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Hot Trends
Theme parties, food trucks, photo booths are hot
By Collin Kelley
Traditional is out and unconventional
is in when it comes to planning wedding
receptions, birthday parties, bar mitzvahs
and other types of celebrations. Local
party planners and retailers are excited
about these new trends, which offer many
more options for the hosts and guests.
Ashley O’Donnell, who works
in marketing for gift and party store
Swoozies (swoozies.com), said one of the
biggest gift trends was items that could be
personalized or monogrammed. “It just
adds that extra special touch,” O’Donnell
said.
She also said that gold — from gold
foil accented invitations to decor items —
were nearly impossible to keep in stock.
One of the trends O’Donnell is most
excited to see returning is party-planners
going back to sending paper invitations.
“Everyone was sending invitations
online for years, but now they are going
back to traditional paper invitations for
baby showers, birthday parties or even
just a girls’ night out,” she said. “It’s
refreshing.”
Terri Moore with Naomi’s Paperie
(naomiespaperie.com) said wedding
couples want to create a day that is more
personal, intimate and reflective of their
personalities. This includes everything
from color scheme, locally sourced food
for the reception, satellite bars, to his and
hers specialty cocktails.
“Thematic and destination weddings
are very popular whether it be at the
beach, in the mountains or even a barn
wedding,” Moore said. “This can make
it easier to plan decor. Lighting is always
important and couples are looking more
for a romantic, intimate ambiance. Soft
glow pendant lights, chandeliers and
candelabras help create the perfect mood.
For weddings with a country feel, burlap
and chalkboard decor are still on trend.”
Bobby Yun, owners of Citi Wine and
Spirits (facebook.com/citiwineandspirits)
said small batch whiskies, local craft beers
and specialty gins were very popular right
now. “Vodka is also popular, and there
are many new flavor-infused versions
so mixologists can make up these crazy
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cocktails,” he said.
Citi’s wine manager
Teresa Dalton said rose
and sparking varieties
were becoming popular
year-round for just
about any type of
occasion.
“In summer, people
want a lighter wine, but
we’ll be moving into
fall soon and that will
mean richer, heavier reds
for barbecues,” Dalton
commented.
Dan Sirois with Elite Events and
Occasions (eliteeventsandoccasions.com)
said his company plans weddings, bar
mitzvahs, Sweet 16 parties and much
more. Lie said one of the hottest new
trends are photo booths, where partygoers
can take pictures and short video clips to
post on Instagram, Snapchat and other
social media.
Sirois said he’s also been seeing a lot
of unconventional and non-traditional
parties for wedding receptions and
other events. Food trucks
provide a fun, interactive
way to serve guests with a
variety of food, forgoing a
formal meal. Games such as
cornhole, giant Jenga and
Scrabble are also adding
fun and whimsy to parties.
Sophie Berger and
Leslie Bahr with Buckhead
Life Restaurant Group
(buckheadrestaurants.com)
handle the 103 West event
space and have seen new trends emerging
in the last year.
“We host a lot of wedding receptions,
and we’ve noticed that food stations are
becoming popular rather than traditional
sit-down dinners,” Berger said. “It gives
guests options for food and it’s not so
formal.”
Bahr said couples are more hands-
on than ever when it comes to menu
planning for wedding receptions and
rehearsal dinners. “The couples especially
want input on the kind of alcohol being
served. Continued HOT on Page 24
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