Many elements of a wedding are deep rooted in tradition. The reasons behind the wedding party dressing in matching outfits to why couples take a honeymoon can be traced back thousands of years. However, most couples don’t know the true meaning behind the traditions they’re determined to continue.
While it’s nice to honor our pasts, there are some traditions that are just not relevant in today’s time. Here are five wedding traditions that it’s okay to skip.
#1 - Specific division of finances. No longer do we see one partner’s parents paying for the reception while the other’s pays for the rehearsal. Today it’s much more common for the couple to pay for all wedding events with contributions from friends and family going to the overall budget.
#2 - Waiting to see each other until you walk down the aisle. The old wives tale states that if you see each other before walking down the aisle, it’s bad luck. However, this tradition is just a tale. You no longer have to wait till the ceremony to see each other. In fact, most photographers and wedding professionals encourage you to do a first look, seeing each other a couple of hours before the ceremony. This allows you to get the majority of your pictures done so you have more time to spend with your guests.
#3 - Inviting all out of town guests to the rehearsal dinner. With most of your friends and family living in various places across the country, or even world, your rehearsal dinner could be as big as your wedding if you invited all out of town guests. Instead, we suggest an intimate rehearsal dinner followed by a welcome cocktail party for all guests.
#4 - Receiving lines. Receiving lines are an old wedding tradition that provided you with an opportunity to thank each of your guests for attending the wedding. However, as weddings have become more than a one day affair, you have plenty of time to visit and thank each guest personally for attending.
#5 - Bridesmaids and Groomsmen. You no longer have to stick to exclusively bridesmaids or groomsmen. In fact, you don’t have to have a wedding party at all if you don’t want one. As long as you have the people who support you most standing next to you and surrounding you on wedding day, that’s all that matters.
What wedding traditions did you skip and which did you choose to keep?
Photographer credit Becca Dilley Photography
About Sincerely Pete
Sincerely Pete is a full-service wedding planning and design company in Washington, D.C. and Alexandria, VA who believes in a personal, curated & customized approach to each wedding couple we work with, taking their values & personalities into account and keeping the relationship as the focus of the wedding. We plan Washington DC weddings, Virginia weddings, Maryland weddings and destination weddings all over the world.
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