The Knot Top 10 Trends for 2009 Weddings

Spend-Savvy Brides, Facebooking Your Wedding & Home Front Honeymoons in the Forecast

NEW YORK--(EON: Enhanced Online News)--Today, The Knot (www.theknot.com), the #1 wedding website and publisher of bridal bible The Knot weddings magazine, released its annual forecast for the hottest wedding trends of the upcoming year, as seen in its Spring/Summer 2009 issue, available January 26 on newsstands nationwide.

“The current economic climate isn’t stopping couples from celebrating”

“The current economic climate isn’t stopping couples from celebrating,” explains Carley Roney, cofounder and editor in chief of The Knot. “Brides are still planning glamorous weddings—but they are being very smart about how they spend every penny! Many of the year’s top trends reflect new, chic ways to save on your wedding.”

Here are the top 10 wedding trends, as reported by The Knot editors (who insist that style can be achieved on any budget):

1. ANNOUCING YOUR ENGAGEMENT ON FACEBOOK

In 2009, new technologies will help couples save money and reinvent the wedding etiquette landscape: from getting the wedding word out via Facebook to Twittering their potential dresses to polling guests on menu choices and music playlists on their wedding web pages, plus allowing guests to RSVP online.

2. DO-IT-YOURSELF WEDDING DETAILS

The spend-savvy bride is the smart bride. The crafty bride is even smarter. Using amazing resources all over the Internet, brides are making their own favors, bouquets, save-the-dates, wedding programs, seating charts and more. And when they can’t DIY, they head to Etsy.com for deals from other DIYers.

3. AIRY BALL GOWNS WILL BE BIG

When it comes to wedding dresses, big ball gowns will be all the rage. The key to this style? The right fabric: layers of tulle for summer, satin for spring and fall, and ultra-soft suede for a wintertime wedding. Also hot for ’09 fashion: sexy open backs, one-shoulder necklines and bubble veils. Brides on a budget will sign up for designer sample sales online.

4. RETRO-BEAUTY: MODERN BEEHIVES & PRISCILLA PRESLEY EYES

For hair, brides will opt for sweeping, “undone” updos (a modern spin on the beehive). Dewy wedding makeup will emphasize the eyes with lash extensions and a little eyeliner. Friends’ veils and headpieces will be the top “something borrowed” for the season—another style-savvy way to save!

5. GREEN WEDDINGS ARE GLAMOUROUS (AND MORE AFFORDABLE)

Staying in season for food and flowers. Internet (paper-free) invitations. Having your ceremony and reception in the same location. These wedding trends are not only eco-chic, they’re also easier on the budget. Check out TheKnot.com/greenweddings for tips and trends.

6. HOT COLORS: NAVY, RASPBERRY & YELLOW

The new, sophisticated version of something blue is navy. Other hot color combos: steel gray, buttery yellow and raspberry; cantaloupe, navy and lime; and navy, plum and creme brulee. And finally, swap out the chocolate brown for bronzes, coppers and even black. Want ideas? Search wedding ideas by color on TheKnot.com.

7. SMALL, ROMANTIC CEREMONIES

Up the romance and drop the tab: Have your ceremony with only your nearest and dearest and save your money for the reception. In New York? Hop over to City Hall (it just got a swank makeover) where you can tie the knot for $60 (including the $35 marriage license fee). Throw a raucous yet less-expensive-than-a-full-blown-reception cocktail party later in the year.

8. GAMING YOUR WEDDING

From Wii tournaments to Rock Band lounges, interactive hi-tech games will be a fresh (free) entertainment addition at receptions, engagement parties and after-parties.

9. VINTAGE WEDDING CAKES

Dessert alert! Save some cash on your catering bill by skipping the dessert course and eating your cake. Roll out an old-fashioned, sweet, three-tiered buttercream wedding cake crowned with a vintage topper. Looking for a wedding cake topper on a dime? Find one on eBay or borrow your grandparents’ to make it extra memorable.

10. HOME FRONT HONEYMOONS

Make like JFK and Jackie O who honeymooned in Santa Barbara’s exclusive San Ysidro Ranch: Skip the far-flung destinations and sequester yourselves in a honeymoon-worthy domestic locale. Take in five-star stateside cuisine and scenery—from the romantic wineries in Sonoma County, California, to the hot boutique hotels of South Beach, Florida, to a cozy lodge with a stunning view in Juneau, Alaska.

Note to Editors: For more hot trends, check out TheKnot.com and pick up your copy of The Knot Spring/Summer 2009 issue on newsstands now. To speak with an editor and receive camera-ready images to illustrate your wedding trend stories, contact Sr. PR Manager Melissa Bauer at [phone] x1020 or email her at [e-mail].

About The Knot

The Knot is the nation's leading wedding resource, reaching over a million engaged couples each year through the #1 wedding website TheKnot.com, The Knot national and local wedding magazines, The Knot books (published by Random House and Chronicle), and television programming bearing The Knot name. The Knot is the flagship brand of The Knot Inc. (NASDAQ: KNOT), a leading lifestage media company targeting couples planning their weddings and future lives together.