Whether you’re actually planning a wedding or just love browsing Pinterest for your potential dream ceremony, making sure that your D-Day represents who you are is hard. With the constant flow of images on social media, it’s easy to get lost in wedding trends and fads, as confirmed by Hanzhi Khoo, the creative wedding planner heading The Joy Troopers: “[Social media] are our best friend and “worst enemy “. Couples are very well informed, however, they may be a little over-reliant on images they see.” To help you navigate into the fascinating yet time-consuming wedding planning period, we’ve asked the most creative weddings vendors in Singapore to round up the top trends as well as the gimmicky ones. From ditching naked cakes (there’s a good reason for that!) and perfect floral arrangements to opting for a ceremony in a café, here are all the trends to follow and to avoid.

Green or colourful setting

“With Pantone colour of year 2017 awarded to Greenery, the botanical and green theme is definitely in the limelight this year. However as the year nears the end, we do start to notice that colourful and vibrant themes are popping out these days” says Hanzhi Khoo, founder of The Joy Troopers

Mixing floral styles

“Mixing flowers that in the first place wouldn’t feel like going together [is the trend to go for]. Tropical and European for example. Anthuriums, proteas, and palm leaves will definitely get married with hydrangeas, eustomas and olive branch! It’s just about the way of arranging it!” Aude Giraud, founder of Ask a French Flowers 

Minimalist cakes

“We currently see two big trends when it comes to wedding cake designs – bold & colourful or elegant & minimalistic.

Many brides now embrace colours and bring bright shades into their designs – often in the form of flowers, prints or patterns. We also see a lot of hand-painted flower details with intense colours to add to the drama.

The second trend is definitely going back-to-the-roots of wedding cakes and embracing the white on white, soft hues and traditional styles with icing designs, bows, statement flowers and blossoms.” says Annina, co-founder of Susucre

Bye-bye hotels, hello cafés

“Restaurants and cafes are getting in demand these days with the trend of couples holding smaller celebrations. These venues often allow couples to have an outdoor ceremony and indoor dining area; having the best of both worlds.” Hanzhi Khoo, founder of The Joy Troopers

Avoiding cake-cutting fees

When it comes to desserts, top-tier cakes with cupcakes is definitely the most popular choice, these don’t only give a whimsical look but also cut down on any cake-cutting fee some venues might charge as they provide for easy serving or self-serving.” Annina, co-founder of Susucre

Accessorising with a hair piece

“[The most exciting accessory] would definitely be a unique handmade hair piece! It is like the icing on the cake and it creates a statement for the overall look.” Michelle, co-founder of Truly Enamoured

Roses and wild flower bouquets

“I would say the natural wild style is becoming a true classic. Brides are looking for effortless chic and bold.

They would go more easily for pastels. The rose is still the most popular flower for bridal bouquets, but we would mix it with crazy foliage like eucalyptus to make it look sexy.” assesses Aude Giraud, founder of Ask a French Flowers

Fancy photobooth

“The photobooth remains the most popular activity currently, however we begin to notice that couples love adding interactive elements to them. Printed props on sticks are no longer sufficient for the photobooth areas; couples are looking for life-size props or even furniture to complete the whole setting.” confesses Hanzhi Khoo, founder of The Joy Troopers

Romantic gowns

“For the past 2 years now we have been having many requests for mermaid silhouettes but there has been a subtle but sure shift to an A-line ethereal style for the upcoming season. Romantic, soft, dreamy styles are the most sought after now!” Michelle Chan, co-founder of Truly Enamoured

Classic cuts

“Classic is coming back! And that is exciting because it comes with a modern twist and I always feel that less is more is always a beautiful thing.” Michelle Chan, co-founder of Truly Enamoured

The 6 top trends to avoid

When it comes to the gown

“Bling! Even though it is definitely a trend that will stay for a long time because who doesn’t love beadings?” Michelle Chan, co-founder of Truly Enamoured

Naked cakes

“One trend that is definitely going away – sadly for the look of it – is the naked cake. As pretty and rustic as they were, the naked cake poses a great risk of drying out being exposed to air so much more and more couples are saying goodbye to the trend. It’s pretty but unfortunately not suitable for Singapore’s strong aircon environment.” Annina, co-founder of Susucre

Cascade bridal bouquet and princessy-style

“Those perfect round centrepieces à la Princesse de Monaco aren’t for today’s brides. And the cascade bridal bouquet: over!” Aude Giraud, founder of Ask a French Flowers

Picking a theme for the wrong venue

“While Pinterest offers loads of interesting wedding inspirations, people begin to incorporate everything without looking at other factors such as wedding venue, guests’ profiles and culture. For instance, a rustic barn wedding theme is likely to struggle to fit into an oriental-inspired Chinese restaurant setting.” Hanzhi Khoo, founder of The Joy Troopers

Planning activities that don’t fit your guests

“If you have more elderly guests in the wedding, you may reconsider having a sweet corner/donut bar. Photo booths are popular because they can engage the most guests in the event, however, we can think of alternatives that our guests enjoy more. I have had a couple that substituted a photobooth for a DIY flower bar, because their guests love flowers and they were exhilarated to be able to bring them home as a wedding favour. A similar request for a flower bar can be disastrous if your guests aren’t sure what to do with it.” Hanzhi Khoo, founder of  The Joy Troopers

Going for a Pinterest wedding

“We are overwhelmed with ideas and inspirations every day and noticing people following a trend blindly is common. The last thing we will want to hear from our couple is “can you do exactly like this for me?”. I often ask people to recall a recent wedding celebration they attended, or what they think could have enhanced the wedding experience. Importantly, we want to create a celebration that’s intimate and relevant. You probably don’t want your guests to remember your wedding like how they attended another wedding the week before.” Hanzhi Khoo, founder of The Joy Troopers

Finally, remember the most important wedding must-do: do what feels right to you and what fits your personalities.