Weddings are full of traditions and often this is what makes them so special. Maybe you’ve been dreaming of your wedding since you were little and have already planned to use fabric from your mums wedding dress, have your first dance to “I will always love you” and wear your great grandmother’s sapphire necklace as your ‘something blue’.
If the traditions are important to you and you want to follow them to the letter, that is more than okay! But what about when traditions are just followed for the sake of tradition and they don’t actually add meaningful value to your wedding day?
Here are five traditions we’ve seen couples ditching and want to give you permission to ditch too.
1. Cutting the cake
While you can probably think of many of your friend’s wedding photos including a shot of the happy couple cutting their cake, this does not mean you have to do this at yours. Maybe you want to leave it out because you have six different speeches to fit in and you’re short on time. Maybe you don’t even want a cake? Dessert tables have been very popular lately and a great way to cater for different dietary needs. Plus they can add such an instagram worthy element to your reception! So if it’s not right for you, cut the cake cutting from your day.
2. Walking down the aisle with Papa Bear
For many people this is not a suitable option. Sometimes dad hasn’t been around enough in their life or has sadly passed away. Sometimes couples want to honour both parents or a lifelong friend and have them walk down the aisle. You choose what is right for you even if it means walking down the aisle by yourself. You might be worried about feeling alone in that moment but the reality is when you walk past all of those excited, happy faces towards the face of the love of your life, you will feel so supported.
3. Not seeing one another before the ceremony
While some think it is bad luck to see your bride or groom before the wedding, the origins of this tradition have nothing to do with luck. The tradition actually stems from arranged marriages where the couple often hadn’t even met each other before the wedding. So whether you want to avoid each other for a day before the ceremony is completely up to you. Now it’s becoming increasingly popular to have a ‘first look’. This is a special little private moment between the couple to break nervous tension and share personal vows. You might also find this a good option if time is limited between your ceremony and reception and you want to get some photos taken of just the two of you.
4. Throwing the bouquet
Maybe you want to hold onto your bouquet and don’t want those gorgeous florals to become scrunched when they are fought over by thirty of your single friends. You might also want to spare your single friends the spotlight of this moment. Whatever the reason, if you don’t want to include this in your wedding, don’t throw the bouquet, throw the tradition.
5. Having gender rules for the bridal party
Traditionally a bride has had female bridesmaids and a groom has had male groomsmen. But in recent times this tradition has been ditched and we think it’s great. Maybe you’re the bride and your brother or a male friend is your BFF and deserves the title of MOH (man of honour), or perhaps you’re the groom and your best man is not a man at all? Don’t exclude these special people just because of tradition. Mix things up! You can easily match your female friend’s dress to the colour of your other groomsmen’s suits, ties or pocket squares. A man of honour can also match the bridesmaids in this way. When it comes to your special day, you want the right people around you so choose accordingly.
At the end of the day, your wedding will be memorable because of your love for one another and because of the special things you have chosen to include because they actually matter to you. Anything that doesn’t have a meaningful purpose shouldn’t take up space in your mind and have a place in your day. So throw those unwanted traditions out the window and you do you boo!
