Weddings are, for the most part, all about tradition. While it’s wonderful to follow in the footsteps of millions of other couples by celebrating yours’ and your partner’s love with a wedding, there’s no reason that you can’t mix things up a little. Yes, weddings are about tradition, but that doesn’t mean that your big day has to be exactly like the weddings your ancestors had – you’ll only get married once, so it’s important that it’s special to you. So, without further ado, below are some ideas for new twists on old traditions…
The wedding cake
Wedding cakes were traditionally rich fruit cakes covered in marzipan and icing, complete with a topper of a bride and groom positioned carefully on top. Today, however, wedding cakes can be anything that you want them to be – the more creative, the better.
Many brides and grooms are no longer opting for fruit cakes; some aren’t even opting for sweet cakes at all. Instead of traditional fruit-based cakes, make couples opt to have lighter sponge cakes, sweeter chocolate cakes, or if they don’t have a sweet tooth, a wedding cheese cake – aka a tiered cake made of cheese. What it’s important to remember is that it’s your wedding day and that you must have what you want.
The toasts
Traditionally, after the wedding breakfast, the toasts are held. Prior to these, each guest is normally given a glass of champagne to toast with. However, it doesn’t necessarily have to be champagne that’s toasted with – it could be anything.
Today, a lot of couples who want to use champagne for the toasts but want to put their own unique twist on it. A great way to do that is to pick flavoured champagne or create a ‘pimp your champagne’ both, where guests can add all sorts of flavours, fruit, and mixers to their glasses.
The first dance
The first dance used to be a slow-paced formal dance between the bride and the groom, which all the other guests would then be invited to join in with. Today, however, a lot of couples get a little more creative with their first dance and plan a fun, fast-paced routine to break into halfway through the first dance.
Some couples have even started using old party songs for their first dance, and getting everyone to join in. For example, some couple’s use songs like the Okie Cokie, to get everyone dancing, making their first dance the little bit more unique.
Matching bridesmaids dresses and groomsmen
Traditionally, the bridesmaids would wear matching dresses, and the groomsmen would wear matching suits. However, if you want to give your wedding a unique twist, consider going with a mix and match look. Choose a colour scheme and then pick dresses and shirts for the groomsmen in an array of shades and styles.
Want a wedding that still follows tradition but has a unique twist to it? The ideas and suggestions above should help you plan the celebration of your dreams, so make sure to take note.