Our team loves this time of the year — when we get to sift through four seasons of inspired gatherings to choose our favorites and then look forward by predicting wedding and party trends for the year to come. We never tire of seeing people’s super-personal and beautifully-creative celebrations.
Keeping an eye on events allows us to accurately predict what’s new and noteworthy in the world of weddings, kids’ birthdays and milestone birthday parties, corporate events, and more. For example, last year we forecasted paperless menus, over-the-top floral installations at intimate events, and 80s and 90s party theming in our trend report for 2021.
As we begin to really gather again, you’re in the right place to discover how to wow your guests at your 2022 celebrations.
1. Cloudy With a Chance of Baby’s Breath
Baby’s breath has made our list before. Way back in our wedding and party trend guide for 2020 we predicted that the under-utilized and over-looked filler flower was going to move to center stage. We were right.
Now the tiny ethereal blooms have moved overhead, and in rich color. Wispy baby’s breath has extended its fifteen minutes by being versatile. Savvy party hosts are opting for floating florals in ethereal hues.
After a beach-side ceremony set against the backdrop of the setting sun, this celebration moved inside to enjoy sunset all over again.
But, this time Mother’s Nature’s beauty arrived in the form of delicate pink baby’s breath spun into cloud-like installations and whimsical spirals. Buoyant blooms will surprise and delight your guests.
Dublin, Ireland
Planner, Tara Fay of Tara Fay Events, says, “This glass orangery-style tent featured clouds constructed from pink gypsophilia [genus of baby’s breath] that the guests dined under, before dancing the night away in a hidden nightclub.”
These puffs of pink clouds look dreamy during the day and night, drawing eyes upwards to the heavens. We also love how the hue is drawn down to the tabletops with tall pink tapered candles.
This stunning southern wedding proves that when it comes to whimsical clouds of baby’s breath, you don’t need to narrow your palette to a single hue. In fact, these dreamy installations do a wonderful job of tying together the palette of the entire room; they are the element that creates a cohesive (and beautiful design statement).
2. Tablescapes as Floral Vessels
Centerpieces set the mood and tone of your reception, heightening the beauty of each individual table. While designers have long thought of the tablescape as a blank canvas, now they are beginning to treat reception tables as an empty garden bed, full of infinite floral potential.
So forget the floral vase, and let your table wow with an illusion of lavish blooms growing straight from its center.
This hip industrial hotel gets a soft, dreamy vibe with lavish greenery at every turn. Wedding centerpieces of varying heights mimic the natural growth of any forest setting. We especially love how the centerpiece reaches each guest’s place setting — creating the illusion of dining at the garden’s edge.
Violet allium and white floral spikes lend whimsy to this rustic tablescape topped with fresh moss and natural greenery. Discover other ways floral décor was seamlessly incorporated into the backyard setting. We’ll give you a hint: there’s a poolside ceremony.
3. Single Flower Variety Conjures Mono-Floral Magic
We’ve all heard of monochromatic, meaning “one color” — and we do adore a bold celebration that builds its entire décor scheme around a single hue. In fact, we delved into the beauty of this design choice in our article, Monochromatic Party Themes.
But now we’re seeing adherence to single type of flower as well. We’re calling this trend “mono-floral” as we worship at the altar of its beauty. Visualize an aisle flanked with the same flower type (in the same color) over and over again, building to a dramatic blooming arch. Envision a tabletop adorned with a repeating flower in interesting shapes as far as the eye can see, conjuring a single, magnificent vision. Imagine no more; we’re going to fulfill your floral fantasies below.
London, England
Wedding planner, Kristina Kempton shares of this stunning celebration, “Thousands upon thousands of romantic red roses drape with fluidity and movement to realize the most striking and sculptural visual…the most heavenly setting, perfect for saying “I do!”
This affair boasted an intimate guest list, but a grand vision — reminding us that wonderful things do come in small packages.
San Miguel de Allende, Guanajuato, Mexico
The term “white wedding” was coined in reference to the traditional hue of the bride’s gown way back in the Victorian Era (though Billy Idol should get some small share of the credit of its continued popularity).
