Bride & Groom holding hands Like with most things there’s always talk about “what’s so in right now” when it comes to weddings and therefore what’s out! But who decides what’s in and what’s out? People talk about being “alternative” and going against the “norm”, but what is the “norm” and if everyone is going against the “norm” then is the “norm” being alternative?!
In my opinion, it doesn’t matter. Your wedding should be what you want it to be, not what you think it should be based on trends and what’s going with the “norm” or against the “norm”.

It’s the same with traditions. Someone said something to be the other day that really got me thinking. She said weddings are an old fashioned traditional event that we are trying to drag into the modern world and you know what, on some level I think she’s right but we’ve forgotten one thing…things evolve! What weddings mean now can be whatever we want it to be! So let’s throw out the strict rules and traditions from years before and make up our own rules, take the best bits and make them better, put our own stamp on it because who says we can’t?!

Slowly we’re seeing things that a few years ago would have been expected become optional. Receiving lines for example; big tradition, very long, kinda boring and now they are very rare. Couples are opting for more informal approaches to speaking to their guests, ones where they actually get to have a proper conversation rather than “hi, thanks for coming, NEXT!”.

So here’s a good example for you…probably one of the most well known traditions that you MUST know of even if you know absolutely zilch about weddings!

“It’s bad luck for the Groom to see the Bride before the Wedding”

But recently we’ve started to see a lot of “First Looks” where the Groom gets to see the Bride in her dress before the Ceremony with his reaction caught on camera.

Is either way wrong? Hell no, only in people’s opinions but that’s exactly the point. It’s only your opinion that really counts. If you’re not a superstitious person and you want to have that moment then go for it! If you’re a traditionalist and want to wait till the ceremony then why not?! It’s almost as if people forget there isn’t someone who’s going to arrive on the morning of your wedding auditing your planning, giving you points and ticks with a final score that says if you passed or not.

I can’t lie you might get a few eyebrow raises from the older generations for the decision you make but even if you are traditional you probably still will, even the most traditional of weddings these days is “not like back in my day” for those Grandmas and Great Aunts.

What I’m trying to get at is it’s about finding what’s right for you, what works. Think of traditions as guidelines rather than rules. Think of what’s in and what’s out as inspiration and ideas. Take from them the elements you like and alter the things you don’t. Make it your own. There’s no pressure to pick the “right” kind of wedding it’s about what’s special to the two of you and what makes you happy because it’s your day, your wedding and your life together!

Ok now I’m setting all soppy so I shall cease with my rant, you get my point!

Happy Wedmin-ing!

Amy x