How to say »YES« – Wedding Special 2019
The topic of marriage plays a major role in Botticelli’s work »Venus & Mars«: from the garment of Venus to the actual use of the painting. In our big sisterMAG wedding special, you’ll learn from wedding blogger Barbara Eichhammer what the great wedding trends are in 2019! We also introduce you to a great selection of wedding photographers. Have fun!
- Text: Barbara Eichhammer
- Photos: Ashley Ludaescher
- Sourcing: Sophie Siekmann
How to say »YES«
Wedding Special 2019
In real as well as in digital life, weddings are very popular at the moment. The summer season is the perfect occasion for loving couples to enter into marriage and to celebrate it with a lavish party. On Instagram and Co., we can often follow this very closely and get inspired in many ways: What is the bride wearing? Which cake is especially popular? What does the interior design look like and which places provide backdrops for picturesque photos? We took a close look at the »Wedding 2019« and talked to experts from the industry.
The German wedding blogger Barbara Eichhammer and the most interesting wedding photographers we know answered our questions – and showed us a selection of their most beautiful weddings.
The most important Wedding Trends 2019
Weddings in 2019 will be colourful, sustainable and intimate. From urban street food to exciting waffle cakes – these new trends will inspire bridal couples and wedding guests alike.
1.) Fashion
Since Chiara Ferragni’s spectacular wedding in 2018, one fabric has become essential for bridal collections: tulle! Thus, two-piece wedding dresses are very popular, which consist of floaty tulle skirts and delicate lace tops. Neckholder and Off-Shoulder styles have become popular since Meghan Markle’s wedding. In 2019, wedding gowns do not necessarily have to be all-white: Powder colours, subtle blush tones and gold details turn each dress into an eye catcher. Trendy accessories: Knitted bridal sweaters for cooler evenings, which can also be worn with jeans after the wedding.
2.) Food
Family Style Dinner is the new trend when it comes to wedding catering, because it creates a really festive, yet intimate atmosphere. Just like a family dinner at home, the food is served on platters and in bowls, so that each guest can help themselves. A must-have for this season: Themed bars! Most popular with bridal couples at the moment is a gin bar. Alcohol-free alternatives might be a lemonade or coffee bar. On the menu, urban street food and live cooking are trending: Oriental mezze, taco variations and Mediterranean antipasti offer culinary highlights.
3.) Cake
In 2019, wedding cakes still do without coats of fondant. Instead, drip cakes are totally en vogue, i.e. cakes that have their icing oozing down their sides. Semi naked cakes are still hugely popular: They come with a very thin layer of frosting, which allows some of the layers to peek through. THE wedding cake trend of the year: Waffle Cakes! This cake consists of a delicious stack of waffles, garnished with fresh berries, fruit, maple syrup or sprinkles.
4.) Location
While barns & co were popular wedding locations over the last few years, small, elegant garden weddings are experiencing a revival. Manor houses, country estates and botanic gardens are getting more and more popular as places to celebrate. A major trend is a so-called »Micro Wedding«, i.e. a wedding with less than 30 guests.
5.) Decor & Interior
Wedding decors are finally getting more colourful again: Mustard tones and matching colour shades like dusky pink, blush or rust-red are gradually replacing the natural greenery tones of last season. Highlights are set by metallics, with rose gold being the absolute favourite amongst wedding couples. Pampas grass and dried flowers are currently highly popular. Letterings of all kind are indispensable: Whether it is welcome signs or neon signs, nicely written messages are there to greet your wedding guests.
sisterMAG recommends: Our favourite wedding photographers
A good eye for special moments
Ashley Ludaescher is a wedding photographer based in California – and can get booked around the world. Together with her husband Andreas she shares a passion for capturing true emotions and love on film and exploring the world together. Ashley’s photos are filled with beauty and ease.
Dear Ashley, what was the main reason why you became a wedding photographer?
I have my bachelor’s degree in photography and have worked as a photographer for over 15 years. Back when I was in school, wedding photography was the very bottom of the totem pole. I wanted to be a fashion photographer and moved to Paris after graduating to work in the industry. I quickly discovered that the fashion industry was not really for me and focused on portraits, lifestyle and travel work. After my own wedding in 2011, I discovered how meaningful and beautiful wedding photography can be. Gone are the days of super posed static imagery – today’s wedding imagery is filled with emotion, movement and beauty. I fell madly in love with photographing weddings and 7 years later nothing has changed.
