The Minimalist Wedding Aesthetic

Photo: Bella KC / Infinity Images by Heather

For most couples, wedding planning starts with gathering wedding inspiration.

A single Instagram post might help you decide which wedding colors to pick. An image on Pinterest could make you fall in love with a certain dress style. An afternoon binge of The Great British Baking Show may make you realize exactly how you want your wedding cake to look.  

But before you can start planning the nitty-gritty details, you have to decide one thing:

What’s your overall wedding style going to be?

For a lot of couples planning to wed in 2022, the answer to that question is minimalism.

From décor ideas to how to pick the perfect wedding gown, these minimalist wedding ideas will help you embrace a minimal look in every aspect of your wedding day!

What Is a Minimalist Wedding?

Minimalism is all about clean lines and simplicity. It’s clutter-free. It’s the opposite of ornate.

It’s not about towering flower centerpieces or elaborate tablescapes. Forget about having a five-tier cake covered in fondant flowers or carrying a massive, multicolored flower bouquet.

With the minimalist aesthetic, less is always more.

The minimalist trend isn’t so much a theme as it is a look. Your wedding can be boho, modern, beachy, or rustic and still be minimalist.

Minimalism has less to do with the specific elements you choose for your wedding day and more to do with how you put those elements together.

No matter what your style is, minimalism calls for a neutral color scheme. Vibrant colors, such as hot pink and bright purple, don’t really work with the style, but neutral colors — shades of beige, gray, white, ivory, and muted pastels — do!

Bella Bridesmaids has plenty of dresses that would look perfect in your minimalist wedding. Shop our collection of bridesmaid dresses today!

What to Look For in a Minimalist Wedding Dress

Photo: Bella Memphis / Taylor Square Weddings

A minimalist wedding requires a minimalist wedding dress. When shopping for a wedding gown for the big day, there are a few things you’ll want to look for and a few things you’ll want to avoid.

Minimalist wedding dresses can be structured or flowy as long as they’re simplistic and clean. They can be any neckline, any sleeve length, or any hem length.

A minimalist gown might be an elegant sheath dress with a cowl back. It can be a satin slip dress with a high slit. If you don’t want to wear a dress, it could even be a strapless, skinny-legged jumpsuit.

If you’re having an opulent wedding, a ball gown with layers of tulle ruffles or a heavily embellished mermaid gown would be a beautiful option. But if you’re going for the minimalist vibe, ornate embellishments and massive trains with lace appliques aren’t necessary.

Keep these ideas in mind when shopping for your wedding party, as well.

For the girls, there are tons of simple bridesmaid dress silhouettes to choose from. For the guys, classic black tuxes or slim suits in gray or dark blue are the perfect way to pull off the minimalist look.

Shop minimalist bridesmaid dresses from Amsale now! 

How to Choose a Minimalist Wedding Venue

The less adorned your venue space, the better.

A ballroom with crystal chandeliers and patterned carpets may feel grand if you’re having a traditional wedding, but when you’re throwing a minimal wedding … not so much.

Raw spaces with minimal decoration are ideal for a minimalist wedding reception. Industrial spaces also work well with this aesthetic, as they tend to have smaller lighting fixtures and hard floors that make for a clean, sparse vibe. The fewer details in the space, the more freedom you have to make the space look exactly how you want it to look. 

Don’t want to add any decorations at all?

If you’re having your wedding ceremony or reception outdoors, let the sand, sea, trees, or grass serve as an unadorned backdrop for your minimalist celebration.

Related: 5 Ideas for a Forest Wedding

Keep Your Wedding Décor to a Minimum

With so many wedding decorations to choose from, it’s easy to go a bit overboard. So if you’ve decided to have a minimalist wedding, you’ll want to keep your décor to a minimum.

Here are some ways to do so:

The Cake

Photo: Ryan Liebe

Your wedding cake is more than dessert — it’s also a decoration!

Replace the five-tier cake covered in pearls and flowers with a white wedding cake adorned with some cool textures or unexpected icing techniques. 

Minimalism may be simple, but it certainly doesn’t have to be boring.

The Flowers 

Choose smaller bouquets in one color over large ones filled with different-colored flowers. A single sprig of greenery is a beautiful way to incorporate color while keeping the “less is more” mentality.

Related: 7 Eco-Friendly Bridal Bouquet Ideas

The Tables 

If your wedding venue has beautiful wood tables, you might want to go without tablecloths. Plain white table runners are all the linens you need to set a clean, modern dining table.

As for your tablescapes, the more pared-back they are, the more minimalist they’ll be. Instead of decadent place settings with colorful dishes and gold-rimmed glassware, opt for a monochromatic look.

All white or all gray is always gorgeous!

No tablescape is complete without a focal point. Forgo the towering floral wedding centerpieces in favor of smaller floral arrangements or single stems, such as calla lilies, in clear glass vases.

Prefer not to have any flowers at all?

Candles in different sizes make excellent table decorations!

Embrace Acrylic 

If you really want to be as minimalist as possible, introduce clear acrylic items throughout your reception space. You can do this by adding clear acrylic ghost chairs around your tables or by setting up acrylic signage that greets your guests at the reception and tells them where they’re seated.

Related: Our Complete Wedding Signage Checklist

Set the Tone With Minimalist Wedding Invitations

Having a truly minimal wedding means embracing minimalism in every way, including with your wedding invitations and save-the-dates.

When ordering invitations, choose clean, modern typography instead of ornate fonts like calligraphy. Sending plain invitations in simple packaging sets the tone for your minimalist wedding from day one.

Conclusion

With a neutral color palette and a “less is more” approach to décor, creating a modern minimalist wedding is easy to pull off. 

Whether you’re dreaming of a bohemian bash on the beach or a formal black-tie celebration, you can take the minimalist approach no matter what theme or vibe you want for your wedding day.

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