Thursday, July 22, 2010

Traditions with a Twist

Now-a-days weddings are all about reflecting the couple (hopefully not just the bride). The days of all white weddings with puffy white sleeves, white cake with weird fruity fillings, and gifts you give your daughter 20 years later because you never used them (thanks mom) are pretty much gone. Today, an engaged couple can choose from millions of color schemes, wedding styles, and even themes. It's pretty neat. But something that a lot of people look forward to at weddings are the traditions. You know. The cake cutting, the bouquet and garter toss, and of course pelting the couple with rice as they run for the hills. But when weddings are morphing so quickly, it's bound to happen that traditions change as well.

Josh and I are including several what I'll call "traditional traditions" in our wedding but you might find that they have a slight twist that makes them more enjoyable to us.

Numero Uno: Ceremony music. This I'm pretty excited about. The Bridal Chorus and Wedding March are beautiful, but it's no longer mandatory that they make an appearance during the ceremony. I'll be walking down the aisle jamming some Frank Sinatra and Josh and I will be announced as Husband and Wife to the retro sounds of the Platters. You just couldn't do that 10 years ago.

Two: Cake cutting. For the life of me I cannot find the Real Wedding post I found this on, but it is an amazingly cute idea. Josh and I will (most likely) be cutting and plating our own wedding cake. Crazy? Maybe. But I have a stellar apron that I'll throw on over my fancy dress and we will be able to get more face-to-face time with guests as they come on down and get some cake. Yum. Plus it's a cost saver.

Tres: We decided to have only a Maid of Honor and a Best Man stand up with us on that day. This decision was slightly dictated by the size of the church (teeny-tiny but oh-so-adorable), but it also made sense to us because we are having an intimate ceremony and it seemed as though 2 bridesmaids would have led to twelve if you know what I'm saying.

Of course, I'm sure there are a lot more traditions we'll be twisting but those are definitely the top three.

Now for traditions we're skipping:
  • Bouquet and garter toss. No thank you.
  • Tossing anything for the exit. I'm really hoping just to hug everyone, since a lot of family is coming in that I haven't seen in a while.
  • Formal dancing. Including first dance, dancing with parents, etc. That just takes up too much time and guests are expected to stand and watch us for 3-6 minutes while this goes on? Boring.

It is completely acceptable to take traditions and make them your own now. Wouldn't it be interesting to see what our parents and grandparents had done if they had the freedom to forego traditional traditions? What traditions are you skipping and which ones are you twisting?

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