Traditional or Non-Traditional? Customize Your Wedding
Most people think of a wedding as a ceremony in a church and then a reception at a banquet hall, but weddings come in all sizes and shapes. It can be religious or non-religious. It can be on land or on sea, inside or outside, in town or out in the country. In short, your wedding can be whatever you want it to be.
Most couples tend to have some traditional and non-traditional items in their wedding. The traditional wedding vows are sometimes customized, and additional traditions, like jumping the broom, added in. How far you can go outside of tradition is sometimes dictated by your religion. Some are stricter about adhering to tradition than others. Ask your pastor, minister or priest what they allow and don’t allow at weddings and make sure you convey this to your vendors (photo, video, flowers, decorator, musicians, etc.). If you find your church’s rules too confining, you can still have your pastor, minister or priest preside over your wedding at another venue.
Do your research! If you haven’t attended a lot of weddings, you may want to look up wedding traditions for ideas. The internet is a good source of ideas for your wedding. Search wedding sites like Wedding Wire or The Knot for ideas. Your family may also have some traditions that you want to carry on. Talk to your family’s elders to see what they suggest. Some brides carry the family Bible down the aisle, others pour sand or water to symbolize the merging of two families. Some couples today choose a theme to design their wedding around – your love of beaches, movies or music can help with your wedding planning.
Tradition or non-tradition also carries over to the style and color of your dress. The traditional white wedding dress is still the most popular choice for American brides. You can also choose this style in cream, ivory or even pink. Or you can go the non-traditional route and choose a dress that is not a wedding dress. It can be long or short, form fitting or flowing, white or purple. Brides are breaking out of the traditional style and color and going toward what makes them feel beautiful. Their grooms are also choosing traditional black or white tuxes and suits or going non-traditional with grey, brown or blue. They’re also choosing casual linen or silk suits, depending on the venue and the temperature.
Rings have expanded from traditional gold and platinum to silver, rhodium and titanium - in yellow, white or black metal. Some couples tattoo rings around their fingers under their wedding rings to symbolize forever.
Flowers have also broken out the mold and have expanded to gladiolas, sunflowers and daisies. The traditional roses and lilies are also still popular.
There are so many choices and it can seem overwhelming, but if you and your spouse-to-be take the time to discuss what is really important to you both, the task of planning your weddings’ traditional and non-traditional elements becomes easier.
Challenges:
Choose your colors and theme at the beginning of your planning – the other elements will fall into place.
Find what speaks to you as a couple and then make it your own.
Be brave and step outside the box. Your family or friends might not “get” it, but that’s ok. It’s your wedding.
Don’t try to incorporate too many themes or elements into your day. It looks scattered and unrelated.
