A Look At What’s Coming For 2023

It is now December and as 2022 draws to a close we naturally begin to take stock here at Iscoyd Park and look back over the last 12 months. It has been an exciting year, filled with so many events and vast quantities of joy and love. We are constantly surprised by the creativity of our couples, the imagination of so many suppliers involved in these special events and the absolute determination of everyone involved to bring dreams and visions to life. We don’t say it lightly when we state that it is an absolute honour to be able to host weddings and other special occasions here at the house and in the grounds and to be a part of these wonderful days.

As we reflect on the year that has been and has ever so gracefully slipped past, hour by golden hour, it is only natural to begin to look ahead. To consider and wonder about what is to come and what 2023 has in store for us. Being witness to many special events, we begin to see what themes are popular with our couples, the decorative elements that are most often requested and the decisions behind their aesthetic decisions. This naturally changes year upon year, as favourites come and go and new ways of styling things are explored.

At Iscoyd we welcome change, we love innovation and we’re able to see first hand new trends that start to appear in wedding circles. We thought then we would share over a series of blogs our wedding trend predictions for 2023 over the next few weeks into January and February. It will be interesting to see this time next year if we were ‘on the money’ so to speak.

First up, we’ll be chatting all things florals; colours, arrangements, styles and budgets. Let’s get started.

Top Image: Will Fuller Photography | Bottom Image: Christophe Bourgeois Photography

Colour POP!

We predict bold colour will be the order of the day for 2023 couples. Whilst soft, pastel shades have ruled the show for some time now we predict that this is about to change. Hot pinks rather than soft blushes, exhilarating citrus shades with a dash of green foliage to ground the palette. We would even go so far as to say that quite a few Iscoyd couples have been early adopters of this trend judging by the images in the moodboard below – all of which we’re proud to say were taken here at Iscoyd this year.

This trend is about fun. It’s an injection of sunshine even in the depths of Winter, lifting spirits and adding a sense of modernity to proceedings. There is a movement towards, or rather a harking back, to a more candid, spontaneous approach in wedding attitudes. We’re seeing this in the use of disposable cameras placed on wedding reception tables again after a hiatus of about 10 years and a more relaxed style of photography. This desire for more youthful, colourful blooms is reflective of that too.

If we were to hedge bets on a particular colour then bright pink would be our guess. When chatting with florists about requests for the wedding season ahead, they’ve mentioned that brides are opting for Barbie pinks, cerises and blooms in scarlet hues. It all sounds rather delicious to us!

 

Top Left Image: Christophe Bourgeois Photography | Top Right Image: Harry Michael Photography  | Bottom Left Image: Philippa James Photography | Bottom Right Image: Christophe Bourgeois Photography

 

Sustainability Is Key!

The trend that we can most confidently predict will influence next year’s weddings is that of Sustainability. Sustainability with a capital S. Of all the trends influencing and guiding next year’s themes, then this is the strongest and has the potential to have the furthest reach.

Brides and grooms are becoming much more aware of the impact that their wedding day has on the planet, the ecological cost so to speak and are consciously looking for ways to reduce any negative effects.

Much like the desire to eat seasonally and using local independent suppliers, we’re seeing more couples apply the same principles to their flowers too. Choosing flowers that are in season rather than importing them from Holland is becoming more popular. Whilst Summer is replete with choice, the Winter months require a greater amount of ingenuity. That said, the enduring fashion for foliage heavy arrangements allows Autumn and Winter weddings to have their moment too by utilising foraged ingredients that aren’t necessarily flower dependant.

Dried and preserved flowers are really having a moment right now and we see this preference dominating 2023. Aside from the fact that they aren’t going to wilt in the heat which guarantees that buttonholes and bouquets are still going to be on point at the end of the night, preserved flowers offer versatility and practicality. Seasonality won’t affect this particular style and bouquets and buttonholes can be made (and stored) in advance without any concerns about them not looking their best. Dried flowers are versatile too; they possess a strength that allows for more complex and dramatic arrangements that really packs an aesthetic punch.

Lastly we’re noticing that some couples go one step further than asking florists to use UK grown flowers and actually grow their own wedding blooms or asking green fingered friends and family to help out. We love the personal touch that this brings to the day. 

 

Top Left Image: Lauren Juliette Photography | Top Right Image: Jade Osborne Photography  |Bottom Left Image: Emma Wilkinson Photography | Bottom Right Image: Rebecca Kerr Photography

 

Pillars And Arches

In much the same vein as thinking sustainably, we propose that the concept of ‘repurposing and reusing’ is making its presence felt in other ways other than just using seasonal and locally grown produce. 

More and more, we’re seeing couples multipurpose arrangements to reduce the quantity of flowers being used but without compromising on quality or impact. Pillars and arches festooning church entrances, creating drama at the end of wedding aisles or even adorning wedding signage were all big news in 2022 and we don’t see that changing for 2023. 

Whilst these pieces are sizeable, they are also adaptable in that they can easily double up as a photo backdrop, take the form of dance floor decor or even create a focal point for a cake table later on in the day. What might have been a piece of aisle decor at the beginning of the day can later become the perfect piece to sashay to music on later than evening. 

More often than not we’re seeing more pillars being designed by talented florists than archways purely because they can be manoeuvred more readily (and even split up) than a full scale arch. More evidence again of couples being clever with their budgets but without an effect on the overall aesthetic. What’s not to like…

Top Left Image: Richard Skins Photography | Top Right Image: Louise Griffin Photography  |Bottom Left Image: Nesta Lloyd Photography | Bottom Right Image: Harry Michael Photography

 

Perfectly Petite

Staying on the theme of consuming less, we’re noticing that more and more brides are opting for smaller posies rather than oversized bouquets. In fact we’re surprised that it hasn’t caught on sooner. Princess Catherine certainly modelled this trend with her chic posy of Lily of the Valley when she married William all the way back in 2011 and it’s taken until now for the mainstream to follow suit.

Smaller bouquets bring with them so many plus points that perhaps many brides haven’t considered up until now. For a start, flowers are heavy(!); opting for a smaller arrangement will allow for a greater manoeuvrability in wedding portraits and general transportation over the whole day (as well as less aching arms too!)

Secondly the trend towards simpler wedding dress fashions, with sleek outlines and more architectural tailoring, calls for a pared back approach in the flowers too. Choosing a smaller bouquet means that both dress and flowers work proportionately with one another without one trying to outdo the other.

Lastly, opting for less flowers means that brides can perhaps choose varieties, that in vast quantities would be cost prohibitive. Lily of the Valley, for example, is incredibly expensive in large amounts. Choosing to keep things neat and discreet opens up the possibility of being able to consider more conventionally expensive flowers because not as many stems are needed,

Top Left Image: Harry Michael Photography | Top Right Image: Tobiah Tayo Photography  |Bottom Left Image: Jessica O’Shaughnessy Photography | Bottom Right Image: Emmy Shoots Photography

 

Special thanks go to all the florists whose work we are very proud to display in this post including Katie at Unique Your Wedding, Sasha at Sassflower and Mat at Red Floral Architecture. All are regulars here at Iscoyd and we are always so thrilled to see with what they create for our couples on their wedding days.

We hope you’ve enjoyed reading our predictions for 2023. We wonder what your own thoughts are on the wedding trends for 2023 and beyond. Perhaps you’ll agree with some of our theories, perchance you might disagree. We’d love to hear your thoughts; why not pop on over to our Instagram and Pinterest pages for more inspiration too.

Find out more about Weddings at Iscoyd Park