10 Wedding Traditions you can Feel Free to Skip
We've entered the 2020s baby and weddings are a whole new ballgame! There are so many traditions no longer coming into play and new 'traditions' starting to become more popular - let's take a look at a few of them!
Remember, your wedding is YOUR DAY. You may have family that disagrees with the idea breaking traditions, but what's most important is that YOU love your wedding!
1. Bridesmaids/ Groomsmen
Just because you're a women doesn't mean you need to have only women standing next to you on your wedding day and same with men! Mix up your wedding party with men and women on both sides. What's most important is that your favorite people are by your side on your wedding day.
2. Wedding Party
Perhaps you're considering skipping the wedding party all together? That's ok! Take the pressure off of your friends to buy dresses they'll never wear again or rent expensive tuxes. Save yourself some dough on bouquets and styling for your girls. You can still choose to honor those people who would have been in your wedding party by including them in photos or a special dance.
3. Assigned Seating
This one is great because it takes the pressure off of you to create a seating chart! One less thing to do in your wedding planning - woohoo! Let your guests choose where they sit and maybe even skip the formal dinner all together. Instead, have stations with a variety of food out for an hour or two where guests can decide what they want and when they want it.
4. Getting Married on your Wedding Day
This may sound crazy, but every year I have a few couples approach me who are already married or planning to marry before their big wedding with 100+ guests. It takes the stress out of having to do so much in one day and allows you to thoroughly enjoy your nuptials on one day and your party on another.
5. Seeing Each Other for the First Time at your Ceremony
First looks are becoming so popular, more than half of my couples each year opt to do one. If you want the moment your first see each other to be private and/or you want to spend lots of time taking photos without the worry of missing your cocktail hour or being too rushed, I highly recommend this new tradition.
Unsure whether a first look is right for you?
Check this out > "3 Reasons to Consider a First Look"
6. Saying Vows in front of your Guests
Do you find that you and your fiancé are more introverted and private? You don't have to spill your guts in front of everyone at your ceremony! Here are a couple alternative options:
- say your vows during your First Look
- say your vows at an alternative time not during your wedding - such as the night before or even breakfast the morning of your wedding day
- turn the mics off during your ceremony to say your vows
8. Matching Dresses for your Bridesmaids and Groomsmaids
Mismatched and even patterned brides/groomsmaid dresses are in and I'm loving it! I recommend choosing a color palette you like and having your ladies choose a color that they think looks best on them. After all, you want them to feel gorgeous too!
7. Wearing a White Wedding Dress or High Heels
Yup, not everyone is wearing white at their weddings anymore! I told my grandma I wanted a gray gown for my day and she nearly fainted 🤣🤷♀️ But not every bride feels like white is her aesthetic. What matters most is that you feel beautiful!
Same goes for wearing heels - if you rarely or never wear them the rest of the time, why bother with the discomfort on your wedding day? There are so many cute alternatives such as custom converse or any sneakers for that matter, cute ballerina flats or even a kitten heel if you feel like you want just a little lift!
9. Garter/ Bouquet Toss
I'm not gonna lie, I'm pretty happy this tradition has been fading out! Tossing the garter and bouquet is one thing... but that awkward moment where one stranger has to put the garter on another in front of a crowd of people... let's just skip that for everyone's sake 😉
10. Receiving Line
Of course you'll want to greet your guests and thank them for coming to your wedding. Instead of a receiving line immediately after your ceremony, go from table to table during your reception. If you're planning to take all of your family and wedding party photos between your ceremony and reception (aka skipping the First Look), you should absolutely skip the receiving line as it will take up a large amount of your very limited photo time.
Have any questions or looking for a photographer for your Dream Wedding day?
I'm always happy to chat weddings 😆
