Story by Eryn Ellard
May a little girl dreams of what her big day will look like – the dress, the knight in shining armor, the flowers, the cake, the tears streaming down her father’s face as he revels in the beauty of the little girl he raised into a successful woman.
All these precious moments are no doubt magical indeed, but they do not always happen on their own. Sometimes the bride-to-be needs a little help. And that’s where Angel Phillips comes in.
Phillips, a native of Ragland, and self-taught in the floral business many years ago, she eventually decided to try her hand at wedding planning, and she took to it quite naturally.
She has now been planning weddings for 12 years and stresses to newly engaged couples the importance of hiring a wedding planner. “I don’t care what you cut out, but your wedding planner is the most important,” Phillips stressed. “We think of things you don’t think of on the days leading up to the wedding and on the wedding day.”
Proposals have also changed dramatically especially since COVID. Phillips said that similar to a gender reveal for an expecting couple, entire families are now being included in the proposal. “Any reason to get together with family and friends to celebrate a momentous occasion is what we are seeing now,” Phillips said.
Phillips averages 30-40 weddings per year and takes care of booking vendors, decorations, floral arrangements and music. “I handle all the details, “ Phillips said. “I do like for brides to be involved in invitations and music, they need to know what song they want for their first dance and what song they want to dance with their daddies to.”
She also serves as a liaison for all the vendors and anyone else involved by providing a detailed timeline and making it clear that they are not to contact the bride two weeks before the wedding. This way everyone knows their places, and it cuts down on stress, especially for the bride.
Phillips noted that wedding trends tend to change around every five years or so, and many older traditions are coming back – some with more modern twists. Brides are now wanting bright pretty colors and greenery in their bouquets. They also prefer a cascading hand-tied bouquet with lots of colors and textures.
Couples are also opting for a buffet style reception with grazing boards and charcuteries, rather than comfort foods like chicken fingers. Brisket is a very popular item on a reception menu, as well as a mashed potato bar. Carving stations are also being seen more and more.
As for the rehearsal, the most popular items for rehearsal dinners are tacos and margarita stations. As far as wedding cakes go, bigger is not always better anymore. Brides are now opting for a two to three-tier cake, each tier boasting a different flavor, with cupcakes all around. However, the most popular sweets can be found at the groom’s table. Grooms are moving away from traditional groom’s cakes and moving more toward things like banana pudding, fried pies and anything that guests can “grab and go.”
Venues are also changing drastically. Classic whites, with lots of light, complete with long farmhouse tables are a trend. Candles are also very popular in wedding venues now. Phillips also noted that church weddings aren’t the only venue of choice as they once were.
Photography is always a huge part of a wedding, and brides want more outside photography, first looks with the dad and groom, clean photos, romantic looks with ambience, and candid shots. Phillips also noted that a videographer is just as important as a photographer for brides and grooms these days.
Old traditional ways of paying for weddings have also changed drastically, Phillips noted. “There is no etiquette anymore, it’s all about the bride and groom. It takes a village. Weddings are certainly more hands on with all members of the family.”
Phillips said the most rewarding part of her job is “at the end of the day when you see them dancing and loving each other, you know you have given them the best day ever” Phillips said.
What comes next? As far as honeymoons go these days, couples are opting for all inclusive tropical destinations where they can partake in excursions, surfing, fishing and sailing.
Traditional wedding rings have also evolved over the last several years. Smaller, solitaire rings set in gold are coming back in style but tend to be more expensive.
Another new tradition during the wedding ceremony are live painters. These painters set up and paint while the ceremony or reception is going on and paints the bride and groom. This gives the newlyweds a keepsake of their perfect day forever.
