Stop Following The Same Old Traditions And Make Your Wedding Unique

We all want our wedding day to be utterly perfect. But will having everything very traditional make you the happiest you and your groom can be? It might be that you want to make your day a little different, and a bit more unique.

If so, this is totally fine. But how can you make it suit you? From invitations to you dress, favours to speeches. Here a few ideas for making your wedding day perfectly represent you and the things you hold dear.  

Wear a dress in a colour other than white

Wearing a white dress is a big part of a traditional wedding. A symbol of virginity and purity, some think that wearing a white dress is now an out-dated tradition. If you think this too, you might want to consider wearing a different colour. How about a striking blue, like the colour of Carrie’s wedding shoes in Sex and The City The Movie? Or, if you’re getting married in the summer, wear a pastel colour, like lemon yellow. Alternatively, if you don’t want to stick with white but go a bit less flashy, do this! Buy a white dress from a high-street store, rather than a high end one. Team it will comfortable, low heels and a flower crown for a laid-back feel.

Have bridesmen as well as bridesmaids

The reasons why brides have bridesmaids traditionally are pretty interesting. One reason was to help ward off evil spirits. The other was to confuse anybody who might have been hoping to rob the bride and take her dowry. In modern days, however, having bridesmaids tend to revolve more around having them to support you. They might help you find your perfect dress, and plan your engagement and hen parties. And of course, they can carry your bouquet when you need your hands free, and help you lift your dress for toilet breaks. If it is for these reasons that you’re having a group of bridesmaids, they shouldn’t just have to be women. You should be able to have men too if you want. If you have close male friends that you’d love to be a bigger part of your day, why not have a couple of ‘bridesmen’ also! They can wear a tie to match the bridesmaids dress or outfit, and they’ll fit in just fine. Their gender shouldn’t be what is important. It should be about you having the wedding party that you want, and your loved ones surrounding you.

Personalise your invitations

Set the tone of a personalised wedding from early on by sending personalised wedding invitations. You could use the colours that will be featuring in your wedding decorations. Use glitter, or sequins, to give yours a sparkly touch. Go on Pinterest for ideas, or visit paper Themes for wedding card inspiration. Or, wait until you have you engagement photo shoot done with your partner. Then use an image from this. Don’t forget the envelopes too. A cheap and easy idea is to invest in a wedding stamp. Buy an ink-pad in a colour that will feature heavily on your big day and stamp the back of each envelope.

Give a unique wedding favour

Stop perpetuating the tradition of sugared almonds. Nobody likes them anyway! How about buying a mason jar for everyone? You could get it engraved with a special message, and have them use it as their glass throughout the day. Then they can take it home with them at the end of the night. Or, make a donation to a charity you hold dear to your heart in their name. Another alternative is to pick three charity boxes and give every guest a token. Allow them to pick a charity of their choosing, and then give the money accordingly. Or, if you do want to stick with the food theme, how about a small pot of homemade jam for everyone?

Replace confetti with sparklers

Throwing confetti at the end of a wedding is a big tradition. It is done in many cultures, and makes some incredible photographs! But what about using sparklers instead? This is an even better idea if your exit will be at night when it is dark. The photographs are just as good, if not better. If you buy in bulk online, sparklers can be very affordable; even more than confetti in some cases! Just make sure you get the long ones, so nobodies outfit gets damaged. Pre-prepare buckets of sand for guests to dispose of their sparklers in once they’ve gone out.

Replace thank you cards with speeches

Weddings are expensive; everyone knows this. And sometimes there are even more costs to deal with after the big day is done. Sending thank you cards are a perfect example of this. Not only do you have to buy the cards and then invest time in writing them, but you also have pay for stamps and postage. Instead of writing cards, say your thank you’s on the day. During the speeches, take ten minutes or so to say personalised thank you’s to everyone. That’s ten minutes in total, by the way! Ten minutes each and you’ll be there until 6 am!

Have both parents walk you down the aisle

Traditionally, a father walked his daughter down the aisle to symbolise giving her away to the man. Like wearing the white dress, the source of this tradition now makes some people feel uncomfortable. So how about having both of your parents walk you down the aisle? Or, if they’ve done it before for another sibling but a grandparent has never had the honour, how about asking them? Alternatively, ask your best friends to do the honour. Or, if you have children, ask her, she or them.

Replace a traditional cake with a cheese cake

Many people still want a traditional cake at their wedding. After all, who doesn’t love cake! However, due to their popularity, they are pretty expensive these days, even for small and simple ones. Some people end up having to spend even more on their cake than they do their dress, especially as it needs to be big enough to feed everyone! So, instead, how about serving guests a cheese cake? Stack up five or six different types and serve with crackers, chutney, and grapes. Just as delicious but way more affordable.

Stop Following The Same Old Traditions And Make Your Wedding Unique