Rahmie Santoso and Zack Baumel wanted a wedding that showcased their personality. That meant incorporating their love of gemstones and rocks.
Their September wedding reception featured tables where guests could paint rocks and create necklaces made from gemstones. Their cake was decorated with edible crystals and a gigantic candy amethyst.
"The guests loved that," said Baumel, a Baltimore native who co-owns a Washington, D.C., software start-up with his wife. The couple hands out crystals instead of business cards. "It just felt like us. The whole party was a celebration of the love that we have together. The first thing that people said was, 'That is so you.' Everything was hand-crafted _ other than the cake. It was the most fun wedding they had because it was interactive."
Including natural, outdoor elements like stones, foliage and fresh-picked flowers are just some of the fun, new wedding trends. Couples are ditching traditional elements while incorporating new aspects such as having indoor fireworks; carrying a wreath instead of bouquet or serving doughnuts as opposed to a traditional tiered cake.
At the Four Seasons Hotel Baltimore in Harbor East, a number of weddings there reflect the newer trends.
"I can't even tell you the last time I saw someone throw a bouquet or cut a cake," said Melinda Redling, director of catering and conferences for the hotel. "I'm kind of seeing more of that casual approach with how they are decorating the room."
Couples are taking a less traditional approach to weddings and receptions _ even when it comes to bigger-budget nuptials, according to Elizabeth Bailey, owner of the Cockeysville-based Elizabeth Bailey Weddings.
"So many of our couples are going to so many weddings that they have a desire to just make the wedding different than all the others that they have attended," said Bailey, who is known throughout the region for opulent weddings where budgets most often exceed six figures.
The next wedding you attend will likely feature at least one of these trending options.
