6 Wedding Trends that are Disappearing
As Featured in Insider
The longer I have worked in the wedding industry, the more I learn about wedding traditions, how they came about, and why some are disappearing. Here are the most common traditions I see couples opting out of on their big day!
Bouquet and Garter Toss- If you have attended a wedding recently, you might have noticed this tradition missing for the night’s events. A growing number of couples are opting out of tossing their bouquets and garters, and it has been for a multitude of reasons! For the bouquet toss, the biggest reason I hear for not wanting one is not wanting to call out or embarrass their single friends. As for the bouquet toss, the biggest reason I hear is that couple’s are uncomfortable performing the garter retrieval/toss in front of all their family members!
Traditional bride/groom sides in the ceremony- Typically in a wedding ceremony, the bride stands on the left side and the groom stands on the right. This tradition stems from back when men carried swords, and they needed their right hand free to protect the bride. Nowadays, it is less of a tradition and couple’s will choose whichever side works best for them, taking into account lighting, pictures, guest visibility, their good sides, etc. Now that swords are no longer common at weddings, couples can switch sides at their choosing!
Receiving lines- A receiving line at a wedding is when the guests form a line to say hi to the couple at their wedding- typically right after the ceremony. It is essentially the “meet and greet” of the wedding world. However, this tradition has become less and less common over the years. Instead, couples are choosing to either go around to the tables during dinner hour and say hi, or ask that guests join them on the dance floor if they are wanting to say hi!
Uniform bridesmaids dresses- Every once in a while, you will attend a wedding where all the bridesmaids are in the same dress, but the overwhelming majority of what you see at weddings is bridesmaids in different dresses. The most common trend you will see is bridesmaids wearing different styles of dresses all in the same color. This has gained popularity in order for bridesmaids to choose what they are most comfortable in and what will look best on each individual bridesmaid. For the more daring couples, the bridesmaids will be wearing all different styles and colors, but maybe sticking to a theme like “floral print” or “neutral colors.” Either way, very rarely will you see a wedding party in uniform bridesmaids dresses.
First looks- Everyone has heard the myth that it is “bad luck to see the bride before the ceremony.” Like most traditions you see in the wedding industry, this tradition stems from a time when most marriages were arranged, and dowries were still prevalent. Families did not want the groom seeing the bride before the wedding, in the case that he would see her and change his mind! Nowadays, more and more couples are opting to see each other before the ceremony and do “first look” photos. This allows the couple to get more photos done earlier in the day so that they have more time to spend with guests after the ceremony!
Who pays for what- Another antiquated tradition in the wedding industry is that the bride’s family pays for the wedding. However, as couple’s are starting to get married at later ages and traditional roles are dissipating, more and more couples are choosing to split the financial responsibility of weddings. Often I find that the wedding budget is a communal pot, with contributions from both families, as well as the couples themselves.
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