Tradition is one of the most commonly used words in the wedding community. The word itself is deeply rooted in family and culture for many of our couples. And just like all things found in beauty, it is open to many interpretations and meanings. It is subjective, so finding the balance between traditional practices and unique additions for couples and their families can add to the stress of the already intense wedding planning process. Even when you have an amazing planner helping you through the process, the couple is the one ultimately making the decisions on what their wedding day will be. It is important to find ways to celebrate your love story, in a way that is 100% you.
But really, what does it mean to be traditional, and what role does tradition play in planning and executing the wedding?
The official definition of tradition is “the transmission of customs or beliefs from generation to generation, or the fact of being passed on in this way.”
In the wedding planning process, some brides and grooms gravitate to their tradition, to their roots, to their cultural norms and generational customs. Think about the storyline for Fiddler on the Roof. It is all about following Tradition. For some it is religious or cultural and for others it is all about family history. It can be nice to have a connection in your wedding to your parents or grandparents’ weddings. If you decide to have fun incorporating the Something Old, Something New, Something Borrowed & Something Blue tradition, you could have an item from each as your Old and Borrowed Pieces. Maybe your mom’s veil could be repurposed into your ribbon on your bouquet or you could wear your grandmother’s earrings. You could also have photos of your parents and grandparents’ weddings as Center Pieces or on your Welcome Table. You can have a family member read from your parents' vows or a reading from their weddings. In The Jewish tradition, you can use the same covering over the Chuppah as your parents did. In Indian weddings, it’s tradition to playfully fight over placing the flower garlands around one another’s necks. These are to name just a few, as everyone’s traditions are different.
While some couples like having a connection to their past, others actively seek to break tradition and curate a true one-of-a-kind wedding experience for themselves and their guests. This is a result of shifting family dynamics, cultural awareness and changes including the merging of cultures. It is also more acceptable now to celebrate your individuality and we are here for it. No one way is better than the other, it’s just about what feels right for you!
Since there seems to be less negativity placed on fleeing from tradition in 2022, we love helping our clients find ways to be them. We ask a lot of questions to get to know you and about your journey to find love. That way, we can find ways to balance the traditions you do want to uphold while blowing others completely out of the water. Our favorite weddings are those that are merging cultures.
We often call them our fusion weddings. It reminds us of how chefs have been able to blend foods together from different regions and cultures to elevate dining to whole new levels. We like to help our clients also elevate their weddings to that same new level of excitement for their guests to enjoy. It should start from your tribe. Whether it is helping give permission to have a wedding squad that is non-traditional to honing in the right guest count to honor the type of celebration that means the most to you. Maybe both parents get to walk you down the aisle! It then goes through every step from finding the best venue, to the food & drinks, to the DJ who sets the mood and the decorations & details that pull everything together.
We are going to go in depth on some of these topics in the future, but we wanted you to get started in brainstorming. What traditions will you decide to keep? Which will you get rid of? Whatever you decide, we are here to help you through it and bring it all together for a celebration that is perfectly you and uniquely amazing!
Traditional Wedding Party Photo
Nontraditional Wedding Party Photo
Let us know how we can best serve you & your traditions (or lack thereof!)
We are now booking 2023 weddings!