Top 10 same sex marriage wedding trends

It's been an exciting few months in Australia since same sex marriage became officially legalised, and it's inspiring to see so much love being celebrated around the country.

Since the first official same sex nuptials took place on 9th January 2018, we've seen a number of popular trends for planning a same sex wedding. Here are the top ten wedding trends for same sex marriages so far in 2018,

1. Outdoor weddings

Given most same sex couples aren't bound to religious ceremonies, it makes sense that outdoor weddings would be popular. Whether it's just the ceremony followed by an indoor reception, or both ceremony and reception hosted in the same place, at least part of the event being outdoors is preferred. Of course planning an outdoor wedding also means you need to consider hire such as marquee hire, chair hire, table hire etc, however these details are easy to organise with Party Hire Group.

2. No bridal party

In the spirit of not playing into gender roles, many same sex couples are opting to not have a traditional bridal party for their ceremony. They will still have close friends and families participate during the day, e.g. To do readings, speeches etc, however skip the formal bridal party for both sides.

3. Walk down the aisle together

Similarly without allocating gender roles on the day, many couples are walking down the aisle together instead of having one person wait at the alter for the other. This also is a beautiful photo opportunity to have you both making an entrance to your ceremony together, rather than one arriving before the other. You can also hire a red carpet to walk down on.

4. Drop the Mr & Mrs … / Mr & Mr … / Mrs and Mrs …

Many same sex couples decide to keep their maiden name and not take on each others surnames. In this case, most celebrants will use a more generic announcement, such as, “the happy couple”; “First name & First name to be married”, (e.g. Jessica & Sarah as married); “Husbands / Wives First name & First name” (e.g. Wives Jessica & Sarah).

5. Surprise rainbow cake

Whilst everything else might still feel traditional and like most weddings, have a surprise rainbow cake is a fun touch! Check out the photo below for some rainbow inspiration!

6. Cocktail wedding reception

If mingling guests and a dance floor are your priorities, cocktail wedding receptions are a great choice. Whilst you'll still need to ensure that you have some bar furniture hire and a dedicated dance floor hired, most cocktail events keep everything else a bit more relaxed and low key.

7. Engagement party is a surprise wedding

Don't want to wait any longer? Skip the two steps and combine them in one! Surprise engagement parties turned wedding are a lot of fun, and given the novelty “surprise” factor, guests are usually in higher spirits for a good party! One thing to consider if you're sending our faux engagement party invites, is that you emphasise (without giving too much away) the importance of RSVPs. At the end of the end of the day, it's still a wedding that you'll be planning and you will need to know how many guests you are catering and preparing for.

8. Suited up winter wedding

Wearing a three piece suit is particularly uncomfortable for grooms during the summer season, hence we're seeing a growing party hire trend for winter same sex weddings. Plus, there are a lot of budget and availability perks for getting hitched during the off-peak season. Check out our winter wedding guide on Party Hire Group here.

9. Modern decor and theming

Think fresh colour colours and minimal, beautiful design. With classic hires such as the tiffany chair that give a romantic feel, finished with simple clean table linen, block bright colours and green foliage touches.

10. It's not about tradition, it's about love

Within the first month of same sex marriage being legalised, nearly 400 weddings took place. The City of Sydney pledged in October to provide free venue hire for same-sex weddings for 100 days if marriage equality passed.

It's a memorable period in history that same sex marriage is available in Australia, and at the most important celebration of all on your special day, is #loveislove.