Most still dream of the traditional wedding but how can we modernize it to make it our own without leaving tradition out of it?
According to recent wedding planning statistics, only about 25% of millennial weddings include their religious traditions.
And 48.5% of married couples regret some of their wedding expenses.
That is a pretty high number for married couples to regret some of their expenses. But to be honest wedding expenses do easily climb high if you do not have a focused vision of what really matters for your upcoming wedding.
And personally, I think that is where we tend to lose focus. What is important to us in our weddings is usually drowned out by expenses, opinions of others, and the pressure of creating the dream wedding.
As you begin your wedding plans, communication with your partner is key!
Decide what is most important to you to make your wedding a traditional dream but also where to modernize it is acceptable and wanted.
A few questions you and your soon to be spouse should ask and answer to each other before wedding planning is:
What is important to you to be included in the wedding?
Include the vision of your reception into this. Be honest about your vision to one another. Find someone who can be non-biased and help you create a vision of the wedding you both want. This does not always have to be a wedding planner but if you are able to hire one, definitely consider it.
What wedding traditions do you want to include for yourself and/ or for your family?
Including your family’s desires for your wedding is ok. Do not think because you add something that means something special to his parents is wrong or vice versa. It is actually a beautiful thing to do for your family. Where this can go wrong is not having boundaries when it comes to your families. So yes, also discuss how you both will keep boundaries for planning the wedding.
What is your budget? Are you as a couple paying for it? Who wants to help to pay?
30% of newlyweds pay for their own weddings these days so definitely do not feel pressured that one or the other of families should. Be transparent and open to ideas in this area. Budget is an important topic for couples to discuss before beginning to plan a wedding.
Do you know who you want to officiate the wedding ceremony?
This is actually an important question to prepare for ahead of time. Most do not want a stranger to do this or for your church to just choose an officiant for you. Many would prefer someone who has a connection with us as a couple, which is why about 43% of Americans have a family member or close friend officiate their wedding.
Traditional Vs. Modern Wedding
A traditional wedding can also have a touch of trend and modern splash.
Most base their weddings on the traditional vision of a marriage. Something that will comply with family traditions, culture, and expectations.
But as time goes on, many realize that though we may like traditions, it is not always who we are as an individual or couple. Just as mentioned above, now that we are in 2022, more and more couples are either pitching in to pay for their wedding or paying entirely for their weddings which means more freedom to give input to the vision of the big wedding day.
Weddings have become a big trend to describe who you are as a couple. It’s an opportunity to showcase your journey as a couple.
As you plan your wedding with your soon to be spouse, sit down and communicate honestly of what your visions are for the wedding. Share what traditions are important for you and your family members. Though we try to avoid what “everyone” wants for “your” wedding, deep down, many of us truly do hope to include our families’ visions, traditions, hopes, and dreams for their children that are now walking down the aisle.
20 Ways to Modernize Wedding Traditions
Have your soon to be husband write on your wedding shoes.
This can be your something blue. Have your maid of honor give the groom a blue sharpie pen and your wedding shoes to place a sweet short note before you slip them on for the day.
Embroider a handkerchief with a note to the groom from the bride.
For my wedding, I had handkerchiefs made from my mother’s wedding gown. They are now beautiful keepsakes for the family to pass down.
Pray together before walking down the aisle.
Hold hands together from behind. Do not look.
Praying together before your wedding is something that can easily calm our nerves, give us confidence about the big day, and is absolutely a beautiful memory to have.
Unity Ceremony of Tree Planting.
Most traditional unity ceremonies are lighting a candle together or pouring sand together in a glass. Doing these things symbolizes two things coming together and never being able to pull apart from one another as it came in. I have recently become very intrigued with the new wedding trend of planting soil and watering a tree together during the ceremony. This is something that you can take home together as husband and wife, plant in a special spot and keep it for generations to come.
This unity ceremony is a gorgeous way to modernize a traditional wedding.
Image originally found on pacificengagments.com. Beautiful post about unity ceremonies ideas.
Create a Time Capsule.
Create a time capsule together as a couple throughout your engagement. Something you can work together thoughtfully.
