Now that Spring is here, it will signal that the wedding season is upon us once again. Spring and Summer are the most popular seasonal choices for wedding planning, so it would seem that now is the perfect time to discuss ways in which couples can put their own personal stamp on their big day.
As much as things have changed over the years, traditions do still hold sway over many of our most cherished institutions. This is particularly true of weddings. But times do change, and these days it is perfectly acceptable, even expected, that couples will look for ways to make their wedding experience unique. Both for themselves and for their friends and families. So let’s look at a few trends that you might want to consider to help put a new spin on the traditional wedding day.
Mix It Up
One of the longest standing wedding traditions is also one of the simplest. The seating arrangements. Whether you are getting married in a church, a synagogue, or a lush garden, tradition has always held that the bride’s family and friends should sit on one side, and the groom’s people should sit on the opposite. This is one of the vestiges of the strict wedding protocols that have been handed down through the centuries. But other than tradition, it has no real purpose. Why not let your guests seat themselves. After all, your wedding is the physical celebration of the joining of two families into one. By letting your friends and family members choose their own seating arrangements, you are effectively representing that union. Mixing up the traditional seating arrangements helps to reinforce the idea that you are now two people that share one family and one circle of friends.
Embrace the Tech
Wedding announcements are a cherished part of the marriage experience, and are an important milestone in a couple’s life together. Still, there is something very stuffy and sedate about the traditional wedding announcement. While we may no longer post the bans in the local church, we do still send out the same basic wedding announcement cards – regardless of the latest printer’s flourishes. But the world is changing, and with most people happily involved in social media sites via the world wide web couples have a new opportunity to announce their engagement and upcoming nuptials. The online video wedding announcement has started to become very popular with young, tech savvy, couples. A video announcement and invitation can be more personal than a printed card, and is something that will engage directly with your friends and family.
Unique Wedding Favors
Wedding favors, given by the couple to their guests, have become a long standing tradition. But over the years they have also become somewhat predictable. Key-rings, cork screws, and champagne glasses are all very well, but they are also extremely common. Now is the time to think outside of the box. Choose something a bit more personal. For example, you might give your guests a thumb drive filled with wedding photos and songs featured at the reception. If you live in Vermont or Maine, you might consider sending your guests home with individual sized flasks of premium Maple syrup. If you are planning a Spring wedding, you might give your guests saplings that they can take home and plant. They will liven up their home garden, and serve as a long standing reminder of your wedding. The only limit, as they say, is your imagination.
Something for the Birds
The tradition of throwing rice at a wedding has gone out of style, and for good reason…it’s very bad for the birds that come to eat the rice after all of the guests have gone home. The throwing of rice is often replaced by the throwing of flower petals or confetti, but this also poses a problem when it comes time to clean up after the celebrations. Why not throw bird seed instead? It preserves the fun of throwing rice or rose petals, and it’s environmentally friendly. The birds can happily eat the seed to their hearts content, and no one gets hurt. It’s a win win situation, as they say.
Every couple wants their wedding to be unique, and there are many ways to put your personal stamp on the big day. All it takes is a little creative thinking, and the willingness to ignore tradition and follow your own muse. As your big day approaches, think of how you want your friends and family to remember your wedding day. Follow your own star, and let tradition look after itself.
