Out with the old, in with the new! Traditions are everywhere, and there’s a few that come quickly to mind when we think about wedding traditions - white dress, matching bridesmaid dresses, not seeing your fiance before the wedding, walking down the aisle with your father, traditional first dance, bouquet & garter toss, wedding cake. The list can go on and on, but the phrase “something old, something new” reminds us that we could & should be doing something new, something fresh, something out of the box, so here are some twists to those traditional wedding traditions, to allow & give yourself permission to embrace, personalize and trend set your wedding day.
SOMETHING OLD: MATCHING BRIDESMAID DRESSES SOMETHING NEW: MIS-MATCHED BRIDESMAID DRESSES It’s safe to say that most brides-to-be have seen “27 Dresses” and thankfully the haunting & daunting “bridesmaid” dress requirements have finally come to a fork in the road. While some love the coordination and simplicity of having all bridesmaids wear the same dress & the same color, a lot of bride tribes are choosing their own unique looks to put that personality front & center. There’s a few ways to mis-match, yet coordinate the dresses - whether you choose to have everyone in the same color, yet different styles, or have completely different colors, patterns & styles for each bridesmaid. Whatever you choose, it’s a fun way to embrace the individuals of the wedding party.
SOMETHING OLD: 1 FLOWER GIRL + 1 RING BEARER SOMETHING NEW: MINI MAIDS & RING BEARS!
Whether you choose to have flower girls and ring bearers a part of your ceremony or not, throw out any assumptions of what it should look like. Do you have a ton of nieces & little girls in your friend circle? Incorporate all the littles into mini maids, because girls just wanna have fun! Or do you want to put a spin on the traditional ring bearers? Have them dress up like actual bears! Or if you have a group of both girls & boys, have them come down the aisle like a parade, waving ribbon banners, boys tossing flowers, girls walking your dogs - whatever you choose to make your ceremony unique, the kids & your guests will all have a grand time!
SOMETHING OLD: NOT SEEING YOUR SIGNIFICANT OTHER BEFORE THE CEREMONY SOMETHING NEW: FIRST LOOK Some may say that it’s bad luck to see your future spouse before the ceremony, or some would rather save that anticipating debut as they walk down the aisle - whether it’s for religious or superstitious reasons, one of the biggest wedding traditions is not seeing your significant other before the ceremony. First looks have become more and more popular - it allows the couple to have some private time before the big day begins, it allows for very memorable pictures, and also allows for more time enjoying the cocktail hour & reception, as you’ll be able to knock out a majority of bridal pictures before the ceremony begins. Not sure if a first look is for you? You can always do a first touch, or first prayer (and wait for that first look as you walk down the aisle). Or choose to do a first look with your dad, your brothers, your bridesmaids, your moms! Revealing yourself as a bride for the first time can be one of the best feelings, especially after all of the months or years of planning!
SOMETHING OLD: WALKING DOWN THE AISLE WITH 1 PARENT SOMETHING NEW: WALK DOWN THE AISLE WITH BOTH PARENTS One of the most anticipated moments of the wedding day, is finally walking down the aisle, and traditionally, brides will walk down with their father, and the father will give her away to the fiance. But in some family dynamics, it’s both parents, or maybe the mother, or maybe the brother that’s played a huge impact in your life. What a precious moment to acknowledge your relationship with them and have them walk you down the aisle (just make sure the aisle is wide enough for multiple people to walk next to you!)
SOMETHING OLD: FIRST ROW RESERVED SEATING SOMETHING NEW: REVERSE FIRST ROW SEATING
Traditionally, when you look down the aisle to the altar, the bride & her family will be on the left, and the groom & his family will be on the left. But, more recently, we’ve seen more families switch the side that they sit on. Why you ask? It’s so the family members can see the face of their son or daughter, rather than seeing the back or side of their head.
SOMETHING OLD: LITTLE KIDS AS FLOWER GIRL & RING BEARER SOMETHING NEW: GRANDPARENTS AS FLOWER GIRL & RING BEARER
Kids are cute, especially at weddings, but one trend that we’re personally loving, is having grandparents as the flower girl & ring bearers. Honestly, it’s probably been decades since they’ve been in a wedding, and what better way to start off a marriage than to recognize and honor some of the longest lasting marriages.
SOMETHING OLD: TRADITIONAL FIRST DANCE SOMETHING NEW: CHOREOGRAPHED FIRST DANCE The traditional first dance is almost always swaying, to a slow first-dance song. But DJ, turn it up! Feel free to liven up that first dance and choose a song that you actually want to dance to. A trend we are seeing a lot of today are choreographed first dances, whether that’s to a slow love song, or mixing it up with a different style of dancing such as tango, or salsa, or 2-step. You’ll be sure to grab the attention of your guests, and you and your fiance can learn something new together, before your happily ever after begins.
SOMETHING OLD: CLASSIC WEDDING CAKE CUTTING SOMETHING NEW: WEDDING CAKE ALTERNATIVES One of our favorite things at weddings, is the dessert - how sweet it is! A wedding cake has been a tradition since ancient Rome, but that doesn’t mean you have to take a bite into it on your wedding day. There’s a variety of desserts out there, and one of our favorites to see is a non-traditional “cake” cutting. Get creative here & select a dessert that you and your fiance love. Are you into donus? Cut into an oversized donut? Are you obsessed with cheese? Cut into a stack of cheese wheels! Pancakes, waffles, cheesecake, cupcakes, pies, cinnamon rolls - the options are endless, and trust us, no one will miss the cake!
SOMETHING OLD: ANNIVERSARY DANCE SOMETHING NEW: REVERSE ANNIVERSARY DANCE
One way to honor love at weddings is to arrange the anniversary dance, where all married couples start on the dance floor and throughout the song, the DJ will narrow down the years married and dismiss those couples until the longest-married couple is left on the dance floor. But a spin on this anniversary dance is to do it in reverse and have the DJ call up couples as the song goes on, that way you end up with a crowd on the dance floor, ready to kick off the dance party!
SOMETHING OLD: STICKING WITH TRADITIONAL ENTERTAINMENT SOMETHING NEW: LIVE ENTERTAINMENT When we first meet with couples, one of our questions we ask is to describe their ideal wedding reception, and the word fun, almost always comes to fruition. We’ve seen a lot of entertainment ideas, such as backyard games, photo booths, dance parties, etc. Some of our favorite wedding trends that are quickly coming to surface are live entertainment - such as cigar rollers, beer burros & alpachas, and our favorite yet, live paintings capturing moments of your reception & wedding guests!
Photography: A Sea of Love | Britni Dean Photography | Feather & Twine | Moodyography