It took us an embarrassingly long to get there but in 2017 Australia finally achieved marriage equality! We could not be happier that all sorts of couples can now proclaim their L-O-V-E in front of friends and family and enjoy the incredible feeling of getting married to their soulmate! The ‘tradition’ of marriage being restricted to a man and a woman is one we were super happy to see smashed once and for all!!!
For the team at Wedding of Canberra there is no right or wrong way for two people to show the world they love each other. After all, the things that make you you, are the things that will make your wedding memorable. So even though some wedding traditions might seem rusted on, we’re here to dispel the myth that there is only one right way to do things and inspire all you fabulous couples out there to have your big day, any which way you want.
The custom of the bride’s family paying for everything has gone the way of the dodo and thank goodness for that! Nowadays it is much more common for the happy couple to shoulder some (if not all) of the wedding costs, perhaps with a little help from families on either side. The great thing about paying for your own wedding means you don’t have to entertain someone else’s ideas about the way you should be doing things.
Since Mum and Dad aren’t paying for this shindig, you are also off the hook when it comes time to dishing out invitations. No one expects you to invite distant relatives you probably haven’t seen since you were 8 years old. And unless you feel close to your parent’s friends, you can also cull them from your guestlist. In other words, don’t feel obligated to invite people you don’t feel a real connection with. And if the pressure from family is too great to resist, consider eloping or having a micro-wedding instead.
Surprise! Women have male friends and men have female friends. The people you love best are the people who should be in your wedding party. There’s no need for even numbers, specific genders or anything else that might have once been considered traditional.
We love rocking out to Billy Idol as much as the next person, but white weddings are now strictly optional, and we think that’s awesome. Plenty of couples still opt for white but we’ve seen brides sashay down the aisle in everything from fuchsia to gold sequins and everything in between. The best thing about wearing a non-white gown is that you are much more likely to get another wear out of it. Another interesting take on breaking this tradition is the number of couples who go for an all-white wedding!
Anyone who has ever seen an 80’s rom com has probably heard the myth that it’s bad luck for the groom to see the bride in her wedding gown before the ceremony. Why? We truly don’t know. Especially since many modern couples would have woken up in the same bed and had breakfast together before parting ways to get ready for the wedding!
Anyway, like so many other traditions this one is becoming less and less of a thing. Heaps of couples choose to have wedding photos done pre-ceremony now, for the simple reason that it means your photos are taken when your hair and make-up is looking freshest. And it means less time for guests to hang around waiting between ceremony and reception. Talk about a win-win.
It was traditional for Dad to take on this task but nowadays you can walk down the aisle with whoever you like! Maybe you’d like to choose your Mum instead, or a grandparent. Loads of couples like to include both parents. Some want to walk solo or be accompanied by their kids. It’s completely up to you! If you feel like your Dad’s feelings might be hurt by not asking him, explain why you’ve made the decision and ask him to take part in another way instead.
One big shake up to wedding traditions in the last 15 years has been the encroachment of social media into every aspect of our lives. It’s all too common to find out about a friend’s impending marriage through a change to their Facebook status. The prevalence of smartphones at ceremonies has led to the rise (and rise) of requests for ‘unplugged’ weddings.
Social media is a bit of a mixed bag when it comes to weddings, so we recommend you and your guests follow a few niceties to avoid trouble:
Much as we adore a traditional wedding cake, tons of couples are now opting for alternatives for their wedding dessert. For some simply scrumptious ideas check out these 9 Delicious Alternatives to Traditional Wedding Cake.
Since ballroom dancing is no longer high on most people’s lists of hobbies, including a first dance can put a lot of pressure on you as a couple. If you’re already feeling squeamish about learning and performing a dance just for your wedding day, why not just drop the idea? It’s not as if your future happiness depends on your ability to waltz! Or, if you and your partner love a boogie but aren’t really the slow-dancing type, just take the lead after the formalities and hit the dancefloor first! Another cheeky option is for your whole wedding party to learn a short choreography and perform it flashmob-style.
At Weddings of Canberra, we encourage you to embrace you and your partner’s little quirks and idiosyncrasies and create a wedding that is uniquely you. We cater for every imaginable wedding whim, from pop-up weddings to Vegas-style elopements and rock n’ roll, kick-off-your-shoes events. And if your dream wedding embraces tradition, go for it! Because, you know what? We’re suckers for a gorgeous white dress and a tiered cake too.
We guarantee that your wedding will be beautiful no matter what you are dreaming of. Because simply put, a great wedding is one that ends in the matrimony of two people who are gloriously in love.
