Wedding trends… what are they really? I mean let’s get down to the business, each season it seems like something is on trend until it is entirely overdone and then the next wave of “what’s cool” comes on through. From mason jars to burlap runners, pale color palettes to lace, it seems like things go in waves and people fall numb to the idea of thinking outside of the box. Why am I saying this? I was one of those people. Sometimes when I meet with clients I tell them some of the things we did wrong with our wedding – it isn’t to diss our amazing day, it’s to let them know that I don’t expect perfection and that I am fully aware that our own wedding wasn’t absolutely perfect (but I do tell them it was the best day ever, because for reals… it was.) Now, I escaped the Pinterest nation and for that I am forever thankful but I still fell prey to the idea that there was a certain way you had to do things and I never really considered anything else.
We weren’t entirely sure why people cut the cake or do a receiving line as people sit waiting in the pews. Why would we incorporate these things into our day if they hold virtually no significance to us? Because we have been conditioned to think that they are things we have to do on the day we get hitched. Looking back, I laugh a bit. Even three years ago, things weren’t as unique as they are in the wedding industry. Weddings were a bit more cut and dry and there was a flow to the day that you shouldn’t mess with (I mean, we were a bit crazy and rebellious when we chose to do a first look and see each other before the wedding ceremony!) You want to know why our wedding wasn’t perfect? It wasn’t the cake tipping over or the fact that our slideshow crashed my brothers computer, it was because we did certain things that we felt we had to (without understanding the great significance behind those things!)
I laugh when I see photos of us cutting the cake in the corner of our reception. We didn’t announce it and we didn’t really care all that much about doing it (truth be told, we aren’t huge cake people to begin with.) It’s silly that we felt like we needed to feed each other a sliver of our cake when we really just wanted to hit the dance floor. I die when I see the awkwardness of our grand march – why oh why did we feel the need to make our wedding party awkwardly dance from one end of the venue to the other while everyone else was just waiting to get their dinner (seriously, I’m all for a bride and groom grand entrance but some grand marches are just painful to watch!) Now, I’m not saying we fell prey to all of the traditions (and don’t think I hate traditions, I honestly love them… there’s just a few that I question when it comes to weddings!) We skipped a receiving line to get to cocktail hour, did a first look, ate gourmet pizza for dinner, opted to skip the garter toss to not interrupt the dance party and we had a folk band for music!
The point of it all is if it isn’t something you are sure about – don’t do it! People will remember originality over things that you just did because you had to. Weddings are changing and trends are constantly evolving. Let go of the “rules” of weddings and enjoy each moment that displays your love and encompasses you as a pair. I giggle at the fact that we went through the motions on a few things on our wedding day when we could have been doing something else… hey, we were young! Sure our wedding wasn’t perfect but it really, truly was the greatest day ever and I still wouldn’t change a thing for the world.
Photos by our friends: on3design
Oh, there is so much more to see – don’t you dare think about leaving:
Amen to all of this Jenna! <3
So happy to hear this!! You will see that ours won’t be too traditional either! 🙂 why do those things if you don’t want to?? Getting excited!