In your estimation in which general direction have weddings developed in the past 10 years?
Weddings have come a long way in the past decade. Couples are focusing more and more on making their wedding a reflection of themselves and their style and I love it. Pinterest definitely changed things in the industry forever. Overall weddings are way less traditional and much more personal. I love when clients focus on making their wedding day a celebration of their love but also their guests and find ways to really make the day special. Weddings ten years ago saw a lot of burlap and mason jars, which hopefully will never come back in style (fingers crossed).
How would you describe the typical ”2019 wedding”?
More and more clients are embracing color and unique color palettes which makes my heart SO happy. After a few years of neutrals, I am embracing all the color at weddings! I think again, clients are focusing on creating a celebration that is personal and unique for their guests. Designing a day that really has a bit of wow factor that guests will remember and enjoy!
Which location would you recommend to future wedding couples?
Oh I have a million amazing locations to recommend – this does not really answer the question, but I would tell my clients to choose a location and venue that brings them joy and somewhere they feel deeply connected to as a couple. Also the Amalfi Coast is amazing and we love working there, so I would also recommend that.
If life was a fairy tale: Who and where would you love to shoot?
Oh shoot- that is a hard one! I really want to go to Africa, so putting it out there in the world that I would love to photograph a wedding there! Also Bali & India would be amazing! And photographing couples who are kind and open hearted are what make this job so amazing!
Documentary meets Fashion
Tali Photography consists of the two talented sisters Tali & Claudia from Cologne and Berlin who capture beautiful weddings in Germany and the whole world with their team of second shooters and assistants. Their style is a mixture of photo reportage and a bit of fashion – their pictures are romantic, stylish and noble. More than 185,000 people follow their content on Instagram.
Dear Tali, dear Claudia, why did you decide to focus your photography on weddings?
We’ve always been fascinated by photographing people in their strongest emotions. Every wedding tells another love story and every wedding is adorned with tears of joy, moments of happiness and intimacy. This inspires and excites us.
In your experience: How and where did weddings develop over the last ten years in general?
We live in a time in which marriage is not a social must and not accompanied by pressure. The weddings of the 21st century reflect that since the wedding vow became even more important.
In your opinion: What does a »Wedding 2019« constitute?
For us, intimacy has priority. It refreshes us if, with all the planning and the preparations, the meaning of the day is in the spotlight: the love for each other, the durable decision and the promise made in front of the closest friends and family.
Which locations would you recommend to future wedding couples?
We love destination weddings, be it Italy, France, Marrakech or Spain. However, it’s important that the couple is devoted to each other and looks for a location that fits them and they have a connection to.
If you could make a dream come true: Who and where would you love to shoot one day?
Tina Kunakey & Vincent Cassell in Brasil!
Boho vintage and warm tones
»Maria-Zimmermann-Fotografie« stands for an earthy, warm picture style. The couples photographer shoots people on their most beautiful day in an elegant boho vintage style – very pretty and natural. Maria describes herself as a fun-loving optimist – she turned her passion into her profession and ranks cordiality first. She lives in East Frisia with her husband Sjoerd and her children Melina (4) and Joost (2).
Dear Maria, why did you choose wedding photography as your focus?
I love photography that is cheerful, authentic and emotive. How could I realise that better than at weddings? Everything that is important to me and makes my photography unique to me, I find in all the beautiful and extraordinary weddings. People smile, are happy, look fantastic in their wonderful suits and celebrate love together.
What is typical for weddings at the moment?
I notice that many couples are bolder and more open for new things. Future bridal couples are more interested in new trends and options of organising a wedding. I think that several very popular platforms like Pinterest and Google contribute to that. Couples can get high and inspired by the variety of beautiful design concepts and can instantly implement them with simple instructions. It was a conscious decision of me to specialise in the bohemian vintage field. I identify myself with this style and I love and live it like many bridal couples do.
Which location would you recommend to your bridal couples?
I would always recommend the bridal couple to go outdoors. Nature offers us so many exceptional possibilities to shoot fantastically beautiful photos: water, meadows, fields, forests, gravel pits and much more. I often see that the vastness of nature, the sounds of nature, the warm sun on the skin or the scent of the forests or the sea relaxes the couples. They can move freely, walk, run and even frolic. This has a positive influence on the shooting which also affects the pictures. Also, there is no better light for me than our morning or evening sun.
