As we enter February, we’re still celebrating the New Year, a fresh start, and a set of goals and resolutions at the ready! For many couples, the year 2020 brought disappointment and frustration as wedding plans were indefinitely postponed, cancelled, and or downsized. With vaccines around the corner, venues starting to open back up and can accommodate larger crowds, and couples eager to wed and celebrate their long awaited special day, at Tent Guys, we’re anticipating the Spring and Summer wedding season will be absolutely incredible!  

2021 is undoubtedly a year of hope, new beginnings, and the shared thoughtfulness and joy driving the reconnection with our loved ones. Wedding trends this year mirror that as well, as many couples have had ample time to plan the day of their dreams, focus on what truly matters, and accommodate their guests more fully and thoughtfully. Love might’ve been rescheduled in 2020, but in 2021, love wins for all as they celebrate their big day. Check out some of the best upcoming wedding trends you can use in preparing for your 2021 wedding. 

Sustainability as a focus point 

Weddings can inevitably produce a lot of waste, so for many couples, trying to find innovative ways to be sustainable and eco-friendly is top-of-the-mind. Couples can start by choosing a venue and caterers that are eco-conscious, such as local farms and gardens or those that use locally sourced produce for their menu.  

When it comes to event rentals for your wedding, you’re already taking an important step on reuse, especially for table linens, runners, and lighting – all things that you could purchase in bulk on sites like Amazon that churn fast, and often low-quality products into our ever overflowing landfills.   

You can also make eco-friendly choices when it comes to the special touches on your wedding, like invitations, party favors, napkins, cups, and straws. Here are a few of our favorite sustainable opportunities you can consider:  

Recycled napkins or washable linens – Opt-out of the personalized printed napkins and think broader on your day – no one is going to keep a napkin, and it’s literally going to be used and thrown in the trash. At Tent Guys, we offer high quality linen napkins, in our broad range of colors.   

Virtual invitations – Skip the traditional print invites, and go for virtual invites. Besides residing on a fridge or corkboard for a few months, most guests are going to toss your wedding invites away after the wedding. Save yourself the money of expensive invites, and try out virtual invites. There are tons of free options online that you can complete right from your laptop in a matter of minutes, and you won’t even have to talk your partner into handwriting any of the addresses out on the envelopes. Plus, if it’s important to you or your parents to have a physical invite, you could always print a handful for keepsakes.  

Plant party favors – Succulents and cacti have become extremely popular, but really, any small plant could work as a party favor. A plant is a great gift, as you’re giving guests something they can take care of for years to come, and fondly remember your wedding.  

Fun hashtag suggestions: #letlovegrow #loveisalive 

COVID party favors – Keep sanitation and health at the forefront of your wedding with COVID-safe party favors. A year into the pandemic, it’s easier than ever to order customized facemasks or customized labels for mini hand sanitizer bottles. This party favor not only has a function beyond the wedding, but will keep your guests safe, clean, and on theme during the wedding!  

Fun hashtag suggestions: #loveisinfectious #tohaveandtoholdfromsixfeetapart #spreadlovenotgerms 

Greenery over flowers 

Eucalyptus, ivy, ferns, and boxwoods are in high demand for weddings, whether they’re in the bouquet, centerpieces, or used as background greenery. Cheaper than flowers, and often with the ability to be brought in as potted live plants (rather than cut for temporary use), greenery as décor for weddings is on the rise. If you’re throwing a small, intimate wedding, you can hit local greenhouses or big box stores like Lowes and Home Depot to decorate your ceremony with lush greenery that can be reused and repotted at your home afterward.  

If your wedding is on a larger scale did you know that many of the local Charlotte greenhouses actually rent out plants for events? If you’re wanting greenery, but don’t want to wipe out your local Lowes section, you’ll love the convenience of renting plants (and staying sustainable!). 

Videography 

While photos are still one of the most important aspects of your wedding days, videography has become a must-have for couples on their wedding day. You’ve probably seen a wedding video on social media, that serves as sort of a trailer for the big day; shots of the wedding parties getting ready in the morning, the flowers and greenery being set up at the venue, the first look, and clips of the reception. Rather than just a camcorder capturing the ceremony, many couples are loving the trailer-style montage videos that capture the entire essence of their wedding day in a neat, edited package.  

The Wedding Dress (or, lack thereof!) 

The stagnant traditions surrounding wedding dresses and wedding dress shopping have started to shift dramatically in the past few years, with more people opting for online and virtual dress shopping, secondhand dresses, or non-wedding dresses at lower prices, rather than making a big try-on day at a wedding shop and spending thousands. Sites like ASOS and Lulu’s, and other online boutiques offer affordable wedding dresses or wedding dress alternatives for brides.  

In turn, some brides aren’t reaching for white or ivory anymore at all! More brides are experimenting with color, like champagne, rose gold, dusty blue, or silver, or opting for unique textures and patterns like feathers, floral, and fun beading. Dresses that offer brides versatility are also in! Brides are loving dresses that can transform from a ball gown to a reception dress with the swap of a skirt, dresses with pants or pantsuits underneath, or crop-top and skirt combinations that enable more free movement. Tea skirts and knee length vintage dresses are also on the rise in recent years, over long gowns. What bride wouldn’t love the option of a dress or pantsuit that they can keep enjoying the party and dancing in after the ceremony? 

