns, unique venues and towers of deep-fried treats
Putting a ring on it? The soaring, sugary tiers of cupcakes that, for several years, had deposed the formal wedding cake have finally been toppled themselves. In their place has risen equally lofty, decidedly yeastier dessert towers composed of ... doughnuts. Available in flavours such as Blueberry Balsamic and Root Beer Float, the newly popular doughnut towers offered by Paulette’s Original Donuts and Chicken in Toronto can be festooned with flowers for added drama. The craze, it can be said, has distinct Canuck appeal – the reason, perhaps, that one of Paulette’s clients wanted her novelty “cake” flown to her wedding in India.Katia Trudeau/The Canadian Press
Riding the pony: Boho chic hit its peak last year, but no-fuss is still appealing. For a refreshingly low-maintenance alternative to updos impaled with a pound of bobbypins, long-haired brides have another, increasingly popular option: the ever-flattering (and versatile) ponytail. Worn high or low, ponies can just as easily skew sleek – with a pompadour in the front, for instance – as deconstructed, says Globe Style beauty expert Bahar Niramwalla. Makeup right now is equally uncontrived: A no-makeup look, featuring flawless skin and minimal colour on lips, eyes and cheeks, means that, along with the pony, a bride won’t have to worry about a fallen ’do or continuous lipstick reapplication, no matter how late the dancing goes on.Getty Images
One-of-a-kind venues: So much for going to the chapel. According to Catherine Lash, creative director of The Wedding Co. in Toronto, a growing number of urban couples are pledging their troth in unconventional venues. One couple featured on her blog wed at the city’s Ben McNally bookstore. Another said their “I Do’s” in the sales centre of the Edition Richmond condominium development, which they pass every day on their walk to work together. The point, as Lash puts it, is finding a venue with personal meaning to the couple and treating guests to “an element of surprise.”Nikki Leigh McKean
Rarefied registries: Never mind mixing bowls. For co-habitating couples who stocked their kitchen with china and stemware long before getting married, there’s a new way to steer gift-giving: online “lifestyle registries” such as Wedding Republic, through which wedding attendees can assign cash to any number of personalized (and unconventional) “gifts” chosen by the couple. Among them: maid service, cooking and language lessons, romantic dinners, even his-and-hers tattoos.Getty Images/iStockphoto
Pink ladies: This past fall, Hollywood starlets Anne Hathaway and Jessica Biel eschewed run-of-the-mill white at their respective nuptials, tying the knot in bright pink gowns. Not coincidentally, all manner of rosy-hued wedding dresses are expected to put in an appearance at ceremonies everywhere this season. On the 2013 runways, bridal collections by Monique Lhuillier, Romona Keveza, Isaac Mizrahi and Ines Di Santo featured gowns in shades ranging from blush to fuchsia. “Everyone looks pretty in pink,” explains Ines Di Santo managing partner Veronica Di Santo-Abramowicz, “whereas whites or off-whites can look harsh in photographs.”