Wedding Traditions That Have Modern Alternatives

It’s quite surprising that in the 21st century, weddings often still follow the same format, full of tropes and traditions from years ago. While some are heartwarming, wholesome, and steeped in history, others can feel pretty outdated! Refreshingly, we're now seeing more and more couples adding modern twists to the traditional wedding norms, bringing a breath of fresh air to proceedings!

Why shouldn’t your beloved dog walk you down the aisle? Who said you had to have an expensive wedding cake? Why can’t you save time and money by building a personalised wedding website instead of sending paper invitations? And why should the bride's family pay for the whole wedding? As we don’t believe there’s a right or wrong way to plan and host a wedding, we will look at some of the old wedding traditions and consider what the modern alternative might look like. This is your wedding day, so you should plan it exactly how you like!

Wedding Outfits

From the white wedding dress to wearing a veil and a garter. Old wedding traditions, such as wedding gowns, are as prehistoric as it gets! In many societies, the colour white has long been associated with purity and innocence. Whereas the veil dates back to ancient Roman times, symbolising respect and modesty. While wearing white and choosing a veil can be a beautiful addition to a bridal outfit, it’s not the only option. We’ve seen brides in silver, pink, and even black! Consider what suits you and choose something that you will feel most comfortable (and fabulous!) in.

Wedding Invitations

Ever considered switching from traditional paper invitations to digital RSVPs? If you and your partner have a lot of guests but are short on time and money, evites are an excellent modern alternative. If you’ve got guests located all over the world, or the thought of organising all of those paper RSVPs gives you the shivers, consider building your own custom website and keep everything in one place. Need to update your guests with a change of plan? No worries, you can just email them all at the same time.

Wedding websites and digital wedding RSVPs are a brilliant alternative to traditional paper invitations. The cost is a huge benefit, but they’re also an incredibly useful tool that will help you for the duration of your wedding planning! As well as keeping all of your wedding information in one place, you can create a custom checklist to work through and even collect dietary requirements through your digital RSVPs. It’s a no-brainer!

Your Wedding Ceremony

Oh, the wedding vows. It’s surprising how few people realise that although you do have to say the legal vows to be legally married, your ceremony doesn’t have to be dry and stuffy. Consider personalising your wedding ceremony by adding in your own vows, humorous readings or poems, and live music. After all, your wedding ceremony should be unique to you and truly memorable.

Unity candles are now a popular tradition in many wedding ceremonies, symbolising the joining of two individuals or families into one. The ritual typically involves the couple each taking a lit candle (representing their individual lives) and using them to light a larger, central candle together. This act signifies their unity as a married couple. Speak to your celebrant and see what’s possible and what feels right—you might be pleasantly surprised!

Your Best People

Forget the traditional roles given to best men, bridesmaids, etc. If your chief bridesmaid isn’t great at organising, perhaps she isn’t the best person to coordinate the hen do. Or if your best man lost his passport on the stag do, do you really want him looking after the wedding rings?! Instead, allocate tasks to the right person within your wedding party, regardless of their gender or whether they would have traditionally taken on this job. Plus, more and more couples are now opting to have uneven members in their bridal party; it simply doesn't matter!

Your Wedding Reception

Wedding Photography: One of the great things about modern weddings is that there are no strict rules you need to follow. If you don’t want your wedding photographer to take the traditional line-up style photos with both sides of the families, that’s perfectly fine. Maybe you prefer capturing candid moments, or perhaps you want to focus on more creative or artistic shots that highlight the natural emotions of the day.

Bouquet toss: If the idea of doing a bouquet toss doesn’t excite you, or if it simply doesn’t feel like something that fits with the tone of your wedding, then don’t feel obligated to include it. There are many other ways to engage with your guests and make them feel involved in the celebration. You might consider replacing the bouquet toss with something more meaningful to you, like giving the bouquet to a special guest, or foregoing it altogether and focussing on other traditions that resonate more with you.

Seating plan: The same goes for the seating arrangements. If the thought of meticulously planning a table chart makes you feel stressed or overwhelmed, why not allow your guests to choose their own seats? A free-seating arrangement can create a more relaxed and informal atmosphere, encouraging your guests to mingle and interact with people they may not know. It can also take the pressure off you as the couple, allowing you to focus on enjoying your day rather than worrying about who’s sitting where.

Speeches: Traditionally, speeches are given by the best man, the father of the bride, and the groom, but there’s no reason why you can’t shake things up. Some of the most heartfelt and memorable speeches we’ve seen at weddings have come from less expected guests, such as children, bridesmaids, or even grandparents. Allowing these important people in your life to share a few words can add a special, personal touch to the reception. Their perspectives and experiences can bring a different, often more emotional, dynamic to the day, making it even more memorable.

Wedding Gifts

Long gone are the days when a newlywed couple would rely on their wedding gifts to set up home together—toaster? Check. Kettle? Check. Dining set? Check! These days, modern couples often stipulate on their wedding invitation whether gifts are welcome or whether they’d prefer a donation to charity, their honeymoon, or their first house fund.

But honestly, having a gift list will make things so much easier for your wedding guests and you! It’s likely that your guests will want to gift you something, so why not curate a list of items that you actually want and need? To make things even more straight forward, you can link your gift list to your wedding website so that your guests can make a purchase with the click of a link and they’ll be safe in the knowledge that they’ve bought you something that you will love and treasure for years to come.