Customized menus and innovative food options 

In the age of a pandemic, buffets are falling in popularity, while traditional options like plated dishes are back in action, and creative options like food trucks and mobile bars will continue to be on the rise this year, as well as menus that accommodate a wider range of dietary restrictions like gluten-free and vegan options.  

Dreamy mood lighting 

Pinterest wedding boards are trending with whimsical indoor and outdoor lighting, using various lighting to set the mood. From candles to vintage lanterns, or customized neon signs, there are endless opportunities to personalize and highlight your venue and party. At Tent Guys, here are a few of our lighting options:  

Floor Uplighting + Slim Par 64 LED 

LED lights are the best option if you want the ability to personalize and mix bright colors. Our Slim PAR 64 LEDs are great for use within a tent or any other reception venue and paired with our floor uplighting, you can transform a space entirely through visually interesting color displays, and walls of light. With our LEDs, you can go from the wedding ceremony to an immersive dance floor and celebration in a matter of moments.  

Market Lighting 

Market lights, or bistro lights are excellent lighting solutions for outdoor weddings or night receptions. Our market lighting comes in 50 ft strings with LED Edison bulbs, which you can string across a tent to create a romantic atmosphere, or they can be used with planter boxes and poles to light up any space into your reception. 

Twinkle Lights

Twinkle lights are whimsical, warm, and festive. While they may not provide enough lighting to solely power an event, they add the right touch of magic and romance to your wedding atmosphere.  

Talk to one of our event specialists about incorporating a light package into your event.  

Varied, new entertainment for guests 

Instead of just hiring a DJ to play the reception, couples are returning to hiring live music. Whether they offer an intimate acoustic or strings performance for walking down the aisle and cocktail hour, or bringing a live band in for the reception, guests will love the experience of dancing and enjoying a live performance. The newly wedded couples or bridal and groom parties are opting in to perform for their guests, taking dance lessons, and planning choreography ahead of time. Games between the wedded couple or their families are also very popular. Overall, weddings and venues are adding more entertainment options throughout the night to keep guests enthralled and make every wedding memorable.  

Weekday events or more private, intimate ceremonies 

Due to many couples being rescheduled in 2020, newly engaged couples are facing limited pickings on their venue options. Due to this, we may see more couples opting in for weekday bookings, which are in less demand, and often are at a significantly cheaper price! 2020 also saw the rise of smaller weddings as large guest counts were made impossible due to state and local ordinances. Elopements and intimate ceremonies were shown to be just as beautiful and special as a large wedding, even offering couples greater financial freedom to customize their wedding, splurge on certain parts of their celebration (i.e. menu, photographer, dress, or honeymoon), and spend more quality time with their limited guest list. We anticipate micro weddings are here to stay in 2021! 

Tents & Brunch Weddings 

Tent rentals are the best alternative for indoor weddings restricted by COVID-19 and accommodating larger guests counts outdoors. With tents at a small 10×10 to our largest 40×120, we have a range of tent sizes suited to your guest counts and party needs. From there, you can customize your tent even more with sidewalls, doors, windows, power, heating, and A/C. 

As temperatures start to rise in the early spring, more weddings will start to move outdoors, taking advantage of safer spacing and social distancing measures. You can ensure that your tent also has proper ventilation with the use of our fans and blowers, as well as sidewalls and doors. Guests will appreciate the cover of a tent, while still enjoying the outdoors.  

To truly take advantage of perfect spring NC weather, you may be seeing more brunch weddings (10 am-2 pm) in 2021. Rather than partying into the night, brunch weddings have a morning wedding ceremony, followed by every millennial’s favorite gathering: brunch! Brunch can be as informal or formal as one desires. Think mimosas, Bloody Mary’s, coffee, waffle stations, omelets, mini quiche, bacon, cinnamon rolls… basically, all the benefits and fun of a wedding, with sunshine and energy of the early afternoon, gorgeous bright lighting, and no need to worry about the grandparents dipping out of the party. We could see brunch weddings anywhere really, all you’ll need is a tent set-up, and it could work beautifully in a rustic farm setting or an urban uptown location. Plus, brunch weddings are especially great if you want to keep the party going; you can always have a sendoff with family in the early afternoon, take a quick nap, and plan something to keep the party going with your friends in the evening.  

Trust in Tent Guys to handle your wedding rental needs.  

The best way to ensure that your event rentals for your wedding are as perfect as your special day is by contacting one of our event specialists at Tent Guys. We work seamlessly with individuals, venues, or private event planners to equip you with the right rentals and accessories for your wedding. With Tent Guys, you won’t have to spare a second thought on your wedding day about your event rentals – we handle everything from delivery to tent set-up and tear down! Contact us today about your 2021 wedding.