Who and where would you love to shoot one day?
I’ve never thought about who I would like to shoot. I am fascinated by all the different people and their personal stories. It’s incredibly exciting and an adventure for me. But I would like to travel to Ireland, Scotland or Marrakech soon. Being able to shoot the beautiful landscapes – at best, I meet great couples I can make happy with my pictures.
Romantic meets a good sense of humour
Lyndsey Goddard is a documentary wedding photographer based by the seaside in England. She shoots weddings in the United Kingdom, in Europe and worldwide. Her photos are honest and unexpected – they sometimes want to make you laugh, they sometimes want to make you cry. Her photos are special and lovely!
What was the main reason why you became a wedding photographer?
I’m endlessly fascinated by people, and photography has been a lifelong love, so weddings are perfect for me. I see weddings as social documentary photography and in over 10 years of shooting them and over 275 weddings, I am still 100% in love with documenting the unexpected magic of a wedding day.
In your estimation in which general direction have weddings developed in the past 10 years?
Couples are feeling freer than ever to do things their own way and to not be restricted by what is ‘traditional’. The emphasis now seems to be on couples expressing who they are as individuals and as a couple and bringing this to their day.
How would you describe the typical ”2019 wedding”?
Personally, none of my couples do things the same way; each wedding is individual. Their individuality maybe makes them typical!
Which Location would you recommend to future wedding couples?
In the UK, I love working at The Asylum, a wonderful old building in south-east London which has peeling paint and the most glorious light. I’m also a big fan of The Dreys, an amazing woodland location in Kent which allows couples to create a festival-type wedding, with camping for guests and acres of woodland. One of my weddings there had an aerial artist serving champagne whilst hanging from a hoop, and the bride also brought her horse as a guest. I love shooting somewhere new and discovering new places, but these are two of my favourites.
If life was a fairy tale: Who and where would you love to shoot?
I’ve been lucky enough to photograph amazing couples and weddings in the most magical places; a hotel made out of sand in the Rajasthani desert in India, a vineyard in Poland, a beach bar in Spain, romantic old Italian churches as well as forests and beaches and beautiful old buildings in the UK. If my work continues in this way, then that is the fairytale for me. Although if someone wants to book me to photograph a wedding in Burano, Italy, or Mexico City (I love colour!) then that would be a dream come true.
Authenticity & love
»Melli & Shayne« are destination wedding photographers and videographers – and a couple in love. They have passionately been capturing love stories since 2014. Their couples celebrate authentic and meaningful weddings, without following trends and conventions. Melli and Shayne are currently based in Nuremberg together with their little Boston Terrier pup.
What was the main reason why you became wedding photographers?
Working with couples on their wedding day is such a beautiful experience, when you’ve done it once and felt the happiness and love involved with this day, you don’t want to do anything else anymore. We feel incredibly lucky to call this our job and are grateful for every single couple that trusted us to capture their wedding moments for eternity.
In your estimation in which general direction have weddings developed in the past 10 years?
We haven’t been in the wedding industry for the past ten years but since 2014 and we’ve definitely noticed a trend in free ceremonies. Couples are becoming braver and are breaking with traditions they can’t identify with. In general weddings are also celebrated with less guests but higher quality standards. Quality over quantity is also a trend we notice when couples choose their vendors. Finally destination weddings are becoming more and more popular. A big trend in the U.S. and slowly growing in popularity in Europe too are elopements; just the couple running away to a stunning place and saying their vows in the most intimate and adventurous setting.
How would you describe the typical ”2019 wedding’’?
In 2019 we can see a lot of pampas grass, natural materials and colours and also string lights. White chair covers are almost entirely banned. Open air dinners are becoming a thing now, even in Germany and the wedding time line is slowly changing too. Couples now have their ceremony at around 3 or 4 pm in the afternoon and start dinner later.
Which Location would you recommend to future wedding couples?
This very much depends on the desired country. If couples want to get married in Italy, we would always recommend an Agroturismo in Tuscany, like The Lazy Olive, or a Masseria in Apulia. Italy is full of stunning wedding venues, let alone the food. In Mallorca for example it is a good idea to rent a Finca for you and your best friends & families. Germany has some amazing old & rustic castles and mansions, like Wasserschloss Unsleben in Northern Bavaria, or all the charming places around Berlin and in the North, it is hard to pick one specifically. Most of the time though, our couples have booked their venue and secured a date when they contact us. For elopements we basically can go anywhere in the world from the most Northern point in Norway to the South Cape.
