The title is more dramatic than it sounds, we promise. We just think you should think! Let us explain. Every wedding tradition has a reason or a meaning, however, it might be meaningless or irrelevant to you. Think of every little thing like cake cutting, the garter toss, even having the father walk the bride down the aisle. Now ask yourself, do all of those acts have a special place in your heart? Do they make sense for you and your fiance?
Common Arguments Against Four Traditions
The Cake Cutting
Let’s start with cake cutting. Do you even like cake? Do you prefer donuts or a candy bar or ice cream? Now we know that the cake you cut is often not the cake you eat, but still. If you don’t even like cake, what’s the reason for spending a lot of money on a beautiful cake you will never fully enjoy? According to most people, a wedding cake is good fortune and when a bride is the first to cut it, it then brings good fortune to the marriage. Do you agree or believe in this? Or are you secretly thinking bs? Definitely don’t think you need to smash the cake in your new hubby’s face, just because tradition says you typically do.
The Garter Toss
The garter toss is a super old tradition but still continues here and there. Do you even know what the point of this is? Tossing the garter from underneath the bride’s dress is said to be proof of the newlyweds’ consummation and is thrown to single men, as underwear is considered to be good luck. So what do you think?
Dad walking the Bride down the Aisle
Having your father walk you down the aisle can mean a variety of things. In some cultures, the father giving away the daughter comes from arranged marriages and daughters were considered property. For the most part, this isn’t the case anymore… thank god. However, brides still choose to have their father give them away as a sign of support or because it’s tradition. We want you to know that you have the power to choose whether your father gives you away, just know what it means to you.
No First Look
The traditional first look, when the groom wouldn’t see the bride until she walks down the aisle, actually also originated from the history of arranged marriage. Fearing that the soon-to-be couple might try to back out of the family affair, they were prevented from seeing each other until the knot was tied! Eek, say no more, and check out the reasons we think you should opt for a first look.
We know we’ve only discussed dismissing four wedding traditions, but if we talked about all of them you’d probably be asleep by now after hours of reading. Our main point is to just think. Sit down with your fiance and think about what your wedding day means to you. Dismissing wedding traditions may make sense for you, or maybe not! Know that just because there are traditions, doesn’t mean you have to do them and that you can create new traditions of your own.
