The hope of a wonderful 2021 is shining brighter in my mind than the sparkler on your finger. To share the positive vibes that the New Year will bring I've been thinking about wedding photography trends for 2020 and 2021 for all my Melbourne couples.

Weddings are going to be smaller from now on. Even if the Covid-19 virus disappears as fast as it arrived, couples won't go back to planning massive weddings any time soon. While this has been heartbreaking, many brides and grooms have dealt with disappointment like warriors and started to focus on the positives of having a small wedding.

Here are some of the reasons small weddings are becoming trendy.

Intimacy and Quality Time With Loved Ones

Everything is more intimate from the venue to the ceremony atmosphere to the reception party. In the photos, you can get more up close and personal. The intimacy and love that comes with a small wedding is reflected in the images. I love documenting small weddings because emotion is deeper and more meaningful. You can feel the love, and that is what weddings are all about right!

Couples are spending more time with their guests. When you have 100 guests you only get 5 to 10 minutes of quality time with each person if you are lucky. There's not much time to chat between getting ready, vows, cake cutting, speeches, dancing and outfit changes.

The photos become very candid and natural when there's a smaller group enjoying drinks during cocktail hour and gathering around the DJ booth to request songs. I am not following the couple around the reception to capture conversational moments in a big ballroom these days. I am simply present at the small wedding and more a part of the group as I document the celebrations. I predict the photography will become more personalized as we head into next year.

More Lavish Weddings

Talking to brides over recent months I realized many were disappointed to be downsizing their celebrations. Some felt they should keep it simple, slash the flower budget and even forgo the open bar. But then couples started to reject that concept. They decided to splash out and keep all the wedding extras to celebrate their day of love in style.

This was the first trend to come out of the pandemic era related to weddings. Small weddings that are lavish and focus on beautiful details are totally on-trend now. The wedding budget stayed the same. What couples would have spent on food and drink for guests went into a more luxurious venue or more expensive dress and bridal accessories.

This trend makes photographers so grateful. Essentially we love photographing people, but when there are chic and stylish details and lavish decorations including tropical florals and pretty fairy lights all around we are even happier. And seeing the couples happy because the wedding day is still as they dreamed of visually is a great moment.

The Ultimate Guide to Planning a Backyard Wedding

Rustic and Natural Venues

With a small wedding, you have more flexibility to choose a remote wedding venue. You can choose a rustic countryside venue at a vineyard, convent or lavender garden out of the city. There are many gorgeous venues 30 - 60 minutes from the city center that are stunning for micro weddings. Environments that are surrounded by the beauty of nature are becoming popular and will continue to be on-trend in the coming seasons.

Couples are making a whole weekend out of their wedding with guests booking accommodation for 1-2 nights in a sort of small version of a destination wedding. Guests are loving this trend as everyone is missing having travel in their lives.

There are some beautiful venues on the outskirts of Melbourne including little rural chapels and farm venues. Farm weddings are making a bit of a comeback. The glam factor is higher than ever and the contrast of the farm barn backdrop with the luxurious wedding decor creates quite a wow factor.

Farm weddings lend themselves to the eco-trend and it's easy to incorporate local produce for the meal and to up-cycle second-hand items to use as wedding decor. Old farm doors can make trendy vintage photo booth backdrops and wine barrows can be used for flower stand bases or cake tables. Once you start researching you will find many Instagrammable decor ideas using retro or rustic decorations.

If you want to be wild and unique you can even get married at Melbourne Zoo. It's not going to become a trend but I am waiting for a couple to ask me to photograph this because I love elephants and tigers!

Bringing The Guests To The Wedding Virtually

There were always times when we would bring the guests to the wedding virtually via Facebook live or a video call while the couple was getting ready. Maybe elderly grandparents couldn't travel or a best friend had just given birth and couldn't be there. Now, in an extension of that couples are asking for ways to include the guests who can't attend virtually or to have a quick turnaround of some photos and video to share on the same or next day.

We can accommodate that as long as we know well in advance as it does take some effort to make it happen. If you do want to stream the ceremony please talk to us in advance so we can make some professional suggestions on the best way to do it.

Cake Trends

Let's talk about cake trends. You can't have a wedding without a cake! Couples are opting for small designer cakes that are sweet artistic creations presented on modern cake stands with stylish cake toppers. The cake is still a feature of the evening. Brides are having their cake and eating it too - a small wedding or not!

If you are in Melbourne and you search wedding cake vendors you are will find the most delicious inspiration for your designer cake. Sakura vanilla buttercream wedding cake? Vegan wedding cakes are so on-trend. I'm drooling over the simplicity of this chocolate cake with raspberry jam and vanilla Swiss meringue wedding cake.

Mood Lighting

Bridal magazines and blogs are full of the most gorgeous lighting creations. Elaborate arrangements of fairy lights with glass tea lights hanging amongst the trees or over the dining tables are so perfectly chic and lux-looking. With a micro wedding, the space you need lit up isn't so large compared to if you had 100 guests. So you can have this spectacular soft romantic lighting that looks so stunning with heaps of natural greenery and foliage at a cost that won't blow your budget.

In photos, fairy lights and mood lighting looks dreamy and beautiful. There is so much we can do on a creative level with some nice light to work with. And in real life, the atmosphere is lifted to a new dimension. It is a worthy investment.

Eloping Is Becoming The Norm

At some point in the wedding planning process, a lot of couples wish they had eloped. When the pressure is on because the guest list is growing too long and the credit card is bending eloping can look pretty attractive. Other couples love the romantic notion of eloping but never took it seriously because they knew their family would be too disappointed.

Now, Covid has given couples an excuse to elope. Everyone is being more understanding of brides and grooms who decide to run away and tie the knot privately. If the idea appeals to you run with it while you can.

Photographing elopements is one of my favorite jobs. We can explore the local area and roam to many epic photo locations that simply wouldn't be possible on a wedding day with guests present.

The images are intimate and authentic as the couple focus on themselves and their love. They are relaxed and free as there's no stress about speeches, first dance and keeping everyone else happy.

Vow Renewals Will Become The New Weddings

Finally, let me end with a trend prediction. This isn't for 2020 or 2021, but I see it emerging as a result of what is happening today. I expect the couples who have small weddings this year and next will plan massive vow renewals for their ten-year anniversaries with everyone invited. The vow renewal will become the big shindig wedding and the focus will be on the drinking and dancing. DJs will market themselves as vow renewal DJs and it will be a joyful time to celebrate.

Well, I'm getting ahead of myself. But remember you heard it here first and if I photographed your micro wedding I would love to photograph your big fat vow renewal a decade from now.

Whatever 2021 brings I am wishing joy and happiness for my Melbourne wedding couples. You have some freedom now to do the wedding your way so be creative with your celebrations because you deserve to have your big day!

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