If life was a fairy tale: Who and where would you love to shoot?
Not a fairy tale but definitely on our bucket list: A wedding in Morocco, at one of those dreamy Riads maybe and a sunset shoot in the desert. Yes! Our dream couples are people with a high sense of authenticity and similar priorities and aesthetics to the ones we share. The best results can be achieved when we connect on a level that goes beyond the classic client – vendor relationship.
Friends instead of providers
»Danny and Ralf« have been a couple for 10 years and live in Dinslaken with their tomcat Sammy. For them, it’s an absolute affair of the heart to accompany the most wonderful days of two people with their cameras. This results in very special and intimate pictures. Danny and Ralf consciously decided on destination weddings – they love getting to know different cultures and being together with people from all over the world.
Why did you choose weddings as the main focus of your photographic work?
A wedding is such a wonderful and positive day and all the people we meet that day give exactly that off. They laugh, celebrate, cry… who wouldn’t like to be part of these moments? Also, we love to tell stories with our cameras, to capture all the real moments and memories for eternity. Storytelling plays a big role for our way of accompanying a wedding photographically.
We accompany a wedding as it happens, without any poses. Our absolute priority is telling a complete, honest and real story of the day (with our cameras). We love to be really close to the couples, to get the trust of taking part in every intimate and emotional moment and creating memories our way.
In your experience: How did weddings generally develop over the last 10 years?
We are in our third year of photographing weddings and found out that weddings become more and more casual and uncomplicated. Less people get married in churches and free weddings become much more important. It’s essential for the couples to celebrate THEIR day, THEMSELVES and their love (which is what a wedding is all about). From our experience, weddings are celebrated on a smaller and more intimate scale now, up to elopements when the couple spends the day alone in a beautiful place – just them and us, of course. :) We love these kinds of weddings so much. In our opinion, people also pay more attention to nature and environment now. Less balloons (plastics) fly, the tradition of letting doves fly is banned more and more and confetti is not made of plastic anymore but of petals or other ecological materials. This is an issue we support a lot. We explain to the couple how damaging this is for the environment and which great alternatives there are. Using animals as »eye catchers« for weddings is taboo for us. In our opinion, animals should not be photo objects at weddings. Of course, this doesn’t include the family dog but animals like donkeys, alpacas, camels or doves. Food at weddings has turned from big buffets to small food trucks with many different flavours. »Motto bars« are set up, everything is more personal and casual and gets a festival flair.
What does the typical »Wedding 2019« look like for you?
Personality and authenticity! Being free from old traditions you don’t identify with! We observe and photograph this development worldwide. Every wedding has its own charm and can be celebrated in different ways – from completely pompous to completely unconventional. We love our couples because they celebrate their weddings the way they like it.
Which locations would you recommend to future wedding couples?
Phew…… we think that this question can’t be answered. There are so many great places on this planet where we were able to accompany weddings. The lonely beach or the small bay in Mallorca can be as beautiful as the alp in Austria, the cliffs of Ibiza or the Lion’s Head in Cape Town.
But if we really had to recommend THIS ONE location it would be one in Barcelona where we accompanied a wedding in June: La Vinyassa. A great and unique place!
If life was a fairy tale: Who and where would you love to photograph?
We honestly can’t answer that or name a specific place or person. We just hope that we can continue to accompany weddings all over the world, to get to know great people and to discover foreign customs and cultures. It’s most important to us that the personality of our couples fit ours 100 per cent and vice versa.
These magical moments last forever
»Chris & Ruth« are a married photographer couple from Mallorca and firmly believe in marriage. To capture the magic between two lovers is their personal gift. They travel the world together while capturing the best days of their couple’s lives on photo and create memories that last for a lifetime (or even longer). Over 207.000 Follower on Instagram are part of their special journey.
What was the main reason why you became a wedding photographer?
Because we love to create something that really matters to someone. And the feedback we get from our couples is just overwhelming. We did work in Fashion and Commercial as well but the fact that with wedding photos we create memories that means the world to someone is just so powerful.
In your experience: How did weddings generally develop over the last 10 years?
