I fell in love with wedding planning when I was dating my husband over 15 years ago.  In college I got an internship in the fashion department at Modern Bride magazine and after graduation was hired as an assistant at Martha Stewart Weddings.  I was a little nervous, and so was my boss, that after my wedding in 2003 I wouldn’t care about weddings anymore, but I found myself more interested in every aspect of weddings:  the planning, the fashion, the details, everything!

I think the reason that I’ve been so passionate about weddings for so many years is that it covers a variety of markets:

fashion for men, women and kids, food and drinks, gifts, stationery, music, travel and sweets, just to name a few.  There are always new and exciting products and services to learn about or even create.

For what’s next in bridal, I think we can take inspiration from the Spring 2014 Bridal Market collections, which showed a lot of ball gowns, lace wedding dresses and delicate beading and floral embellishments. This turn to more formal and elegant designs will influence wedding details from the invitation to the favor.

In stationery, we’re going to see an increase in engraved invitations, or letterpress invites with less whimsy.

Lace has already begun appearing in wedding details, as part of tablescapes and mimicked on wedding cakes. It will continue to be a go-to fabric for favor package wrapping, linens, bouquet cuffs or “ribbon” and other details.

Couples have finally realized the importance of lighting and are asking for more than just votives on a table.  Lighting companies are creating unique colored-light displays for the reception, including custom monograms that highlight the dance floor.

And a wedding is much more than a ceremony and reception these days.  Almost every couple plans an after-party, with a different look and feel, menu, bar and entertainment.

That’s one detail we didn’t have when I got married, and I wish we did.  I never wanted it to end.

Anne Chertoff