{"id":623086,"date":"2020-04-06T14:00:34","date_gmt":"2020-04-06T19:00:34","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/junebugweddings.com\/wedding-blog\/?p=623086"},"modified":"2020-10-12T13:24:04","modified_gmt":"2020-10-12T18:24:04","slug":"5-wedding-traditions-you-might-want-to-rethink-what-to-do-instead","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/junebugweddings.com\/wedding-blog\/5-wedding-traditions-you-might-want-to-rethink-what-to-do-instead\/","title":{"rendered":"5 Wedding Traditions Couples Can Skip"},"content":{"rendered":"<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC \"-\/\/W3C\/\/DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional\/\/EN\" \"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/TR\/REC-html40\/loose.dtd\">\n<html><body><p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-758560\" src=\"https:\/\/images.junebugweddings.com\/28\/2b\/282bce4f15f3901d.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"700\" height=\"467\"><br>\nphoto by <a href=\"https:\/\/peytonraineyphotography.co\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\">Peyton Rainey Photography<\/a><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">If you&rsquo;ve explored Junebug Weddings, you know we cheer on couples who decide to skip wedding traditions and say goodbye to all the &ldquo;have to&rdquo; checklists to do things <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">their<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> way. We&rsquo;ve featured a <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/junebugweddings.com\/wedding-blog\/this-fabulous-feminist-wedding-at-ace-prop-house-studio-broke-tradition-in-style-and-sparkles\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">feminist wedding that ditched language like &ldquo;you may kiss the bride<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">,&rdquo; countless <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/junebugweddings.com\/wedding-blog\/the-ultimate-elopement-planning-checklist\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">adventure elopements<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> to destinations near and far, a <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/junebugweddings.com\/wedding-blog\/havana-meets-old-hollywood-wedding-the-houdini-estate\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">California wedding with a marajuana bar<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, and many more.&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Nothing is off-limits in our book. And&mdash;quite frankly&mdash;<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/junebugweddings.com\/wedding-blog\/unique-wedding-planning\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">the more unique<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, the better.&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">So, you might be wondering, &ldquo;What wedding traditions should we skip?&rdquo; Let&rsquo;s dig in.&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Wedding Traditions Aren&rsquo;t Bad<\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Before we continue, it&rsquo;s important to note that wedding traditions aren&rsquo;t inherently &ldquo;bad.&rdquo; In fact&mdash;if you love traditions, you should absolutely keep every one of them. That&rsquo;s the beauty of it being <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">your<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> wedding after all.&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">As we discuss a few of the most common wedding traditions and why some couples choose to ditch them, keep in mind that you might decide you really want to keep a few of them.&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">We&rsquo;ll cheer you on either way. That&rsquo;s our thing.&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-758564\" src=\"https:\/\/images.junebugweddings.com\/aa\/a5\/aaa54d46fc6534d2.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"700\" height=\"1050\"><br>\nphoto by <a href=\"https:\/\/brooketaelor.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\">Brooke Taelor<\/a>; see more of this real wedding <a href=\"https:\/\/junebugweddings.com\/wedding-blog\/eclectic-70s-inspired-austin-wedding-at-rambling-rose-ranch\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\">here<\/a>.<\/p>\n<h2><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">1. Wearing White<\/span><\/h2>\n<p><b>The Tradition:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Wearing white was originally intended to be a symbol of innocence and purity.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Why Some Couples Skip It: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">&ldquo;Innocence and purity&rdquo; might not be the first words that come to mind describing your wedding vibe. Plus, wedding designers are continuously playing with colorful wedding gowns. Changing up this tradition can be a fun way to wow your guests&mdash;and your partner.&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>SHOP NON-TRADITIONAL WEDDING DRESSES<\/strong><\/p>\n<div class=\"shopthepost-widget\" data-widget-id=\"4211986\">\r\n                <script type=\"text\/javascript\" language=\"javascript\">\r\n                    !function(d,s,id){\r\n                        var e, p = \/^http:\/.test(d.location) ? 'http' : 'https';\r\n                        if(!d.getElementById(id)) {\r\n                            e     = d.createElement(s);\r\n                            e.id  = id;\r\n                            e.src = p + ':\/\/widgets.rewardstyle.com\/js\/shopthepost.js';\r\n                            d.body.appendChild(e);\r\n                        }\r\n                        if(typeof window.