A Quick Guide for Today's Bride

The world of weddings has seen a multitude of new trends emerge in recent years. We’ve compiled a list of the most important new wedding terms for you—a quick primer for today’s bride.

• Before the wedding invitation: Save the Date
  A brief announcement that can be sent out immediately after the wedding date is set—even as early as a year before the celebration—so guests can save the date. An absolute must, especially for weddings during the vacation season. Details don’t need to be included until the invitation itself. The advantage: Sending a “Save the Date” significantly reduces stress—because then the actual invitation can be sent two to three months before the wedding. A professional wedding stationery designer will be happy to help you with the design!
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• Boho Wedding
  By 2018 at the latest, this trend had finally made its way to Austria. Boho is nothing more than an ode to naturalness: loose, light, and comfortable wedding dresses, flat shoes, outdoor weddings, and decorations featuring feathers, wood, and greenery. Here you’ll find examples of boho-style wedding concepts.
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• Bridesmaids: Bridesmaids led by the maid of honor
  ... that is, the bride's best friends and sisters, who wear identical or similar-colored bridesmaid dresses at the wedding and help the bride with wedding planning and getting ready. The maid of honor is also among the bridesmaids and essentially leads the group.

• Wedding Trend: Hair Accessories—Flower Crowns
  Currently all the rage: flowers not just in the bouquet, but also in your hair! Of course, this is the perfect match for an outdoor wedding in nature. Learn more about flower crowns »
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• Sweet, sweeter, candy bar
  A self-service bar with a wide variety of sweets—such as marshmallows, hard candies, and chocolate. Of course, it’s a big hit with kids!
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• First Look – A Unique Moment at the Wedding
  This is the moment when you see your loved one for the first time as a bride or groom. Increasingly, this moment is taking place before the couple enters the ceremony, so that the photographer can capture the scene in an intimate way against a beautiful backdrop (e.g., in nature).
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• Getting Ready
  : Refers to the styling on your wedding morning, including putting on the wedding dress or tuxedo. This is always the first part of the wedding photo shoot.

• Greenery
  ‍Thisgorgeous shade of green was the official Pantone Color of the Year for 2017, and as soon as it was announced, it became an absolute trend in the wedding world—one that has endured to this day. Whether it’s moss as a ring pillow, floral wreaths in the hair, table decorations, and bridal bouquets without any colorful flowers, or outdoor weddings—pure nature is the name of the game here.
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• Groomsmen
  The best man, the groom's best friends, and his brothers—in other words, the male equivalent of bridesmaids. On the big day, they wear matching or color-coordinated outfits and assist the groom with both the planning and getting ready.
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• Naked Cake
  This cake is completely natural—with no fondant or frosting to hide its layers—and has become an indispensable part of modern weddings. No wonder, considering that virtually no one misses the artificial taste of fondant. The cake layers are clearly visible, alternating with the cream filling. Incidentally, this has since given rise to yet another new trend: the “half-naked cake,” which is coated with a very thin layer of cream that still allows the layers of cake and filling to show through.

• Mood Board: Wedding Ideas
  A collection of photos in a specific color scheme or style. Mood boards can help you find the wedding style that’s perfect for you. Tip: On our site, you can browse numerous wedding mood boards that have been created in Austria or by Austrian vendors—making them more realistic than the images you’ll find on Pinterest and other platforms.
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  Photo Booth It’s almost like a classic photo booth—but with a selfie feature and no enclosed booth. Plus, dressing up is allowed: props like mustaches, wigs, glasses, and more are sure to make every wedding guest laugh. Find photo booth providers in Austria here »
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• RSVP
  Oh, how many times have you stumbled across this abbreviation while searching for inspiration online? It’s no coincidence, of course, that it appears on the reply card you send along with the invitation. RSVP stands for nothing other than “Respondez s’il vous plaît”—in other words, “Please reply.”
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• Sweet Table
  Many people confuse it with a candy bar. However, a sweet table features only baked goods. So it’s basically a cake buffet—only much more modern. That’s because it includes not only classic cakes, but also cupcakes, macarons, mini tarts, cake pops, and more. Sometimes the wedding cake is placed at the center of the sweet table as well. Looking for inspiration for your sweet table?

• Non-Religious Wedding Ceremony
  Often mistakenly interpreted by many as a wedding ceremony that takes place outdoors. A non-religious wedding ceremony, however, refers to an unconventional ceremony that is not bound by law or religion. It allows you to have a wedding wherever, whenever, and however you want. Here you’ll find wedding officiants from Austria who conduct such non-religious wedding ceremonies.
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• Elopement
  — which translates to “running away” — refers to an intimate, minimalist wedding: held in a secret location, just the two of you, and without a lot of frills. Here, the focus is on the couple and their love for one another. There are already many wedding photographers in Austria who specialize in elopements abroad or in the mountains.
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• After-Wedding Photo Shoot
  A brilliant alternative if the weather doesn’t cooperate on the big day or if the stress level is simply too high: The couple is styled as bride and groom again one to two weeks later, and the couple’s photo shoot is rescheduled in a relaxed atmosphere. When there are no guests waiting for you, you’ll look much more relaxed in the photos!
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• Trash the Dress
  In this type of shoot, the wedding dress is literally destroyed during the after-wedding shoot or at the end of the wedding reception. Whether it’s paint bombs, getting dirty, or taking a dip in the cool water—those who are brave enough will be rewarded with unique photos!