Wedding Tradition Alternatives: How Far Can You Go?

There’s no better time to be a bride than today. With modern brides having an almost infinite array of options, that's supposed to be a good problem, right?

Stylists, planners, celebrities and other wedding influencers have found ways to make weddings more festive and personalized, but the mounting pile of wedding trends has blurred lines between the essentials and the add-ons. Some brides even drive themselves crazy over non-essentials that spell life or death for the modern bride.

So let’s get things straight.

Wedding Cake Alternatives

The wedding cake, originally meant to symbolize good fortune and fertility, is a natural fixture in weddings but most people aren’t aware of its peculiar history. The wedding cake was preluded by the bread crumbs that groom showered over the bride’s head, which some historians would say was a show of dominance of the groom over the bride. Yes, this is where the modern wedding cake traces its roots.

Photo via Agnes Lopez

Since we’re in the age of gender equality and the wedding cake actually evolved from bread, there should really be no pressure in sticking to the stereotypical tiered wedding cake.

Photo by Jenna Joseph via Brides

Serve pie or any dessert of your liking! If it saves you a great deal and makes you happy, go for it!

An Un-traditional Entourage

Assembling a wedding line up brings anxiety to some couples for these reasons: (1) they feel the need to include all their friends in entourage but; (2) they can only accommodate so much because they think they need to spend for the wardrobe and other expenses or; (3) the bride has more male friends or the groom has more female friends, which makes it hard to come up with a bridesmaids/groomsmen list.

Photo via BuzzFeed

Thank goodness this generation is friendly to the idea of a mixed-gender entourage. Brides can choose a man-of-honor, grooms can have a best woman. This girl chose her closest male friends to be her bridesmen instead. It looks like they had the time of their life during the wedding preparations!

You can even opt not to have an entourage at all! There’s no need to feel bad about not spending on the entire entourage’s outfits too. It’s really important to choose the people who know you and matter to you because these are the people who will most likely understand if you tell them that you can’t shoulder their gowns or suits.

Eschew White

If you know your history well, you would know that it was Queen Victoria who started the white bridal look. But there were already many brides before her. So what do you make of that?

Don’t be shy to explore other colors for your bridal wear. Some brides are gutsy enough to wear black, or even show up in cosplay gowns.

Photo via Fly Away Bride

But if your risk appetite is low but you still want to try other colors, stick to muted or pastel shades. We love this minimalist grey dress on this beautiful bride.

Two Left Feet? No Problem!

If you think you and your partner are the only couple in the world with two left feet, you’re totally mistaken. There are so many couples who dread the first dance but still do it just to get it done and over with. Would you waste precious minutes of your big day dragging your feet to the dance floor? Life is too short for that.

Photo by Caroline Fontenot via Hi-Fi Weddings

You can opt for a wedding song if you and your partner are musically-inclined. Or just scrap the performance completely and just give a heartfelt speech to your partner and guests. Getting married brings enough jitters already. No need to add to that!

Don’t Invite the Whole World

Trimming down a guest list is always a hurdle for couples who want to make everyone happy on their wedding day, but when you feel like you’re caving in to the pressure of inviting people beyond your capacity, remember that it is your and your partner’s happiness that matters the most during that day. Just how can you be happy if you keep worrying about going over the budget or entertaining extra guests?

Photo by Photoflow via Love in the Rockies

Your wedding doesn’t happen every day so make sure that the people who show up count. Don’t forget to keep track of who comes with this classy wedding guest book.

It’s okay to treasure wedding traditions, as long as both of you stay true to yourselves on the big day. The couple’s content and relaxed demeanor are highly infectious. That contributes to the success of your wedding, more than any custom that will box you in.