At your wedding reception, let your guest know that you have created one and they can be included into the time capsule by leaving a note addressed to the bride and groom. At the end of the wedding close the capsule and decide when you will open it together.
It would be interesting to see years from now if all these modern touches now are still added in traditional wedding years from now.
Bride and Groom gift exchange.
Give a meaningful gift to your soon to be spouse. Something that is simple but yet describes what you both have accomplished together.
Traditional bride and groom gift exchanges has been watches or jewelry but modernize your wedding gift by you being creative and giving to your spouse what means something special to you.
Bride and Groom love letter exchange.
This is definitely something I am always for. A true love letter always sets a romantic tone in a relationship.
Related posts:
Writing your Husband love letters.
10 Places to leave love letters for your Husband.
15 Encouraging Scriptures to text your Husband.
Family Prayer.
Create a time and place on the day of the wedding to have both sides of the immediate family to join hands and pray over your marriage. What a beautiful way to join the families together on the same day you and your spouse is becoming one.
Share the Love and Appreciation.
Give an open toast to the friends that have supported you both in the relationship unconditionally. Traditionally the greatest support in our lives would give us the toast but show them how great their support has been you both.
Include Guests.
Add an engaging game during the reception for small weddings. This is perfect for intimate weddings. This has not been considered a wedding tradition before but hey, we are here in 2022, do something fun and out of the ordinary.
Make it your own.
Choose a favorite slow song to walk down the aisle versus the traditional wedding song. Couples now love to choose a song that describes them versus that traditional instrumental song.
Blend the Family.
Include children that will now be included into the marriage which now makes a blended family. Include them in the wedding party, allow them to make a speech, honor them with a special gift during the ceremony. Whatever it may be, become creative and thoughtful. Including our children can be just what they may need to feel part of the new family versus only thinking of it as a “just wedding” for the couple.
Classic Getaway.
Remember the good Ol’ days where the bride and groom left in a classic car with cans tailing the way. Well, you can still do this! There are many ways to rent the perfect classic car to getaway in instead of a limo. This can actually be a perfect wedding gift to your soon to be husband. Find his favorite classic car to rent for your wedding day. Check out Turo.com to find classic cars in your area to rent.
What a perfect way to modernize a traditional wedding.
No more bouquets for Bridesmaids.
Change up the wedding tradition of bridesmaid’s bouquets by either ditching the whole idea altogether or going simpler which can also be a big money saver for any wedding but also give a new twist to modernizing your wedding.
Try ideas such as a bouquet of greenery, dried grass for a taste of texture, crowns of floral to wear in a beautiful braid, corsages for the wrist, or umbrellas to walk with on a sunny day.
No more cake.
The new trends include ideas such as donut walls, dessert tables, candy tables, fruit trays, and much more. Explore and be as trendy as you would like with your deserts.
Something Borrowed.
Create something unique from a family members wedding such as making handkerchiefs or bows for bridesmaids’ bouquets from mothers or grandmothers wedding dress.
A Night to Remember.
Have an evening wedding. This is a beautiful way to light up the sky by lighting up your ceremony and reception area. You can do this for an outside or indoor wedding, but an outdoor evening wedding is always such a romantic feeling. This would definitely break the traditional wedding aspect.
Money Dance.
The money dance is a traditional dance many cultural backgrounds conduct during the wedding reception. Usually about 15 minutes of chosen songs playing while guest line up to dance with the bride and groom, all while pinning cash to their dress attire.
Create an Arch.
Instead of throwing the traditional rice to the bride and groom, hand out bubbles, do a firework line, celebration poppers. Take some amazing wedding photographs by asking your guests to participate. Create an aisle with guests on both sides and have them hold their firework sticks high up or blowing bubbles towards the happy couple as they run through.
Creative Style.
Allow the bridesmaids to choose their own dresses. Give them a color pallet to stick to and some guidelines that is important to you but otherwise allow the women you adore to choose their dresses for the big day! This will be fun for the besties and add a splash of modernizing your wedding
There are the 20 ways to modernize a traditional wedding.
Hope it got your creativity going and is a great start to your Big Day.
Leave a Reply