Sure, you can stop at the dress (or tuxedo), but we prefer the take from this wedding which incorporated white everywhere from the chairs and aisle to the undulating installations of — you guessed it, our favorite — baby’s breath.
4. Not-So-Boring High Tops
High tops are the Achilles heel of any celebration. Truth be told, it’s not easy to make a high top look good. We’ve seen plenty of wow-worthy celebrations over the years; and even some of the most memorable ones featured mundane cocktail tables or cake stands.
After years of neglect, high tops are finally coming into their own. Expect to see this oft-overlooked rental become instant Instagram fodder in the year to come.
An ordinary cocktail table becomes the go-to spot at this stunning anniversary party with the help of bright florals and suspended butterfly details. Make sure to see how bright blooms and a butterfly motif reappeared at key moments of the celebration — from an exchange of vows over a free-floating wedding aisle to the picture-perfect pastry desserts.
Gone are the days of covering the high top with a tablecloth. With a mirrored surface and skirt of lush white roses, this high top becomes the focal point of this white tented wedding. Make sure to see other glamorous floral details such as the dazzling ceiling décor that turned the first dance into an enchanted moment.
5. Glassware Has Gone Green
In the first half of 2020, we were gaga for blue glass. Our content team shared image after image of azure glassware adorning tables at birthday parties, dinners, and weddings with each other. But then, glass colors started shifting — pink then amber, right through the ROYGBIV spectrum, stopping on green.
Green is the color of new beginnings, so it makes sense that we’re seeing more and more of the shade as we head into the new year. From emerald and sage to mint and pistachio, green glass is wowing us right now.
Something we love about green glassware is how flexible it is, elevating wedding styles from boho to modern.
This rustic outdoor wedding wowed with its string-light backdrop and pops of color. We adore how the blue linen, yellow blooms, and green vintage goblets work together to bring nature’s palette to the raw wood table.
The luxurious green theming of this stunning wedding began with its invitations; gorgeous basil-hued greenery was painted on the inner flap paired with lime response envelopes.
The wedding continued the color story, infusing green alongside all-white décor, with moss-hued draping coordinating with pine napkins and seafoam and gold goblets.
We love the way that florals, greenery, linen, and glassware seamlessly interweave for a single, gloriously cohesive design statement.
A lemon-merengue hued runner added the pop of color that carried over from the invitations to the cake, ensuring that this celebration felt like the embodiment of spring, signifying love, hope, and growth. Wow.
6. Fringe is In (Again)
The 20s and the 60s were eras that knew how to have fashionable fun with fringe, attaching it to everything from dresses perfect for dancing to long suede vests — also perfect for dancing. What we’re trying to say is that fringe is festive. It only makes sense that it has made its way onto the tabletops of the swankiest of affairs.
We’re seeing fringe take shape around charger plates and as decorative tassels and we love the texture and fun vibe it conjures. We love it so much, that we’ve begun using it as a verb (sorry Miriam Webster). Does your tabletop need a little pizazz? A little joie de vivre? Fringe it.
Fringe fits right in at this bohemian celebration nestled at the foot of towering trees. Woven elements like fringe further nature’s presence at a beautiful table.
We adore how the rattan thrones and woven fringe offer an alternative design for the sweetheart’s table at this dreamy wedding.
This rainbow-hued cocktail party is the stuff dreams are made of, with a ROYGBIV ombré of blooms and pillows as well as floating florals with a message in the pool.
Completing the delightful design were fringed elements. Check out the woven placemats with their border of white fringe. Moreover, don’t miss the hostess’ dress; it is fabulously fringed and a design element of its own as it ties back to the colorful décor.
7. Matte Balloons (You Don’t Need Shine to Pop)
It turns out, a dull finish is anything but dull. In a world where the bigger the diamond ring, the bigger the oohs and ahhs; there’s something startling about matte. Like a black hole, absorbing all light, matte makes a statement — and we’re here to take note.