We actually just started 6 years ago but we got married ourselves 8 years ago… So in our experience the weddings have changed a lot within the last ten years… We think weddings have become way more unconventional now. For example we have barely photographed any church weddings for over 2 years now. Also the dress code is not so stiff anymore and we mostly have couples wearing casual but stylish outfits instead of black tie and tulle. But that’s a matter of taste for sure.
How would you describe the typical ”2019 wedding’’?
It’s all about love and good fun! Even if wedding trends come and go the most important thing of a wedding is Love. Having an unforgettable time with families and friends and to really enjoy the day together. So yeah, a good crowd definitely makes a difference.
Which location would you recommend to future wedding couples?
It depends! Most of our couples are traveling to Europe for their big day but a backyard wedding at home can be awesome too. When it comes to destination weddings, Mallorca is definitely a great choice because there is a huge number of awesome venues and top service providers… And of course the weather and amazing food are a good point too!
If life was a fairy tale: Who and where would you love to shoot?
Actually, we feel like we couldn’t be happier right now! We got to travel to more places than we ever expected and we got to know the most amazing humans ever. It doesn’t matter who is getting married as long as they’re madly in love! As for the destination, we’d love to travel through Israel one day.
Friends instead of providers
Daniela Marquardt Photography
»Danny and Ralf« have been a couple for 10 years and live in Dinslaken with their tomcat Sammy. For them, it’s an absolute affair of the heart to accompany the most wonderful days of two people with their cameras. This results in very special and intimate pictures. Danny and Ralf consciously decided on destination weddings – they love getting to know different cultures and being together with people from all over the world.
Why did you choose weddings as the main focus of your photographic work?
A wedding is such a wonderful and positive day and all the people we meet that day give exactly that off. They laugh, celebrate, cry… who wouldn’t like to be part of these moments? Also, we love to tell stories with our cameras, to capture all the real moments and memories for eternity. Storytelling plays a big role for our way of accompanying a wedding photographically. We accompany a wedding as it happens, without any poses. Our absolute priority is telling a complete, honest and real story of the day (with our cameras). We love to be really close to the couples, to get the trust of taking part in every intimate and emotional moment and creating memories our way.
In your experience: How did weddings generally develop over the last 10 years?
We are in our third year of photographing weddings and found out that weddings become more and more casual and uncomplicated. Less people get married in churches and free weddings become much more important. It’s essential for the couples to celebrate THEIR day, THEMSELVES and their love (which is what a wedding is all about). From our experience, weddings are celebrated on a smaller and more intimate scale now, up to elopements when the couple spends the day alone in a beautiful place – just them and us, of course. :) We love these kinds of weddings so much. In our opinion, people also pay more attention to nature and environment now. Less balloons (plastics) fly, the tradition of letting doves fly is banned more and more and confetti is not made of plastic anymore but of petals or other ecological materials. This is an issue we support a lot. We explain to the couple how damaging this is for the environment and which great alternatives there are. Using animals as »eye catchers« for weddings is taboo for us. In our opinion, animals should not be photo objects at weddings. Of course, this doesn’t include the family dog but animals like donkeys, alpacas, camels or doves. Food at weddings has turned from big buffets to small food trucks with many different flavours. »Motto bars« are set up, everything is more personal and casual and gets a festival flair.
What does the typical »Wedding 2019« look like for you?
Personality and authenticity! Being free from old traditions you don’t identify with! We observe and photograph this development worldwide. Every wedding has its own charm and can be celebrated in different ways – from completely pompous to completely unconventional. We love our couples because they celebrate their weddings the way they like it.
Which locations would you recommend to future wedding couples?
Phew…… we think that this question can’t be answered. There are so many great places on this planet where we were able to accompany weddings. The lonely beach or the small bay in Mallorca can be as beautiful as the alp in Austria, the cliffs of Ibiza or the Lion’s Head in Cape Town.
But if we really had to recommend THIS ONE location it would be one in Barcelona where we accompanied a wedding in June: La Vinyassa . A great and unique place!
If life was a fairy tale: Who and where would you love to shoot?
We honestly can’t answer that or name a specific place or person. We just hope that we can continue to accompany weddings all over the world, to get to know great people and to discover foreign customs and cultures. It’s most important to us that the personality of our couples fit ours 100 per cent and vice versa.