Bucking Common Wedding Traditions

Weddings are rife with long-held traditions, from the moment you walk down the aisle to the final toast at the reception. When planning your wedding, it’s easy to fall into these common traditions; it certainly makes planning easier to follow a prescribed format.

But maybe it’s time to get creative. Maybe you don’t need a bridal party with matching ties and dresses. Maybe you don’t need a traditional wedding dress and a traditional venue. Maybe you can do without the bouquet toss and the cake cutting and the endless formalities — and still throw a party for the ages.

First, consider letting your wedding party choose their own clothes. You might give them certain colors to work with or vague guidelines; ultimately they’ll be happier and may end up with clothes they can wear again.

Next, maybe it’s time to reconsider who pays for the wedding. Traditionally, a bride’s family has footed the bill because women, who didn’t work outside the home, were a financial burden on their husbands. But those days are long gone; both parties should split the bill equally.

Atypical bridal parties are another way to shake things up. Instead of segregating the wedding parties by gender, mix it up with your closest friends — gender aside — standing by you as you get hitched.

Ultimately, it’s important to remember your wedding is all about you and your partner, and any decisions you make about format, venue, colors, food, etc., should reflect the two of you. If you don’t fit into a box, neither should your wedding. It will be all the more memorable that way.