Beyoncé’s pregnancy announcement may have a lasting effect on bridal trends, according to Vogue, which pointed to the star’s use of permanent botanicals and a bold, throwback style of photography.
Beyoncé’s extravagant performance may have stolen the show at Sunday night’s Grammy Awards, but it was her social media-friendly pregnancy announcement a week earlier that could have lasting effects on bridal trends, including a potential uptick in permanent botanicals.
Beyoncé’s post on Instagram — which quickly became the platform’s “most liked” image ever, with 10.4 million at press time — featured the star, who is expecting twins, kneeling below a floral archway, dressed in her underwear and a pale green veil. Vogue writer Madeline Luckel pointed to the archway, veil and throwback portrait style as signs that brides could start asking for Beyoncé-inspired looks. Luckel was particularly struck by the singer’s use of permanent botanicals. http://www.vogue.com/article/beyonce-instagram-baby-annoucement-wedding-trends-2017
“The flowers that make up the archway in Beyoncé’s photograph look as if they are possibly fake,” she wrote. “Fake flowers are often derided as tacky, but today there are many artists making beautiful examples out of silk and crepe paper … Brides have yet to incorporate fake flowers en masse into their wedding plans, but after Beyoncé’s latest Instagram — we’d say it’s more than possible.”
Count Cady Vance of Floral V Designs in Bellbrook, Ohio, among those designers who agree that a resurgence is possible. Read more.
“I recently got back from The Wedluxe bridal show in Toronto, and a few of the florists were using silks in their fresh arrangements — huge arrangements of roses had a base of silk hydrangeas as support,” Vance said, adding that, for her part, she follows advice she attributes to the designer Preston Bailey (SEI, who suggests using permanent botanicals for effect, but in designs that guests won’t get close to. “We use silks when we are hanging items from ceilings and sometimes mix in fresh greenery to make it look and smell fresher.”
One caveat from Vance: Customers who think permanent flowers will offer a less expensive route to wedding glamour may be in for sticker shock.
“Good silks cost more than a fresh stem,” she said. “We can get a beautiful ivory hydrangea from our wholesaler at $1.25 a tem. A comparable silk stem would be at least $3.”
