A wedding is a traditional concept full of smaller traditions and customs. Although things have changed over time, couples often feel bound to the idea they have in their mind of what a wedding ought to be and will stick to these ideas over potentially better alternatives.

Often I find that the most special parts of a wedding are when the couple has chosen to break from tradition in favour of something more personalised to them. Here are some examples to mull over if you are looking to make the day a bit more you.

The First Look

The tradition of not seeing your other half on the morning of the day supposedly goes back to when the wedding had been arranged and you had NEVER before seen the person you were supposed to be marrying. Kinda like a blind date with substantially higher stakes.

I often see brides and grooms very stressed and nervous on the morning whilst they are not ‘allowed’ to see the person that would usually comfort them. A ‘first look’ can help ease the nerves for the aisle, allowing you to really enjoy the moment.

Eve and Spike decided to do a first look which is where a couple see each other in private just before the ceremony. These two were looking really rather nervous as the ceremony approached but a couple of minutes with each other and their worries were put to rest. Not only were Spike and Eve able to stroll down the aisle with huge smiles on their faces, but the first look also provided this incredibly touching, intimate moment when Spike first turned around.

Other Ceremonies

If a religious ceremony is important to you or if you just want to get married in a church then skip this paragraph!

A celebrant led ceremony will not legally marry you (you will have to go to the registry office beforehand) but it allows you the freedom to express your commitment to each other in your own terms. Not only is this often more of a touching and personal spectacle for your guests but additionally, you can have the ceremony wherever you want while civil ceremonies have to be held at a licensed arch/fixture at a licensed venue.

The wonderful Jamie and Emma had Alicen Dines as their celebrant and here are some of her top points on why a celebrant led ceremony may be for you -

• Your wedding ceremony is uniquely written for you – different from anyone else’s

• Your wedding is full of your choices – free from boring rules and regulations

• Your ceremony reflects your style, personality, beliefs – and your wedding theme

Check out Alicen’s site here for more info - www.beautifuldaycelebrant.com

Speeches

Look everyone, it is 2021 (at the time of writing) and in heterosexual weddings, bride speeches need to be more common. I appreciate that, in this instance, a lot of the brides I speak to are thankful for this tradition as they really don’t want to give a speech! However, plenty of grooms also find giving a speech daunting and would rather not.

Maybe it’s not for you but remember that the day is a celebration of you both and a lot (maybe half) of the guests are there to see you! Shout out to all my brides who have given speeches, here is Jess NAILING it!

A few other suggestions

• If the Father of the Bride is giving a speech, why not let Mum walk you down the aisle?

• If your dress is the beautiful long and flowy type, consider an alternate evening dress to let you dance without tripping over it.

• Wearing a wedding garter is a classic tradition however given that you likely don’t normally wear one, do consider how uncomfortable you might find it when walking down the aisle! Lots of brides decide to leave it off so they don’t worry about it sliding down all day.