Page 38 - Indulge February/March 2016
P. 38
| INDULGE • FEBRUARY/MARCH 2016 By Emily Hirsch
While everyone appreciates a beautiful wedding
ceremony, the reception is an opportunity for the
wedding couple to put their stamp on the event and
make it a personalized affair. To help you plan the
perfect reception, here is our breakdown of the top
wedding reception and food trends for 2016.
VENUE TRENDS
When it came to wedding reception venues, it used to
be that rustic, outdoor weddings were the norm as couples
sought out alternative places to host their reception. For
2016 however, Erin Brosius, sales manager at Alfred
Angelo Bridal in Whitehall, has noticed that couples are
“transitioning away from the rustic barn wedding into more
formal atmospheres like country clubs or wedding halls.”
Likewise Laurin Fegley, event designer and proprietor
of Simply Smooth Catering, has noticed a shift toward
more indoor weddings and only anticipates for this trend
to continue into 2016 with the impending openings
of venues such as Vault 634 in Allentown and the
success of wedding venues like Folino Estate Winery.
RENTALS AND DECOR
While wedding professionals have noticed a movement
toward formal venues, that doesn’t mean that reception
decor isn’t still informal. “Rustic is still very much a
trend,” Fegley explains, “but touches like burlap and
mason jars have made their way to the sidelines.”
Brosius agrees that it’s more about elevated
decor than the actual theme: “even the barn
weddings I’m seeing are elegant.”
Other trendy details included Edison lighting,
opting for brighter colors over muted earth tones,
and gilded details. Inspired by the demand for
less folksy decor elements, Fegley says to watch
out for a bigger emphasis on linens in 2016.
CATERING TRENDS
Trying to decide whether to opt for a crowd pleasing
buffet or plated, sit down affair? Fegley predicts that
“tastefully done family style” or served dishes with unique
plating details will be trendy in 2016. As receptions move
away from buffets and stations, interactive stations will
still be relevant at cocktail hour. While Fegley says the
beloved baked potato bar may now be passe, she says to
watch out for new cocktail hour bar concepts in 2016.
As far as appetizer trends, Fegley says miniaturized
comfort foods — mac and cheese bites, candied bacon,
soup shooters — will continue to be popular. Come dessert
time, Fegley says many couples are opting out of traditional
wedding cakes in favor of two-tier cakes that are more
symbolic and then doing something different for dessert —
a pie bar, petit fours and bon bons among the choices.
While everyone appreciates a beautiful wedding
ceremony, the reception is an opportunity for the
wedding couple to put their stamp on the event and
make it a personalized affair. To help you plan the
perfect reception, here is our breakdown of the top
wedding reception and food trends for 2016.
VENUE TRENDS
When it came to wedding reception venues, it used to
be that rustic, outdoor weddings were the norm as couples
sought out alternative places to host their reception. For
2016 however, Erin Brosius, sales manager at Alfred
Angelo Bridal in Whitehall, has noticed that couples are
“transitioning away from the rustic barn wedding into more
formal atmospheres like country clubs or wedding halls.”
Likewise Laurin Fegley, event designer and proprietor
of Simply Smooth Catering, has noticed a shift toward
more indoor weddings and only anticipates for this trend
to continue into 2016 with the impending openings
of venues such as Vault 634 in Allentown and the
success of wedding venues like Folino Estate Winery.
RENTALS AND DECOR
While wedding professionals have noticed a movement
toward formal venues, that doesn’t mean that reception
decor isn’t still informal. “Rustic is still very much a
trend,” Fegley explains, “but touches like burlap and
mason jars have made their way to the sidelines.”
Brosius agrees that it’s more about elevated
decor than the actual theme: “even the barn
weddings I’m seeing are elegant.”
Other trendy details included Edison lighting,
opting for brighter colors over muted earth tones,
and gilded details. Inspired by the demand for
less folksy decor elements, Fegley says to watch
out for a bigger emphasis on linens in 2016.
CATERING TRENDS
Trying to decide whether to opt for a crowd pleasing
buffet or plated, sit down affair? Fegley predicts that
“tastefully done family style” or served dishes with unique
plating details will be trendy in 2016. As receptions move
away from buffets and stations, interactive stations will
still be relevant at cocktail hour. While Fegley says the
beloved baked potato bar may now be passe, she says to
watch out for new cocktail hour bar concepts in 2016.
As far as appetizer trends, Fegley says miniaturized
comfort foods — mac and cheese bites, candied bacon,
soup shooters — will continue to be popular. Come dessert
time, Fegley says many couples are opting out of traditional
wedding cakes in favor of two-tier cakes that are more
symbolic and then doing something different for dessert —
a pie bar, petit fours and bon bons among the choices.