Matte balloons create instant photo ops at any private event. Not only do we expect this unique décor item to transform kids’ birthday parties in 2022, we know it will win over adults, as well. Whether you’re hosting a small corporate dinner party or celebrating a graduation, it’s time to rethink the concept of shine.
A cluster of pitch-black matte balloons makes a dramatic statement on any front lawn — especially as a base for black cursive signage.
We love how this graduation party eschews traditional cap-and-gown décor for a glamorous black-and-white color theme — along with other bold design elements. Tuxedoed greeters on stilts and cascades of baby’s breath keep the celebration upscale, yet edgy.
Yorba Linda, CA
This peachy-pink matte balloon installation positively pops against an all-white SUV.
Make sure to see how this peach matte finish makes its mark on menus, lightbulb cocktails, signage, and more at this intimate corporate dinner party.
8. Free-Form Wedding Arches
Over the last couple years, COVID-19 has changed the way we operate, and even look. On work-day Zoom calls, many of us have let our hair down and swapped the blazer for loose-fitting clothing.
Wedding designers are taking note and rethinking the traditional wedding. Straight lines are being replaced by curves and monolith shapes by fractal elements. From a waterfall of blooms to asymmetrical cascades, arches are — shall we say it? — losing their arch.
This wedding team made the city bloom. A ceiling installation of upended red blooms create an overhead garden for an enchanted forest wedding style — even in an urban setting.
Make an exchange of vows even more magical with a backdrop of cascading roses. If love can’t transport us to a far-away place, with awe-inspiring waterfalls and lush scenery, what can?
An intimate wedding often wows with simple designs that put the focus back on the couple and their love. This wedding does just that with minimal — yet stunning — wedding décor.
Imagine a bubble wand creating an effervescent wave of shimmer. This wedding arch evokes the magic and pure delight of bubbles forming, drifting, melting. Make sure to see how the free-flowing wedding bouquet complements the dreamy vibe.
9. Red & Pink Combine for Fashion-Forward Fetés
If Valentine’s Day has taught us anything, it’s that pink and red are the colorful embodiment of love. So it’s kind of surprising that it took this long for the combination to hop from the February holiday to decking out all of our most-meaningful days.
We’re seeing these dual hues elevate weddings, birthdays, dinner parties, and more. In fact, while ombré installations have been popular for a while, an ombré in a chic, yet narrow, palette is a newer trend — and we are feeling the love.
This color-blocked celebration brought together two romantic hues in the most chic fashion. Deep red formed the backdrop for the vows, with a vibrant aisle and thousands of red roses, then a nod to pink on the steps and altar.
The reception was more pink-forward. Flamingo-hued flooring, chairs, and linen formed a color-scape over which red roses hung in delightful combinations. Also don’t miss the round, checkered dance floor.
The floral-filled mandap at this South Asian wedding is a vision; when paired with the Chicago cityscape as a backdrop, its truly next level.
We especially love the way white, pink, and red blooms fade into each other in a seamless ombré effect that is carried from the entry arch to the altar.
A miniature wall of white, pink, and red blooms created an exquisite backdrop for this couple’s “I dos.” The entire celebration featured a beautifully cohesive design that flowed from the aisle to the reception.
Don’t miss the floral canopy adorning each table which coordinated with the mix of chairs and linen choices for a stunning scene we adore.
10. Reimagined Candlelit Dinners
Is it possible to have a romantic dinner without candlelight? Candlelight sets the mood, whether it’s a romantic dinner for two on the Champs-Élysées or a large-scale wedding reception. There’s just one minor problem. The more candles, the more crowded the tablescape.
By shifting candlelight to the floor and parameters of the room, the romantic ambiance is as strong as ever — just with a little more elbow room.
This micro wedding created an intimate dining space with a canopy of twinkling string lights and comet tail of candlelight. Make sure to see a close up of the elegant tablescape. Gold-leaf plate chargers and terrariums filled with autumnal foliage kept the beauty at goblet height — so guests could comfortably connect over drinks and repast.
Candlelit fencing turns your venue space into a private island of romance and beauty. We also love how an overarching gold trellis with geometric chandeliers contributes to the gleaming ambiance.
