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Avoid These Tacky, Outdated Wedding Traditions

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Wedding traditions can give the wedding a sense of timeless charm. Some wedding traditions show little sentiment. They simply look dated and cheap. After months of careful wedding planning to make sure everything is chic and stylish for your perfect day, don’t destroy it all by adding tasteless traditions.  Avoid these six wedding trends and traditions that do more harm than good.

something blue
something blue

Asking for Money

It’s hard to imagine a situation where asking for money isn’t tacky. Maybe it’s acceptable when dressed in a Santa suit and raising money for charity outside the mall. However, it definitely doesn’t belong on a wedding invitation. The money dance is another tacky, panhandling trend that has faded.

Announcing the Wedding Party at the Reception

This isn’t necessarily tacky, though sometimes it is done in an annoying way such as a choreographed dance entrance. Usually, the announcement of the bridal party by name is just a waste of time. If the guests don’t know every single member of the wedding party, then chances are they won’t find the announcement of their name to be enlightening. As wedding guests, maybe we are supposed to care, but do we?

Garter Belt Removal

Sometimes awkward and always tacky, the garter belt removal has been part of the wedding reception traditions for many years. The new husband would remove his bride’s garter belt and toss it into the crowd. Wedding planners see this trend is disappearing. Less than a quarter of newlywed couples are participating in garter belt traditions during their receptions.

Chocolate Fountains

Once upon a time, people became fascinated with the cascading cocoa of a chocolate fountain. While these are still featured in some buffet restaurants, they are hardly suitable for a grand affair like a wedding reception. They are gaudy and messy.

Partial Invites

Under pressure of looming wedding costs, some engaged couples try to save money by only inviting certain people to the wedding reception meal. They invite numerous people to the wedding and the dancing portion of the reception but not the meal. The meal is reserved for a select group. Separating guests and basically declaring that some guests don’t matter much is in bad form.

Serving Premium and Cheap Meals According to Importance

Another way newlywed couples are playing favorites with their guest list is by serving costly meals to some guests and cheap alternatives to others. This is not a case of guests getting a choice of meals. In order to save money, the couple assigns a cheaper meal to some of the guests. Sitting at some tables, you may have some guests being served steak while others receive chicken or beef tips. This is hurtful, tacky, and causes family conflicts. When you don’t treat guests equally, you are inviting drama. It would be better to serve an affordable meal to everyone or trim the guest list.

Traditions have their place. They should uplift and reflect the values of the couple. Including the best wedding traditions can enhance your special day.

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Planning A Non Traditional Wedding

There are so many good reasons why you may be planning a non – traditional wedding. If you are in a same-sex relationship or you just don’t want/need all the girl stuff traditions usually bring with them a non-traditional wedding will make you the happiest.

It’s time to let go of the notion that you are not a real bride unless you wear a shiny new (and no doubt expensive) white dress or even a dress at all. Nowadays you can walk down the aisle in any outfit that makes you feel like the beautiful goddess you should feel like on your wedding day. So don’t feel like you have to choose a white dress or else. Anyone that tells you that you do, you can feel free to ignore. After all, it’s your special day, not theirs.

Depending on how far from tradition you are going in the planning of your wedding you may not even feel the need to have bridesmaids. If you do, there is no wedding law that says they all have to have matching dresses. There is nothing wrong with each bridesmaid choosing her own dress and there is no reason why all of their dresses have to look the same. As long as everyone is considered dressed appropriately for a wedding at the end of the day, which is probably all that matters to you.

Traditionally weddings take months, if not even a full year, to plan. If you don’t want to drag the process out you can plan a non-traditional wedding in a matter of weeks if you choose to. Wedding vendors take forever to book so if you have a talented friend, family member or co-worker ask them to photograph your wedding, cater it or even serve as your wedding DJ for the reception.

As we all know, a traditional wedding usually calls for a bridal shower prior to the big day. If pestering your friends and family to buy gifts that you may or may not like and may or may not use is not your cup of tea you can scrap the bridal shower altogether. If you have a well-meaning friend or relative that insists on throwing you a bridal shower and the thought of opening gifts in front of people makes you want to run screaming into the night there is a unique way around it. Ask your guests to bring their gifts unwrapped and simply display them on a gift table. If you need a justification for this just to shut up opinionated friends and family or to ease any unwarranted guilt you might feel make it all about saving the environment. After all, how much paper gets wasted creating wrapping paper that you’re ultimately just going to rip up and throw away anyway?

These are just a few of the things you can do to plan a non-traditional wedding. For more ideas visit Best For Bride online today.

 

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Wedding Etiquette Tips for the Bride and Groom

Outdoor wedding reception

Your wedding will be the most memorable day of your life and you and your family and friends will want to look back on it with fondness, never bad occurrences because of ill-mannered brides and grooms. Your wedding day can also be very stressful, but if you keep these tips in mind on your special day, your guests will remember everything happily and not still talk about the time that the groom was giving a speech after having one too many or how the bride didn’t say hello to certain people.

Visit with Each Guest

There’s no doubt that during the reception there will be lots going on, but don’t forget to visit every table and take a couple of minutes to speak with everyone. They’re just as happy to be there as you are to have them there, so make sure all of your guests feel like they’ve been acknowledged by both the bride and groom and don’t forget to thank them for coming to share your special day.

Mingle as a Couple

It’s easy to want to break off from your new husband or wife and hang out with your friends at the bar, but make sure you make time to talk to your guests as a couple. You just got married, and plenty of people will want to come and congratulate you; it’s just easier when you are both together.

Be Mindful of Your Alcohol Consumption

There’s always someone that gets too drunk and ends up embarrassing themselves; you don’t want that to be you, especially on your wedding night! Make sure you pace yourselves because there is likely to be lots of toasts with champagne, wine at the tables and friends and family wanting to have a celebratory drink with you.

Remember Your Bridal Party

They’ve likely spent money on suits, dresses, shoes, accessories, makeup and more (the average bridesmaid spends $600!), make sure that you get a nice thank you present for your bridesmaids and groomsmen. Make sure you budget and plan ahead for this; this isn’t a spot to save your money. Make sure they not only know how important they are to your special day, but how thankful you are. Need some tips on finding the best bridesmaids gifts? This article will help you!

Don’t forget to check out Best for Bride as your one stop shop for everything you need for your special day. From dresses to invitation, we’ve got you covered.

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Tips For Choosing the Best Wedding Invitations

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Okay, so you’ve finally settled on a date for your wedding and booked the venue you’ve been dreaming about ever since you first slipped on your engagement ring. Now it’s time to decide on the perfect wedding invitations. Invitations do more than just invite people and provide them details on your upcoming nuptials, but can set the tone for your wedding. And since you’ll probably keep one in your wedding book, it’s going to become a valuable keepsake for you and your husband one day.

But with so many options to choose from, your head is spinning as you try and narrow it down to your Top 10. To relieve some of your stress, here are some helpful hints to help make choosing the best wedding invitations easier!

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