__stp === 'object') if(d.readyState === 'complete') {\r\n                            window.__stp.init();\r\n                        }\r\n                    }(document, 'script', 'shopthepost-script');\r\n                <\/script>\r\n                <div class=\"rs-adblock\">\r\n                    <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"\/wedding-blog\/\/assets.rewardstyle.com\/images\/search\/350.gif\" style=\"width:15px;height:15px;\" onerror=\"this.parentNode.innerHTML='Turn off your ad blocker to view content'\">\r\n                    <noscript>Turn on your JavaScript to view content<\/noscript>\r\n                <\/div>\r\n            <\/div>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h2><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">2. Waiting Until the Ceremony to See Each Other<\/span><\/h2>\n<p><b>The Tradition<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">: Arranged marriages were very common everywhere until the 18th century. During that time, the bride and groom were forbidden from seeing each other before they were at the altar. This is also where the tradition of the wedding veil comes from. Some still say that a sneak peek before the ceremony is &ldquo;bad luck.&rdquo;&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Why Couples Skip It: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In recent years, <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/junebugweddings.com\/wedding-blog\/deciding-whether-not-first-look\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">the &ldquo;first look&rdquo;<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> has become increasingly popular&mdash;even for couples who consider themselves &ldquo;traditional.&rdquo; A first look allows couples to spend more time together on their wedding day, can make your photography timeline flow more smoothly, and helps ease pre-ceremony jitters.&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Trying to decide if a first look is for you? Check out <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/junebugweddings.com\/wedding-blog\/heartfelt-first-looks\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">these heartfelt first looks<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> to help you visualize your own special moment.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-758566\" src=\"https:\/\/images.junebugweddings.com\/ff\/b7\/ffb76ff32ba6db81.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"700\" height=\"467\"><br>\nphoto by <a href=\"https:\/\/www.eyewitnesstories.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\">Eye Witness Stories<\/a>; see more of this real elopement <a href=\"https:\/\/junebugweddings.com\/wedding-blog\/this-boho-chic-elopement-santorini-give-you-feels\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\">here<\/a>.<\/p>\n<h2><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">3. The Bridal Party<\/span><\/h2>\n<p><b>The Tradition<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">: A bridesmaid&rsquo;s traditional purpose was to attend to the needs of a bride on her wedding day&mdash;from primping hair and makeup to bustling her dress and holding bouquets of flowers. In some areas of the world, bridesmaids were also said to protect the bride from evil. &lsquo;Maids would even <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/junebugweddings.com\/wedding-blog\/neutral-bridesmaids-dresses-subtle-showstoppers\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">wear similar dresses<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> to confuse dark spirits. Did you just discover a newfound love for bridesmaids? Us, too.&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Why Couples Skip It: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">While the original intention of a bridesmaid was pretty hardcore, the responsibilities&mdash;and cost&mdash;of having &lsquo;maids has drastically changed. Some couples prefer to skip the traditional wedding party altogether and have their best friends attend as guests.&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n<h3 style=\"text-align: left;\"><strong>Junebug Weddings Tip:&nbsp;<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Ask your friends to wear <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/junebugweddings.com\/wedding-blog\/13-mismatched-bridesmaid-dress-color-palettes\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">similar mismatched colors<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> and snag a few group photos together.&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/junebugweddings.com\/vendors\/wedding-photographers\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-758562 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/static.junebugweddings.com\/blog\/utility\/visit-our-directory-of-the-worlds-best-wedding-photographers.png\" alt=\"wedding photographer search\" width=\"700\" height=\"400\"><\/a><\/p>\n<h2><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">4. Flower Girls<\/span><\/h2>\n<p><b>The Tradition:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Flower girls are lovely, adorable, and many times provide comic relief as they make their journey down the aisle. Historically, the flower girl was meant to represent a young, innocent version of the bride and would often be a close relative who resembles the bride.