Photography by Lauren Apel

For the modern couples out there, chances are you’ll style and celebrate your wedding day in a slightly less traditional way. If you’re newly engaged and looking for some unconventional wedding inspiration, this new year’s eve wedding inspiration shoot is giving us all the festive feels RN! Who says grooms have to wear a suit anyway?!

There’s something extra special about the idea of a New Year’s Eve wedding. New Year = New beginnings, right? If this isn’t the perfect spirit to start your new lives together then I don’t know what is?! NYE is already filled with a sense of celebration and a willingness to have more fun, so throw your wedding into the mix and you are guaranteed to have a night to remember!

It’s safe to say that 2020 has not been a good year for many, especially for couples planning their wedding. I don’t know about you but as we approach the end of this tumultuous year, I am feeling positive about the new year on a global scale but also because of what 2021 will bring to the wedding industry which has been devastated by the effects of Covid19. Engagement ring sales have soared this year in spite of the pandemic and with 1 in 5 proposals taking place on Christmas Day, I feel excited for all of the newly engaged couples who are about to embark on their wedding planning journey. Whether it’s big or small is irrelevant, your marriage is symbolic of your everlasting commitment to each other and that’s the only thing that truly matters, right?

If you’ve recently said ‘YES’ and you are looking for some alternative wedding inspiration then this shoot led by modern wedding photographer Lauren Apel is a great place to start!

First off, let’s talk about the bridal styling. This dress by Australian bridal label Made With Love is perfect for a modern bride who wants to look like a bride but with a contemporary twist. The train adds a touch of drama and the cape adds a slightly vintage feel for softness and romance. The bride still looks like a bride but you know she’s gonna have no issues dancing the night away in this gown!

The bride’s bob needs little but a wave to finish off her glamorous look because less is ALWAYS more, right?! And a red velvet shoe might not be an obvious choice of bridal shoe but these vintage-style heels finish the look and tie in with the festive floral details.

And how about this cool groom? I’m a huge advocate of grooms who choose not to wear a suit. If it’s not the sort of attire you’d usually wear because you don’t feel comfortable in it, then your wedding day is not a day to wear a suit! You wanna feel good, right? Like you! Not only does this alternative groom look cool but he still looks smart and comfortable. The cropped trousers and white sneakers are an ultra-modern alternative to the traditional groom style and I love how the pattern of the trousers mimics the pattern of the giant disco ball! It’s all in the details.

The deep red roses and baby’s breath in the floral details by Kate McCleod are reminiscent of love and Christmas! The scattering of rose petals lends itself to seduction and romance and we love how they’ve been used to look like an extension of the red Persian rug.

It would be easy to go unintentionally tacky with your New Year’s Eve wedding styling! Using typically festive colours but unexpected styling props like the vintage rug and the ice skates makes this wintery wedding shoot contemporary as opposed to being too literal, although nothing says ‘celebrate’ more than a giant disco ball, does it?! In fact, disco balls could easily become one of the new iconographies of Christmas! There’s something really festive about the big sparkly baubles, we love them!

If you’re a newly engaged modern couple considering a New Year’s Eve in 2021 or beyond then chances are you’ll be looking for an alternative to traditional wedding catering. Pizza has become a really popular choice of food at weddings in recent years because let’s face it, EVERYONE loves it, it’s budget-friendly and it’s easy to share!

If you’ve just got engaged this Christmas, CONGRATULATIONS! I hope you’ve found some gorgeous wedding inspiration in this super-cool new year’s eve wedding shoot! See below for a full list of the awesome suppliers who took part in bringing this vision to life and please share it with any modern couples who you think will love it as much as you! You can also download our free wedding planning checklist - a 12-month timeline to help you stay chilled and on track with your wedding planning!

Photographer: Lauren Apel @laurenapelphoto

HMUA: Sydney Lopez @sydneyannlopezhair
Florals: Kate McLeod @katemcleodstudio
Paper Goods: Gabrielle Noe @cazadoracreativeco
Props: Lindsey Loviatar @loviatars
Bridal: A&Be @aandbe_bridalshop, @aandbe_dallas
Nails: Sarah Mundy @sarahnailsit