Our society has hundreds of wedding traditions to choose from, but that doesn't mean you have to follow them. Instead, why not pick and choose your favorites or borrow some from other cultures? Better yet, the traditions you and your betrothed choose to skip say a lot about who you are as a couple. Here are just a handful of the numerous ways you can express yourself by bucking traditions.
It's a good day for gay marriage! The Supreme Court struck down DOMA and Prop 8, two anti-same-sex-marriage laws in the US. So this LGBT Pride Month, we're celebrating these equality wins with some of the most touching and beautiful gay weddings we've come across. Just like other lifetime lovers, same-sex couples incorporate many well-loved traditions, and the heart of the big day is the same: two people in love dedicating the rest of their lives to each other. We've picked some of our favorite gay weddings to share with you that are paving the way for the union of "man and man" or "woman and woman" to be the traditional weddings of the future.
Many of you agree that skipping some common wedding traditions can help give your big day individual flavor. Plus, sometimes these customs just don't sit right with us. I've rounded up a bunch of traditions, including the ones that some of you dislike (think the garter and bouquet tosses, the prewedding parties, and the gender-specific roles). Check them out and vote: "I do" if you'd keep it in your wedding, or "I don't" if you would ditch it.
No, you don't want to have your first fight with your spouse at the wedding, but you should consider this heartfelt ceremony tradition: the first fight box. You can adjust as needed, but the basic idea is that during the ceremony, you fill a wooden box with a bottle of wine, two wine glasses, and sealed handwritten love letters from you and your betrothed. You both then hammer the box shut with nails and promise to only open it during your "first fight" or a special anniversary like your 10- or 20-year (whichever comes first). Then when you have your first disagreement or hit a rough patch in your marriage, you break open the box, pour each other a glass of wine, and read the notes you wrote each other. A wedding is a time to celebrate the good times, yes, but the vows read "for better or worse" for a reason. This ritual is a sentimental way to remember those lovey-dovey feelings once the honeymoon phase has passed. Have you ever taken part in a "first fight box" ceremony or witnessed one?
If you're a bride-to-be who's bored with the typical American wedding traditions, why not make your "something borrowed" a wedding custom from another culture? Every country has its own twist on matrimony, from the engagement to the ceremony to the bride and groom's exit, so I've rounded up 10 traditions from around the world that are worth stealing.
With so many wedding cake options available, where do you even start? It's totally normal to feel overwhelmed, which is why we've done the work and rounded up the most beautiful, stunning cakes in existence. You'll find something for every taste, from supertraditional to ultramodern and everything in between. It's so hard to pick a favorite, but hopefully you'll find the look for you among the sweet inspiration. Get clicking, and start swooning!
When wedding bells ring, chances are your pocketbook is trying to block out the sound. After all, the costs of a wedding can add up if you stubbornly stick to expensive traditions. Since we're living in the 21st century, it's time to cast aside the uneconomical wedding customs and only keep the ones that work with our budget. Read on to find out what age-old practices you should drop when you're planning for your big day.
No matter how beautiful and romantic weddings are, they are still a legal contract. Many of the wedding traditions we've come to associate love, friendship, and fun with have very practical — and even horrifying — roots. Find out what came from where below:
Today, the latest interpretation of F. Scott Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby hits theaters, transporting us to the glittering, jiving 1920s and the tragic love story of Jay Gatsby and Daisy Buchanan. It's an ornate era that just screams "wedding theme."
In the midst of post-World War I prosperity, the Roaring '20s were all about new technologies, jazz music, speakeasies, and a flippant attitude. For fashion, this meant simple elegance: feathers, pearls, boas, flapper dresses, bucket hats, and brooches. Weddings were much more informal than in earlier eras — gone were the corsets, tossed aside in favor of drop-waist dresses that showed a bit of leg. Brides danced everything from the foxtrot to the Charleston, and most preferred platinum or white gold wedding rings over traditional yellow gold. Hoping to channel a bit of Jazz Age pizzazz on your big day? Here are some luxurious, inspiring ideas to help you carry '20s charm into your wedding celebration.
A cake topper is a great place to get a little bit playful when planning a wedding. We scoured the pages of Etsy and handpicked 27 of our favorite finds, from classically beautiful to some very unique options (fiddlehead fern cake topper, anyone?). Click through for some wedding cake inspiration!
