This is Petra’s contribution to the Wedding Trend Report 2016:
The demand for luxury venues in the south of England will continue to grow. Destination weddings are becoming more popular, especially as more and more countries legalise same-sex marriages, and I am seeing more interest in the exclusive hire of boutique hotels and private villas. I expect this to continue in 2016. I also see a growing interest in beach weddings.
It is also fair to say that same-sex couples are less constrained by tradition and are more comfortable creating unique weddings overseas than straight couples. Additionally, for both groups the world is getting smaller and a destination wedding can actually be much better value that getting married in the UK.
The colour trends that I see for 2016 for same-sex weddings are lots of different shades of green – lime green, jade green and sea green. I also see lots of blue – dark blues (navy blue, electric blue and indigo) and light blues (aquamarine and hydrangea blue). Additionally, London runways during the last Fashion Week were flooded with animal and jungle prints and I predict this will influence weddings throughout 2016.
For honeymoons the USA is always a popular destination with San Francisco, Las Vegas and Hawaii being the top choices with same-sex couples. Spain is another favourite closer to home, more specifically Ibiza and Barcelona. Interest will continue in Greece in particular Zante, Santorini and Mykonos.
The interest in Mexico will also grow especially Puerto Vallarta and Riviera Maya. In terms of destinations to be avoided it’s best not to go on honeymoon in countries that are not gay-friendly or have strict anti-gay laws. For example, Jamaica, Barbados, Muslim countries and Russia.
