2011 Wedding Trends: Top 11 Wedding Trends Of The Year

Since our launch earlier this year, we've been at the forefront of all things Big Day-related. We brought you the latest news on celebrity nuptials, reports from the front lines of bridal fashion week, personal essays about everything from gay engagements to inter-faith holidays, and updates on the most hotly-anticipated fictional weddings (ahem, that's you, Bella and Edward). Bottom line: we've seen it all. Including, of course, the hottest wedding trends. Here, we've narrowed down the many, many trends we saw this year to just 11 that we think most took the wedding world by storm this year.

Now it's time for you to weigh in. Click through the slideshow and let us know -- do you love 'em, or hate 'em?

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Comments

[richardsmith2012]

01:07 AM on 01/17/2012

Richard Smith
We can provide the latest wedding accessories like tiara, wedding gifts hope to be included in the 2012 Trend list. Visit Us at http://www.myfavoriteweddingshop.com/home.html

[Sybil Sage]

09:17 AM on 01/06/2012

I'm designing one of a kind mosaic items that can be personalized and are popular as wedding gifts. Hoping to be included in the 2012 Trend list. You can help make that happen!

[Eventacular Texas]

10:52 PM on 01/02/2012

Living in San Antonio Texas, the out of the box ideas are not quite here; the brides are still working on the 2010 trends and colors. I would welcome the chance to try some of these wonderful ideas. I also wanted to comment about the bride changing. I think that it is a nice comeback from days gone by that a bride wears a going away outfit. Very nice touch! Not done too much here yet.

[marymrevis]

09:09 PM on 01/02/2012

HOLY HELL!!! DUDE! that was PURE PERFECTION haha! So sweet. I hope you two have a wonderful wedding and an equally wonderful life together. This was great to watch

[lauren31886]

07:40 PM on 01/02/2012

I'm a traditionalist myself...

LOVES: Late night comfort food trend, vintage-style weddings, lace sleeves (better than boring/overdone strapless IMO), ombre.

HATES: Multiple wedding gowns, bridesmaids in white, technology-based invites.

Not my taste but I don't mind: "geeky" proposals, carnation flowers, colored wedding gowns, various dessert tables.

[maori]

09:22 AM on 01/02/2012

Don't worry, I won't be marrying anyone. It would have been nice, but it's not that serious.

[travel66]

04:09 AM on 01/02/2012

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[andwhatarmy]

06:42 AM on 01/01/2012

Maybe it isn't strictly "this year," but HuffPo missed the single most annoying trend; those tacky, arrogant, obnoxious "save the date" announcements. Hello! Whose wedding is so important to so many that, like the royals, they have to announce it before they announce it to make sure no one who is just dying to be there schedules another event and misses it?

Whenever I get a "save the date" announcement, I immediately plan my vacation at that time so I will be out of reach, or simply send my regrets early. After all, any couple who is that important won't even notice if I don't show up.

Plus, their arrogance saves me the cost of a gift. Do I think this is a reprehensible trend? Indeed. Am I ever going to honor it with my presence? Not on your life.

Also ludicrous for anyone except royals is the week-long wedding in which one is supposed to spend one's own vacation days at the destination of the happy couple's choice, forking out thousands for the dubious privilege of getting plastered in foreign climes with people you hardly know and care about even less.

[climbhardjp]

01:30 AM on 01/02/2012

Before last year when my twin sister began planning her wedding, I might have agreed with you.
Now I just think you haven't thought it out enough. It is typical for wedding invitations to arrive 6 to 4 weeks prior to the actual wedding, which is often not enough time for many out of town relatives and close friends to arrange time off of work and plan a flight (often the earlier you schedule a flight the less it costs... especially around holidays and peak season traveling).
You may think couples come off as arrogant by sending a save the date announcement to those they wish to be at their most important day, but I now find it to be courteous. Giving people a heads up is especially important for weddings around holidays where families often plan vacations (as you mentioned).
It's possible that this little rant won't change your mind, if that's the case perhaps you haven't had to deal with helping arrange a wedding yet.

Now I will agree with you on the whole week long wedding thing, that's getting a bit much.

[hoobit]

12:06 AM on 01/01/2012

In an otherwise *completely* traditional, non-denominational wedding ceremony at sunset, our son, his best man, and his two groomsmen entered to "The Imperial March" from _Star Wars_. It was perfect.

[saskatoonie]

12:54 AM on 01/01/2012

Yup the bride and groom left the church to that particular piece of music in a wedding I attended this past year.

[Lisa Shields]

04:53 PM on 12/31/2011

MULTIPLE Wedding Dresses?
That has got to be a new low in tacky.
Weddings are already ridiculously over the top...but as if one dress were not enough ostentation, you need three?

Gag.

[Dnietz]

04:51 PM on 01/01/2012

Why not, we have entered the new gilded age. I'm not even surprised.

[Lisa Shields]

05:10 PM on 01/01/2012

When I married back in 1987, the entire cost of my wedding was 2500 dollars. That included my dress, flowers, a reception with food, and live music.

Two years later, a friend had her wedding...and spent that much on her dress alone. The entire cost of her affair was over 28K...most of it on credit cards. She was paying the bills five years later.

A wedding is one day. What happens after is relevant...but I barely remember a thing about my own---it just passed so quickly. The memories I do have are precious...but when I was putting money down on a house three years later, I was deeply grateful that I had not gotten sucked into wedding excess.

[Dino99]

04:49 PM on 12/31/2011

For those of us that had a maybe $500 wedding price tag max, it is ridiculous. STILL MARRIED!

[PTAOfficerforObama]

04:43 PM on 12/31/2011

Wedding dresses cost hundreds (even thousands) of dollars. The whole idea of wearing 2 or more is ridiculous.

[Anne Mccormick]

05:42 PM on 12/31/2011

yet, i know a bride who wore, count them, three separate dresses.

[Dnietz]

04:39 PM on 12/31/2011

A list clearly for the 1%.

[Anne Mccormick]

05:43 PM on 12/31/2011

actually, i haven't heard of any of the 1% here in NYC being so tacky as to have a food truck.

[thelimoliberal]

09:18 AM on 01/01/2012

Somebody beat me to it! At least 1/2 of the things on the list anyway.