Summer has arrived and after many long months of social distancing, it’s clear that people are ready to party! As we kick off what is promising be a busy season, we reconnected with Little Sister Creative founder + creative director, Julie Guinta for her take on 2021 wedding trends.
Little Sister Creative embraced scaled-down nuptials during the shutdown and kept us inspired with their vibrant + joyful installations for virtual vows and stoop celebrations. Their newest venture, Sweet Hearts is a Vegas-style venue for intimate ceremonies and was recently featured in the New York Times.
Always fun, fashionable and ready for a good time, Julie shared her insights on how even smaller celebrations can make a big impact!
photo credit // Edward Winter
photo credit // Sylvie Rosokoff
Q: How has COVID impacted the way couples are approaching event design?
Couples are being really thoughtful in their design processes by digging into what the day means for them and how it can best represent them as a couple. We are guiding several of our clients to think outside the box when it comes to their wedding day. Maybe they want to have a luxury rooftop BBQ, maybe they want to express their love through karaoke, maybe they want really personal details on their tables that speak to their journey as a couple. Since we have all spent so much time apart, I feel like there is really a tenderness taken with the time that we now get to spend together, and our couples are so lovingly taking that into consideration.
Q: What's been one of your favorite trends to emerge from the past year that you hope clients will continue to embrace?
Couples saying no! I know this sounds weird, but because of COVID there is a need to have open conversations about consent and comfort levels. We have had to speak up when we don't feel comfortable or safe and this has definitely infiltrated other aspects of our lives and how we move through them. A lot of my couples are saying no to tradition, familial pressure, guests they might not particularly want around on the big day and other outside influences and/or pressures. They are really doing what they want to do and it has been truly refreshing!
photo credit // Edward Winter
Q: What is the easiest way to make a big impact when hosting a virtual or micro-wedding?
Go wild! You are celebrating small so instead of paying for decor/florals for a big wedding, you are paying for the micro! So go big, go over the top! Splurge for a stellar gift for guests to mark the day or opt for all the awesome upgraded table rentals. Send people flowers to have in their Zoom windows or make it interactive! Hire a bartender to teach your guests to make a signature drink. Make it fun, make it unique, make it exactly how you and yours want it!
photo credit // Edward Winter
Q: Tell us about Sweet Hearts and what inspired you to create this sweet offering?
Sweet Hearts grew out of wanting to provide a beautiful, safe space for all people to share a special moment. The idea came to me when I married two friends over steaks at a Williamsburg steakhouse. A lightbulb went off and I thought, “why isn’t there any one-stop-wedding-spot that’s not a courthouse?!” After designing tons of weddings during my career, I noticed a huge hole in the wedding market that did not provide, easy, no frills, yet beautiful weddings to those who just want to commit.
While I absolutely love big wedding celebrations, I also wanted to provide an easy, mega-affordable option to my clients who might not want to spend their budget on a Little Sister Creative designed wedding. My goal is to not turn any couple away who wants to celebrate their love.
Q: What design trends do you predict we'll see more of in 2021?
MIXING HIGH + LOW
Instead of an entire wedding weekend being super high-end + luxury, I think a mix of the high and low will be very popular this year. For example, booking the stellar venue with city views but opting for a casual, loungey dinner. Getting married over Zoom, and spending the entire budget to blow out the stoop with florals. Booking the chef's table at a restaurant and getting married over steaks with a few close friends. Pre-COVID the wedding bubble was bursting! Things were getting bigger and bigger...meaning more and more unattainable for most. I love that people are layering these elements into their wedding days or weekends to offer guests such an unexpected variety of experiences!
MULTIPLE EVENTS TO MARK THE MOMENT
I also see a trend towards the "one-size-wedding-does-not-fit-for-all" meaning people no longer have their "big day" but maybe multiple, highly personalized moments of significance. That way these smaller events speak to the curated groups of people who are invited and the couple's vibe in that moment. Maybe you have rehearsal dinner with your best friends, then you elope, then you have a banger of a party to celebrate with everyone you know! Maybe you have an awesome engagement party for all, then a very intimate destination wedding, or other way around! Or maybe you just get hitched Sweet Hearts, our Vegas-style chapel in Williamsburg, then meet everyone at a venue upstate for an all-night dance party! All the wedding events don't have to be packed into one weekend, and they don't have to involve everyone each time. Honestly, they don't have to involve anyone at all :)
photo credit // Kylee Yee
photo credit // Edward Winter