Are we trying to “out do”, as well as saying “I do”? Looking at Modern traditions

What happened to traditional church weddings? Or a reliable marquee in the back garden of a family home. It appears that today, wedding venues are becoming much bigger, increasingly quirkier, and are moving away from the traditional wedding “norms”.

I have worked within the wedding industry for the last few years and my perception of the “perfect” wedding has undoubtedly changed. I am regularly inspired by each couples unique touches that they have designed to make their wedding, a day to remember. However, there is a question of how the movement of such extravagant weddings will continue to grow, and how else are the newly engaged going to “out-do” the next.

Unusual yet remarkable venues appear to be popping up all over the place. Although there is still a vast number of couples seeking majestic stately homes and local village churches, it appears that hiring out quirky rooms in heritage buildings and tipi tents in the English countryside, is the new “it” thing to do.

As the traditional concept that the father of the bride picks up the wedding bill has significantly shifted to the responsibility of the happy couple, it appears to have opened the door to more freedom and creativity. When you are paying for your own wedding, are you able to make more personal decisions?

This leads to the exciting trend of travelling abroad for the big day. Nowadays, couples are looking for that tropical beach wedding in paradise. I know that I am. After observing many newly-weds experiences of the unpredictability of the British weather, and the outcome when it does not go to plan, for me, the risk felt too big. Don’t we all dream of a champagne reception underneath blue skies and warm sunshine? Well surely most of us do! Flying thousands of miles away to say “I do” allows couples to more carefully choose (hand-pick) their guest list, but I am left with a question of whether this feels more romantic and intimate, or do people feel as though this is moving too far away from the traditional ‘full’ family wedding?

Traditionally, the guest list would have been heavily influenced by parents from both sides. Whereas today, has the desire to travel abroad for the big day, a way to take back control of one of the most difficult parts of the wedding planning? There is not a doubt in my mind, that the dream of walking down an isle of sand, with a Pina Colada (and my husband to be) waiting for me at the end, knocks every other tradition out of the water.

Is it ok to be moving away from another classic wedding tradition, cutting the cake? The new exciting craze of ‘cheese’ cakes, meaning a circular stack of local cheeses, doubles up as many couples night food for their squiffy evening guests. Although the technique of cutting the ‘cheese’ cake requires a sharper knife, its multi-purpose of holding the cake cutting tradition and feeding the evening guests seems to be more cost effective (and popular with the guests) than your regular sponge cake. I wonder how often the beautifully iced wedding cakes are left untouched for the bride and groom to eat the next day.

With the undeniable growth of social media, getting photos printed to put into albums has quickly become a dated concept. Yet we still desire a wedding photographer to capture the happiest day of our lives. For me, the candid photos the wedding guests capture on their phones feel more personal than the photographers formal ones. The development of technology has now given us the option of not only having a wedding photographer, but also a videographer. A picture may say a thousand words but only if it captures the right moment. This new tradition deserves the attention it is now getting and has definitely become a more popular request. A videographer is definitely a must do! “A beautiful photograph captures the moment, a beautiful wedding film brings the memories alive”.

Are we losing the traditions for the better? Or is the true essence of our wedding day getting lost in our extravagant ideas. Should we be looking back at our older generations traditions and following suit? Or should we be allowed to go above and beyond in our own unique way, to create the most magical day of our lives, the way that we want it. We’re only going to do this once right?

I say yes!