8 Ways You Can Break Wedding Traditions
Untraditional Wedding Ideas
I love it when couples break the rules and to encourage you to do the same I have put this blog together discussing 8 ways you can break wedding traditions on your wedding day.
Don’t get me wrong there are some wedding traditions that are great for photos, for quests to enjoy and for the couple to experience but there are ways you can improve these traditions and personalise them to be unique to you and your loved ones.
The best thing about breaking wedding traditions is how much more fun you can make it. For every great wedding tradition there are 3 that are, honestly, really dull but you can change things up to turn it into something fun or even entertaining for your guests.The options are endless so to get you started and inspire some awesome wedding planning ideas here are my top 8 ways you can break wedding traditions!
1. Plan a first look
Traditionally the first time the couple see each other is at the wedding ceremony but there is a really special alternative. You could arrange to have a first look with each other before or even on your way to the ceremony. Why not meet in a beautiful woodland setting and set eyes on each other just the two of you (and your photographer). It makes the moment so personal, I love that it is a moment the couple get to keep just between the two of them.
2. Walk down the aisle together
Instead of having a parent or close relative walk you down the aisle why not make an entrance together and walk down the aisle as a couple? This isn’t a tradition that is often broken and it’s understandable why. It’s a wonderful gesture to ask your father or loved one to walk you down the aisle but when this isn’t possible or a little complicated (like most families are) then this is a great alternative for your ceremony. Plus I would like to see the groom get his big entrance every now and again too!
3. Colourful bridal wear
A white or ivory dress is not for everyone and you shouldn’t feel pressured into wearing a gown that isn’t right for you. There are some incredible coloured bridal dress designers out there and they are just as elegant and stunning as any traditional dress. Check out Lucy Can’t Dance and see for yourself.
Whether you are looking for a statement dress in a bold colour, a super luxurious gold dress or want something a little less formal you should choose a dress that you feel comfortable in.
4 .Have a celebrant wedding
For the ultimate personal wedding ceremony you should definitely consider having a celebrant wedding. Not only can you get married pretty much anywhere with a celebrant (e.g. your back garden or in a field) but every celebrant ceremony is written specifically for the couple so you can say and do whatever you want. To find out more about celebrant weddings take a look at my previous blog – What is the difference between a celebrant and a registrar?
5. Keep your surname
Traditionally the bride takes her husbands name, a lovely sentiment, but in this modern world it’s not compulsory and there are other options. I’m the perfect example of this – my lovely husband offered to take my name when we got married last year so that my business could be unaltered and we could help continue the Matthews name. It was the best option for us but you could choose to keep your own names or double barrel both names so you both make a change. I have even worked with one couple who both changed there name to a completely different surname, a surname that was connected to another part of their family tree but had so much more meaning.
6. Change up the wedding cake
I’m not a big fan of those staged cake cutting photos so I have some great alternative ideas to inspire you. One great option is to replace the traditional cake with something a little different, how about a cake of cheese that you can serve with the evening buffet? or a tower of doughnuts that doubles up as dessert?
Another option is to replace the cake with something you can’t eat… A pinata! We ordered ours from Pinyatay and it was incredible. Instead of calling everyone round a table everyone watched us smash the hell out of a paper cake that we had filled with little bags of chocolate (you could fill it with little favours and get your guests to smash the pinata too). It was lots of fun for us, great entertainment for our guests and absolutely hilarious.
7. Include women in the speeches
I’m happy to say I am seeing more and more of this, it’s so nice to see women doing speeches at weddings these days. Not every bride wants to stand up in a room of 100+ people and do a speech but if your mum, your maid of honor or your best friend is up for it then why not?
The most important factor that pushed me to do a speech on my wedding day was knowing that all the other speeches would be saying wonderful things about me and generally making jokes about the groom; I wanted to stand up and say something lovely about my new husband. It was important for me to let him know how much I appreciated him on the most important day of our lives (I may have thrown in a few jokes too haha).
8. First dance with everyone
If your the kind of couple that don’t like being center of attention or just hate dancing then this is a great alternative to having a first dance. Instead of having a first dance just the two of you, invite all of your guests to kick off the dancing with you. Your first dance becomes a special moment that you share with your entire wedding party, you don’t have all eyes on you and the party can get started that bit sooner
These are just a few alternative wedding ideas that I hope have inspired you to try something different for your big day. We are so lucky these days that almost anything is possible when it comes to planning a wedding so make the most of it and have the day you really want.
I would love to know what wedding traditions you are breaking, get in touch and tell me all about your plans xx