11. Immersive Illumination
Wedding and event lighting, while often overlooked, can take your event to the next level. Events by C, a premier planning team in D.C., recently predicted lighting would be a top South Asian wedding trend over the next year. “We’re seeing lighting used in ways never seen before. I’ve seen lighting transform a room to look like it is underwater and unique patterns that replace the need for a backdrop.”
All events can benefit from creative lighting techniques. Whether your celebration takes place in a grand ballroom or small industrial venue, immersive lighting can transform your four walls into everything from an underwater dreamscape to brilliant tropical sunset.
Vibrant blue projection mapping and an LED dance floor transform this glamorous ballroom into an oceanic wonderland. We especially appreciate how mirrored tablescapes and ample candlelight contribute to the dreamy aesthetic.
With the help of high-tech screens and projection mapping, it’s possible to reimagine any venue space. This intimate, hybrid wedding felt like an elopement with the addition of shadowy palm trees surrounded by a vibrant sunset. Make sure to see how the visual changed throughout the celebration. After all, who wouldn’t want to teleport from destination to destination?
12. Bird’s Eye View Reception Photography
While ceremonial drone photography is nothing new, we’re beginning to see receptions benefit from this sky-high approach. An overhead photo presents the full magnitude of your celebration — both before and after your guests arrive.
Talk to your list of potential event photographers to see if aerial photography is included in the list of services. Make sure to see why aerial shots should make your wedding photography checklist.
While we love a good detail shot, we are swooning over this aerial view of the wedding reception. Seeing the full picture makes you truly appreciate the art and science that goes into an event’s layout. Of course, make sure to see close-ups of the gorgeous tablescapes — and how every place setting gave guests the royal treatment.
San José del Cabo, Baja California Sur
We love how this angle captures the full-breadth of this stunning outdoor reception. Make sure to see how aerial photography was used to create dazzling optical illusions, where venue and sky melted into one.
13. Eat Your Veggies…& Your Rings
Sure, we know that you can ring in the New Year, ring around the rosie, and that you should have put a ring on it (if you liked it) — but now, we’re also loving how rings are being recreated in edible form. We’re not talking about dimestore ring-pops, but about diamond ring-shaped bites made from the finest ingredients.
As The Sound of Music taught us, a bell is not a bell ’till you ring it; by the same logic, a ring isn’t an appetizer until you eat it. So feast your eyes on these lovely fashion-inspired hors d’oeuvres.
This is the second time that this party is appearing on our trends for 2022 list — which means you definitely want to click through to see the whole thing.
This time, we’re applauding the rainbow-themed party for its creative catering. We especially love the divine edible diamond-like rings.
When we talk about unique weddings, this over-the-top (in the best way possible) wedding is what we mean. The celebration boasts thousands of colorful florals and beautiful butterfly details.
And the catering? Well, you need to see it to believe the spread these lucky guests enjoyed. One of the hors d’oeuvres that wowed us are these edible rings topped with celebratory caviar.
14. This Trend is (a) Number One
It’s not new to see significant numbers displayed at parties. New Year’s Eve invariably features the incoming year on everything from novelty glasses to the photo spot. Birthday parties often have the milestone number on the cake and on printed materials like cocktail napkins.
However, we haven’t seen numbers displayed like this before. Specifically, we are seeing caterers do what our parents warned us not to: play with their food. Creative catering and design teams are using edible canvases to display milestone information. See unique examples below.
Friends and family at this celebration were there to celebrate a milestone 40th birthday (they thought). The thorough theming extended to cocktail napkins printed with “Cheers to Coco” and to the creative cuisine, with “40th” seared into the tops of bite-sized sandwiches — inspiring us well into next year.
Once the party was underway however, guests discovered that they were celebrating both a birthday — and a wedding. Don’t miss this unique gathering.
We adore the beachy boho vibe of this birthday brunch. Come for the inspired pastel design perfectly set in the sand, stay for the artisanal charcuterie and French macarons and cookies.
