Wedding Traditions You Can Officially Break

When it comes to modern times, we love to question the often-peculiar logic behind “how it’s always been.” Needless to say, this is especially true for meaningful ceremonies such as weddings. All the pomp and circumstance has its place, but there are definitely a few wedding traditions you can officially break. Here are some suggestions.

Why Can’t You See Her on the Big Day?

Probably the most annoying wedding traditions you can officially break are all the superstition, starting with the whole ”groom can’t see the bride on the day” weirdness. It turns out that this one is even worse than we thought. Besides filling couples with strange anxiety that somehow their relationship will be cursed by a slip-up, it has toxic origins. It stems from a time when children, especially females, were just commodities.

Couples were bound by their parent’s decision and often never saw each other until they met at the ceremony. It was often an economic exchange—the bride for a dowry—so it didn’t matter to the parents if they even liked each other. Nowadays, couples generally like each other, have met at least a few times, and might even have kids before deciding to go through with the cost and hassle of a ceremony. As such, don’t be afraid to be with your loved one every minute of your big day if that’s what you want!

Wear What You Want

It’s probably the biggest hang-up anyone has about weddings. Either you’re in the ”traditional outfits are beautiful” camp or the ”they’re boring” camp—and a lot of people are shifting toward the latter. Not much can be said about a generic tux and another white wedding dress. Sure, it looks fine, but it’s also painfully restricting. The expectation of a poofy dress and dull suit is especially awkward for same-sex couples or even just everyday women who find their options less than thrilling.

Across the world, people of different cultures all have diverse standards for traditional wear, most of which would seem outlandish to stick-in-the-mud Westerners. But it just goes to show, weddings everywhere already feature a rainbow of color. Pick your theme, choose a color palette of your own, and most of all, get a dress that suits your style rather than following an arbitrary tradition.

Gussy up the Guests

Traditional also dictates that guests dress nicely, especially if they’re friends and family that may participate in the ceremony. The rules state that only the bride can wear white and everyone else shouldn’t, but they also can’t wear anything that would outshine her. It’s confusing, to say the least, often results in a gaggle of women in similar muted dresses and guys in identical suits.

But if you’re already looking to make your wedding yours, pass along the perks to your attendants. Inform them of the theme, color palette, and any restrictions. If you want a room full of gorgeous, happy, vibrant people, then go for it!