If you are planning a wedding for 2012, you probably already have quite a few ideas up your sleeve about how you want the day to pan out. You may have had some of the ideas in your mind for years as you dreamt of your big day.

But you may also need some new ideas and are finding yourself wondering, what are the big wedding trends going to be in 2012? Well read on to find out …

The Wedding Dress

It is still, and possibly always will be, white or ivory for the bride. These two dresses are still the most popular choice but in 2012 it looks like strong colours such as black or red are beginning to gain momentum. They have a long way to go before they knock traditional wedding gowns off the #1 spot for dresses, but you might see a few more of these appearing throughout this year.

Black Wedding Dress

The Bouquet

Is a coloured wedding dress a bit too bold for you? Not to worry, white bouquets appear to be on the way out while vibrant, colourful ones are in. So if you need a splash of colour put it into your bouquet instead. Flowers of choice still remain to be hydrangeas, roses and orchids.

Colourful Wedding Bouquet

Bridesmaids

The big colours for 2012 bridesmaids are touted as being Plum and Violet.

Hair

Feathers are trending in hair design and even in the bouquet as well. Match the feathers in the bride’s bouquet to the ones in the bridesmaid’s hair to tie it all in or vice versa.

Photos and Videos

Professional photographers are the hottest thing once again, thanks mostly to social media. Who doesn’t want a perfect profile picture or a gorgeous album on Facebook to show off to friends? This includes having professional shots taken for engagement photos as well.

On more of a DIY note, videos are a huge hit, especially with the intent to upload them onto YouTube. The first dance is becoming more choreographed in the hope of becoming the next online sensation.

Couples are also opting to send out personal videos of themselves to wedding guests as part of the invitation or a ‘save the date’.

Dessert

Out with the cupcakes and in with the cake pops. Cake pops are bite-sized cakes presented on wooden sticks (much like a lollypop) which guests can easily take a serving of without having to wait for it to be cut. This doesn’t mean the wedding cake is out though. Cake pops are only there to be served with tea and coffee while the ‘real’ cake is sitting alongside the pops and is the masterpiece to be admired.

Cake Pops

Entertainment

Photo booths were a big hit in 2011 and they are back stronger than ever for 2012. Last year we saw props being used to make the photos more fun and this will still be the case. However the photo booths will also now have a green backdrop, which means you can choose or create your own background picture.

The Honeymoon

Still gaining traction from 2011, the new honeymoon is being dubbed the ‘mega moon’. Why choose one honeymoon destination when you can choose three?

Brides and grooms plan to save money here and there on different wedding items and instead pump it into a long honeymoon to glamorous or exotic destinations such as Bora Bora and Sri Lanka.

A lot of people are also having destination weddings, which will make up the first leg of the honeymoon. For example, they wed in Malaysia with friends and family, and then continue on to Africa to start the real honeymoon.

Supplier Etiquette – Working with Wedding Suppliers

Organising a wedding is not a one-person job. And even if you are lucky enough to have your fiancé or a friend interested in being a huge part of the process, it isn’t even a two-person job. There are many other people you will be working with and relying on, and these all come in the form of your wedding suppliers.

These new names appearing on your contacts list each day will be playing a very important part of your wedding. So even though there may be some stressful times ahead, it’s a good idea to work as well as possible with these suppliers so you can achieve the end result you desire in the least painful way.

Remember some of these simple tips and you can expect the smoothest lead up to your wedding possible.

Don’t be Bridezilla

Your wedding is the most important thing happening in your life right now, but as much as it may pain you, you have to remember that your suppliers are working with a lot of different brides at any given time.

This isn’t to say you aren’t important to them, you are. And if you feel like you aren’t getting the best service possible then you may have to part ways so you can have the wedding of your dreams.

Generally though, you will find everyone wants the same outcome for your wedding, and you are all working towards that common goal. It is the supplier’s profession to help make your day perfect so there is no reason to doubt they have any other intention.

With this in mind, treat your suppliers respectfully. Basically, treat them the same way you would anyone who is doing you a service. If you need changes made, politely let them know. If they are doing a superb job, let them know that too. And although once your wedding is over it may be the last thing you feel like doing, you should consider sending a thank you note to all of the suppliers you were really happy with.

Be Prepared

When meeting with suppliers, come prepared. For example if you are briefing someone on the decorations you want at the reception venue then come armed with ideas of colour scheme, pictures cut out of magazines of things you like, thoughts on the table centerpieces etc. Any information you provide will help them come back to you with an idea that will closely match what you want.

If you honestly have no idea what you are after, then give them as much information about the other aspects of the wedding that you can. What colour are the bridesmaids wearing? Are you going for a casual or a formal feel? Is there anything that you definitely don’t want at your wedding? You’d be surprised at what they can do with this information. Remember, they work on weddings everyday for a living!

If you do want to make changes to what they have proposed, try to give as much feedback as possible. A simple ‘I don’t like it’ will not help the situation, but if you can point out the specific things you do or don’t like then they should be able to work with this.

Stay off the Phone!

As hard as it might be, don’t give in to your temptation to call your suppliers every day, or even every week in the lead up to your big day! These people are busy and have other weddings they are working on as well, ones that are going ahead much sooner than yours.

If you want to stay on top of things, call them monthly for a chat. Of course in the two or three weeks beforehand this changes and you are welcome to call them more frequently to make sure everything is tracking as planned. In fact, in the days before the wedding you may be on the phone to them several times a day!