In fact, it is those very sweets that landed this pretty party on our trend radar: they paired with florals to spell out “27,” signifying their friend’s new age.
This fun birthday celebration was a glorious do-over party. The birthday celebrant’s original milestone fell during the pandemic; this postponed party cleverly nodded to the fact with imprinted ice pointing out her age “+ 1” in each guest’s cocktail.
Consider hosting your own re-do party to celebrate all of your COVID-era milestones.
15. Dejá Brew — Tea is Making a Comeback
We’re spilling the tea: coffee is being replaced by tea for post-dinner sips at events. People have been drinking tea since before coffee, beer, or wine came along. It’s stayed around for a reason; there’s something rejuvenating, yet relaxing about tea.
And though the old song goes, “Two for tea, and tea for two, you for me, and me for you” — we’re now seeing tea for 200 or more. We love seeing tea served ceremonially or with different varieties in glass teapots for a vibrant display. For on-trend parties and weddings, tea time is now all the time.
When it comes to creative themes, it doesn’t get more unique than this boba tea-themed Galentine’s Day party. It’s a fun take on tea that offers a bubble tea station with various flavors, including strawberry and rose gold.
Don’t miss the other inspired design moments, like a photo spot that declares, “Will You Be My Bobae?” and a custom cup wall that proclaims, “You Make Me Feel All Bubbly.” And the cake? Well, it’s tea-themed too.
This multi-cultural Japanese and Ethiopian wedding combined all of the wonderful traditions of both cultures. We especially love the Japanese Tea Ceremony that the couple performed. It’s not just about offering guests a warming beverage, rather the ceremony represents harmony, respect, purity and tranquillity.
As a special take-home treat, the couple gave their guests chic bags of Ethiopian coffee and Japanese tea for the perfect brew at home.
One thing we love about this rustic floral wedding (and trust us, it’s hard to narrow it down to one thing) is how the ombré of mixed berry florals that floats over tabletops marries to the vibrant fruits below and all the way over to the hottest display of teas we’ve seen.
Colorful teas perched on glass shelves in translucent pots add a décor element all its own.
16. Pressed Flowers Find New Life on Desserts
Your birthday or wedding cake is more than just dessert. It’s an integral part of many time-honored traditions — be it singing happy birthday or feeding that first bite to your spouse.
Pressed florals add texture and depth to your celebratory cake. While most popular with boho wedding styles, pressed flowers can elevate everything from a glamorous ballroom soirée to a summer pool party. Talk to your bakery and dessert company about how to incorporate party florals into your desserts
Pressed blooms seamlessly melt into watercolor floral icing for a whimsical effect. Make sure to see the impressive variety of floral décor at this Chicago fusion wedding, such as pink floral menus and a flower-framed Champagne wall.
Pressed florals and greenery are the perfect touch for a celebration in full color. From cake and fashion to floating blooms and rainbow throw pillows, every element of this milestone birthday party wows the senses.
17. Make a Big Deal Over the Little Ones
Most gatherings cater to adults with creative cocktails, elevated fare, and décor moments that wow. But kids are often left unconsidered and unimpressed.
Forgotten no more, we’re seeing children being included in the most elegant celebrations, with thoughtful touches and well-chosen seating that seamlessly incorporates them into the merry-making.
This totally unique boho-inspired wedding included creative design moments that wowed guests, from the ombré tablescapes to the geode wedding cake. But they didn’t forget their littlest guests.
The thoughtful couple created a kids’ table that boasted beauty and style. Each child had a personalized spot at the table, where they sat on gold Moroccan poufs.
There are so many memorable elements at this 40th birthday party-turned-surprise wedding celebration. We’re sure the thoughtfulness to guests of all sizes will be part of those lovely memories.
The tiniest guests received mini, monogrammed suitcases full of snacks and other goodies to make their experience more fun.
18. Tote-Bag Walls Double as Décor
Welcome tote bags are the perfect way to receive your guests in style. We especially love how custom tote bags can double as décor with the right backdrop.