&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Why Couples Skip It: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Again, it&rsquo;s unlikely you have &ldquo;innocence&rdquo; written on your <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/junebugweddings.com\/wedding-blog\/5-steps-making-wedding-mood-board\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">wedding mood board<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. Even if you do&mdash;you might not have a close relationship with someone you&rsquo;d want to adorn the aisle you walk down on the big day. Instead, consider a flower boy, or flower groomsmen, flower pup, or a flower granny. We&rsquo;ve had our hearts melted by incredibly creative flower people of all ages, genders, and even species!&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">5. Bouquet and Garter Toss<\/span><\/h2>\n<p><b>The Tradition:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> While the bouquet and garter toss are most commonly performed as fun reception games, the tradition dates back to the Middle Ages. Men would rush the bride to steal her garter as a prize and symbol of luck. Similarly, women would try and steal pieces of a bride&rsquo;s dress or flowers to bring them good fortune in marriage.&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Why Couples Skip It: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Since the person who catches the bouquet or garter is said to be &ldquo;the next to marry,&rdquo; you may want to skip this if you won&rsquo;t have single friends in attendance. Many couples also choose to skip this tradition for the sake of not interrupting their <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/junebugweddings.com\/wedding-blog\/wedding-reception-songs-guaranteed-guests-dance-floor\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">reception party<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">&mdash;and we love a <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/junebugweddings.com\/wedding-blog\/this-wedding-reception-playlist-is-guaranteed-to-get-your-guests-on-the-dance-floor\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">good dance party.<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Now that we&rsquo;ve spilled the tea on wedding traditions, you can feel confident when you choose which ones to keep&mdash;or ditch. Has this post inspired you to also forgo traditional wedding vows? Read these <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/junebugweddings.com\/wedding-blog\/vow-writing-tips-wedding-experts\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">vow writing tips from wedding experts<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-758563\" src=\"https:\/\/images.junebugweddings.com\/e5\/5d\/e55d672a172b5edc.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"700\" height=\"1100\"><br>\nphoto by <a href=\"https:\/\/peytonraineyphotography.co\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\">Peyton Rainey Photography<\/a><\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>photo by Peyton Rainey Photography If you&rsquo;ve explored Junebug Weddings, you know we cheer on couples who decide to skip wedding traditions and say goodbye to all the &ldquo;have to&rdquo; checklists to do things their way. We&rsquo;ve featured a feminist wedding that ditched language like &ldquo;you may kiss the bride,&rdquo; countless adventure elopements to destinations near and far, a California wedding with a marajuana bar, and many more.&nbsp; Nothing is off-limits in our book. And&mdash;quite [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":17,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"kia_subtitle":"","footnotes":"","_wpscppro_dont_share_socialmedia":false,"_wpscppro_custom_social_share_image":0,"_facebook_share_type":"","_twitter_share_type":"","_linkedin_share_type":"","_pinterest_share_type":"","_linkedin_share_type_page":"","_instagram_share_type":"","_medium_share_type":"","_threads_share_type":"","_google_business_share_type":"","_selected_social_profile":[],"_wpsp_enable_custom_social_template":false,"_wpsp_social_scheduling":{"enabled":false,"datetime":null,"platforms":[],"status":"template_only","dateOption":"today","timeOption":"now","customDays":"","customHours":"","customDate":"","customTime":"","schedulingType":"absolute"},"_wpsp_active_default_template":true},"categories":[1004,1008],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-623086","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-wedding-ideas","category-wedding-planning-tips"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/junebugweddings.com\/wedding-blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/623086","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/junebugweddings.com\/wedding-blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/junebugweddings.com\/wedding-blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/junebugweddings.com\/wedding-blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/17"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/junebugweddings.com\/wedding-blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=623086"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/junebugweddings.com\/wedding-blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/623086\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/junebugweddings.com\/wedding-blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=623086"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/junebugweddings.com\/wedding-blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=623086"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/junebugweddings.com\/wedding-blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=623086"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}