This Bridal Event Is Showcasing 2019's Top Wedding Trends First

Weddings

by The Venue Report

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Tis’ the season to get engaged! We are in the thick of engagement season (hello, snowy proposals) and you know how it goes: first comes love, then comes a proposal, then comes wedding planning! With all of the highs of being newly engaged, jumping into the wedding planning process can be overwhelming at best and daunting at worst. An excellent first step in the planning process is attending a bridal showcase. Why? Before you start Pinteresting or even budgeting, it’s great to go and see florals, dresses, tablescapes and installations in real life to find what you really love – from colors to place settings – and focus your energy there. We know, the words ‘bridal showcase’ may conjure images of puffy white dresses and doilies but we assure you, this one is a treat.

Started by mega-creative and close friend, Jill Fausner (you may know her as Layered Vintage), Modern Love Event is a unique bridal showcase built exclusively for the city it’s in. Modern Love launched in January of this year with its first event in San Diego followed by Nashville. What’s special about this collection of creatives is that they are gathered based off research about the unique wedding market of that city. We caught up with Jill about the Nashville event at The Cordelle and got the inside scoop on the second San Diego event coming soon.

Tell us all about Modern Love – why did you start it?

Modern Love was born from a need, a need to have an event that put vendors first. There are so many wedding shows that come through each city and fail to do any research. Many are large-scale with sales teams that are focused more about closing the sale and filling “booths.”

We are about getting to know each city we come to. Doing our own research to find out what the market is like there, what vendors are looking for, what couples are looking for and how to blend the two together to create an epic event. We curate our vendors not just by looking at their portfolio of work, but also researching where they came from, how they got to where they are, who they collaborate with, client testimonials, etc. We are looking for the best in each city we go to. We want seasoned, detail oriented vendors but we also support newcomers with tons of talent that needs to be shared.

All vendors are teamed up with one another in a collaborative manner. No one vendor will work on their own. Whether it’s a designer working with a team of rentals, calligraphy and floral or a caterer that partners up with a rental company and graphic designer for their signage, each vendor will share their ideas, lean on one another and bring out the best in one another.

What brought you from SD to Nashville?

Nashville is now the #1 destination for weddings in the US (beating out Charleston that was previously the #1). There's something really interesting happening there with more traditional Southern weddings becoming more a thing of the past, and newer, more trend setting weddings taking their place. The venues there are insane and cover such a vast range of style that really anyone could come to Nashville and find something perfect for them. They're also the mecca for music lovers, foodies and shoppers, so it's not like you're twisting your guest's arms to get them there!

How was working at The Cordelle? We've always wanted to see it IRL!

The Cordelle was a dream. The team there went above and beyond to make the event as seamless as possible as well as help us get our foot in the door with other local vendors. It was hard being in San Diego and trying to establish ourselves there and show people what we were trying to accomplish. In many ways The Cordelle team vouched for us and helped us get in front of the best vendors Nashville has.

The venue is stunning. Gorgeous architecture, green lawns for ceremony or cocktail hour and vaulted white ceilings. We were especially in love with the original brick walls and fireplace details in the entryway of the venue as well as the huge Bridal Suite upstairs. The space was a blank canvas and you immediately had a million ideas of how to transform it when you stepped inside.

What were some of your favorite trends/looks for 2019 weddings?

The use of dried floral elements and foraged seasonal product added texture and makes everything so interesting. Installations are going nowhere so embrace them and source a venue that has the means to let your design team build them! High ceilings with beams and details that allow for rigging are so important.

The use of gold/mustard makes our heart so happy. It's such a rich and unexpected color. It adds so much to a neutral palette of creams, tans and blush -- see what the New Eclectic's team did. It also packs a punch to a more traditional palette of cream, blush, pinks and peach -- see what the Modern Vintage Event's team did.
Interactive elements will play a big part going into 2019 and the future. Making things fun and memorable for guests seem to be more on couple's minds these days. Could be a fun interactive dessert like custom cotton candy on site or our cocoa bar in Nashville.

What's going to be THE biggest trend?

Ohhh that is so dangerous to say. Who are we to say!?! I think going back to the idea of adding Gold/Mustard to the palette, funky and unique palettes with more contrast will be big in 2019. Autumn palettes seem to be popping up throughout the year. People are sick of blush and white (finally). You heard it here ;)

What's next on the horizon for Modern Love? How do we get involved?

San Diego is just around the corner coming to you on January 27th, 2019! After that we have locked in Seattle on April 6th 2019. We are not sure what else is in store for us but love hearing from vendors that want us to come to their city!

The best way to get involved is to follow along on Instagram and look out for new cities, dates and when applications are open. We are working on a newsletter for 2019 to keep folks up to date so look for that soon too!

Book your event at The Cordelle →
Buy tickets for the next Modern Love event →

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