Utilize a tote bag wall to feature everything from branding to color schemes. The result: an unexpected photo op for picture-perfect moments.
Guests received quite a surprise when they attended what was supposed to be a 40th-birthday party. In addition to a surprise wedding, guests also enjoyed chic décor that included everything from boho tablescapes to a trending tote bag wall.
Tote bag walls are a perfect branding opportunity. We love how this launch party featured monogrammed tote bags filled with fresh bouquets — a perfect complement to the bouquet-building station and cocktail tables wrapped in blooms (another 2022 party trend).
19. Themed Wedding Welcome Parties
Themes are hot right now. Whether it’s a decade — think 20s, 70s, and 90s — or something more “out there” like space or a vacation vision that evokes a dreamy locale like the tropics. We love the idea of taking a cue from birthday celebrations and applying themes to a wedding event, specifically the welcome party.
Welcome parties are rapidly replacing rehearsal dinners as first night gatherings at weddings. A welcome party is more free-flowing than a dinner. It allows the wedding couple to really connect with guests who’ve traveled to see them. Additionally, a welcome party is perfect for a fun theme that’s totally different from the wedding’s palette or theme.
Top wedding planner, The Lynden Lane Company, offers, “Whether that means going with a brighter color palette or a more relaxed vibe, your welcome party can and should reflect your not-so-serious side.”
We adore this modern fiesta-themed rehearsal dinner festooned with lush native marigolds and bright colors. Don’t miss the fun chalk signage, brightly hued ribbons, cacti, and custom printed napkins.
This couple chose a blast from the past for their guests to have a blast at. Talk about on-point decade theming, this welcome party featured perfect 90s moments, from massive gold chains and vibrant graffiti to a life-sized Rubik’s cube and an overhead installation of neon slinkies.
20. Real People, Reel Videos in a TikTok Photo Booth
The fastest-growing social media app, TikTok, has danced its way into the coolest parties. Let your guests record their lives in three-minute increments then broadcast their good time at your party for all to see. TikTok photo booths are the newest way for your guests to have an interactive moment and a captured memory all in one.
TikTok is perfectly suited to parties; we can imagine guests of all ages learning quick routines and laughing as they attempt to record their merriment. This Bat Mitzvah celebration featured a custom “TikTok Box” that encouraged partygoers to sing, dance, and have coordinated fun.
21. Keep Your Band Front & Center
We’ve seen it thousands of times: an entertainment stage rising above the dance floor. However, placing your band in the middle (and on the same level as) your celebration makes the music feel less like a performance and more of an immersive activity.
We especially appreciate how a frame of florals turns your entertainment into an instant focal point. Best of all, a floral frame is another opportunity to feature the color scheme and theming of your celebration.
This micro backyard wedding went big on style with a stringed quartet and intersecting arches of hot pink blooms. Make sure to see how the floral theme carried over to the tablescapes with an open canopy and floating pink centerpieces.
22. Fireplace as Focal Point
Take advantage of unique architectural features of your chosen venue space for one-of-a-kind décor opportunities. Fireplaces, in particular, make stunning ceremonial backdrops for a romantic wedding celebration. Wedding perk: a built-in lighting system with a cozy effect.
Shimmering white drapery and englassed candlelight adds a touch of modern romance to this vintage-style fireplace. Make sure to see how the intimate ambiance continued into the reception with candlelit-framed tablescapes (another 2022 trend).
A two-story fireplace with built-in log shelving proves a rustic style can still be awe-inspiring. Glimmerings chandeliers also complement the burning embers for a cozy, yet upscale celebration.
People Also Ask
Where can I find a venue for my event?
Head to PartySlate’s curated venue directory to find an available venue for your celebration. Find the perfect fit by using the filters, and narrow down your search by venue type, guest count, amenities, and more. Moreover, click on the venue profile to see how different celebrations utilized the event space.
Where can I find party vendors for my event?
Use PartySlate’s curated vendor directory to find the best local and national vendors for your event. Use the filters to narrow your search by vendor category, location, services, and more. You can also click on the vendor profile to see examples of their work and real featured celebrations.