One of the most common things that I’m asked as a Wedding Planner during the planning process is “Will it be strange if we don’t do this?”.  I’ve talked about this on many occasions, but the beautiful reality is that most of my couples are throwing old traditions in the backseat while driving full speed toward creating their own new, and quite frankly, more interesting traditions.  There is absolutely no right answer when it comes to which traditions you should choose to keep (and maybe even modernize) on the big day. Weather it’s the good ol’ garter toss or giving your wedding day VIPs some sort of flower to adorn their already fabulous attire, let’s talk about which traditions couples are dropping like hot enchiladas (yes, I made that saying up because enchiladas are tastier than potatoes).

Photography by Nichole Haun Photography    

 

The Garter Toss

I can honestly rank this as the #1 fastest fading wedding tradition in the history of all time.  You may think I’m being dramatic, but within the last decade, this wedding day staple has gone from being expected as part of the festivities, to being extremely surprising when it does happen.  I go to a fair share of weddings (if you count about 25 per year as lot) and only about 1 of these weddings participates in the garter toss. Seriously… this tradition has been around since the Middle Ages… like medieval times… but somehow millennials have put the kibosh on it in the blink of an eye.  While some couples dread the thought of 100 of their closest friends watching them search for lingerie off of their partner, couples are either choosing to opt out completely or to embrace it head on. I’ve seen wallets, and granny panties, and baby dolls come out from under a dress or 2… and yes… we had something to do with it!  Surprise! Nothing falls outside of our job description on the big day! 

 

Cake Cutting 

A lot of couples are choosing to forgo a traditional cake cutting ceremony altogether as they opt for non traditional desserts for their guests to enjoy. Still want to make sure that grandma gets the photo op of you and your partner feeding each other a mound of cake? Buy a mini cake and give the people what they want!  It’s your wedding day, so you can have your cake… and eat your donut wall too! 

 

Bridal Party Flowers 

This is a more recent development.  This tradition also came from waaaay back, during a much… how can I put this… smellier time when the VIPs got to wear flowers during the wedding day festivities to mask their not so lovely hygiene.  Since we can assume that everyone will be showering on your wedding day, it sounds like something that most couples can do without. We have recently seen a number of couples opt against boutonnieres as a money saving tactic or simply because they aren’t down with the tradition and don’t see their purpose.  While I’m a sucker for some good floral, there are some pretty cool men’s fashion alternatives out there these days… like trendy lapel pins! We didn’t forget about you fellas!     

Remember, ultimately this is YOUR wedding day, so it’s impossible for you to do something wrong.  Your day should be exactly want you want it to be, with or without medieval traditions observed!