I wanted to take one more day to share with you some brilliant ideas I saw this year between all the weddings I attended, plus some ideas on how to improve on those ideas for 2010 weddings and beyond. Let’s just jump right back in!

2009 Trend: A Splash of Color

I’ve got to admit, there’s not a whole lot more fun as a wedding photographer (especially in Portland, where we have more than our share of dreary days) to show up to a wedding and see bright pops of color. I saw quite a few fun, colorful touches at weddings this year, like Anna and Alex’s purple decorations (above left) and Anna’s brilliant, bright bouquet (above right). Below left is Jody and Jeremy’s Tiffany-blue cake (complete with bling) and below right is one of Shannon and TJ’s bright bouquets — there were a whole array of them in peaches, pinks and purples and all were handmade by Shannon’s amazing mom.

Make it 2010: Go for the cool combination

I’m all in favor of keeping the color in 2010 weddings — I say the more, the better. It shows such a vibrant side and definitely looks great in photographs. This year, why not think outside the box with the actual combinations of color? Take your color cues from unusual sources or play around with an application like kuler from Adobe to come up with something unexpected. My vote? A rich turquoise with mustard yellow and purple accents. Think jewel tones. And after you’ve picked those colors, please call me. I want to photograph all that color.

2009 Trend: Unique locations for portraits

I had several couples this year set aside time for an extended portrait session on their big day away from the action. In Jody and Jeremy’s case, we took a walk in cute downtown Centralia and they danced in the middle of an abandoned street. Below, TJ and his groomsmen taking a jump on a cool bridge in Bothell Landing, a few miles from the wedding site. I loved these opportunities to incorporate a new location into the wedding-day photos, and they also gave the bride and groom a few minutes to play and have fun without the wedding coordinator, minister or mom rushing or stressing them.

Make it 2010: Bring in some contrast

There are so many options of places to go on your wedding day (if you set aside the time — that’s key). But where to go? I’d love some big-time contrast between the sites. Say for example that your 2010 wedding will be held at a country club with very formal, traditional touches throughout. Why not escape beforehand and take some photos in an industrial setting, or sharing a milkshake at a local diner down the road? If the wedding is country, go urban. If the wedding is on the beach under the wide open sky, why not opt to go inside somewhere for a more cozy setting? The variety is endless here — use your imagination.

2009 Trend: No matching!

It’s been cool for a little while now not to make your bridesmaids matchy-matchy. Alisia did it subtly (above left) by putting her bridesmaids in the same color, but drastically different styles. Andrea told her bridesmaids (below, shoes above right) to wear gold, yellow and brown. That was the only guideline. Didn’t they come out cool? When you don’t force your bridesmaids to match, you’re likely to have happier friends plus they end up in things that set them apart as individuals instead of lumping them together.

Make it 2010: Keep one element consistent

By keeping one element the same, you identify these wonderful women as your attendants, but you still don’t stifle their individuality. For instance, what if they’re all wearing the same dress but you tell them to wear their own shoes, and to think unique! You could end up with a variety of jewel-toned and bright shoes while still maintaining an air of uniformity. Uniting with color is a good way to do this, just make sure you’ve picked a color that’s standard (like the blue dresses above) or that will be OK even if all the shades aren’t the same (like with Andrea’s yellows, golds and browns). Or how’s this for a new one — have custom headpieces with flowers, feathers etc. made for each girl that will unify the group, but then let them wear whatever dress they want in a certain color family.

2009 Trend: Early send-off

Two of the couples I worked with this year did one of those traditional send-offs in a way that doesn’t happen much anymore — they did it in the middle of the celebration. For Andrea and Paul (above left), they were announced into the reception hall and welcomed with bubbles, and Annie and Dan (right) were showered with bubbles on their way from the church to the reception (in her dad’s 56 Cadillac convertible, no less). These worked great because everyone who was there for the celebration was still present, so it made these send-offs much more impressive (not to mention photo-worthy). I loved these moments!

Make it 2010: Think outside the box

I totally advocate for newly married couples to do a send-off (or a welcome, or whatever you want to call it) in the middle of the celebration — ideal timing is between the ceremony and reception. But why not incorporate something new? Try having your guests sprinkle flower petals or paper confetti in your wedding colors, or go old school with birdseed (check with your venue, some won’t allow it). Why not have your sendoff through a tunnel of people with big palm leaves, forming a roof on the tunnel? With a little imagination, this age-old moment could be really new and modern.

I hope this week has given you newly-engaged  couples lots of food for thought! It’s been really fun reliving some of the fun celebrations I got to attend last year, and it makes me so excited for what’s to come this year! Next week on the blog I’ll be sharing some fun portrait sessions, including one with my favorite floral designer!