From white dresses and dreamy chapel settings to not seeing your soon-to-be-spouse before the ceremony, there are many wedding traditions ingrained in us from a young age.
Although there is nothing wrong with incorporating these traditions into your big day, at Hermann Hill, we want to help you plan your wedding, your way—even if that means breaking the rules and doing something truly unique.
Fun Ways to Break Wedding Traditions
Our wedding coordinators love helping engaged couples create meaningful ceremonies full of memorable moments. Incorporating elements of your relationship that brought you and your significant other together into your big day is what we do best!
Sometimes that means stepping outside of the traditional wedding planning journey and forging a new path more suited to you and your style. Here are a few ideas to get you started planning your wedding, your way!
Wedding Gowns
The white wedding dress was made famous by Queen Victoria when she chose white to show off her lacy gown and her wealth. Even back then, brides chose dresses of varying colors for practicality as gowns were typically worn more than once.
Choosing a colored wedding dress is becoming more and more popular again as brides long to portray a style that is truly all their own.
Wedding Party
Much like the evolution of the wedding dress, bridesmaids’ dresses are changing, too. It’s challenging to find a dress style that looks fabulous on different body types. Many brides are appointing their bridesmaids with the task of finding a dress they love, so long as it’s the appropriate color or a particular length.
Speaking of wedding roles, a new trend of mixed-gender wedding parties is emerging. Who says a sister can’t stand in as “best woman” to her brother if they are particularly close? Or a bride’s male friend acting as a “bridesmaid?”
Get creative and make your big day meaningful to the only one that matters on your wedding day—you!
First Look
Is it terrible luck for the bride and groom to see each other before the ceremony? This tradition was customary in arranged marriages so that the groom couldn’t change his mind if he didn’t like his bride’s looks.
Since you already know how your partner looks, you can ditch this tradition and instead do a “first look” photo. There’s something magical about seeing each other in your wedding attire for the first time before you say, “I do.”
Wedding Size
It used to be that couples invited anyone and everyone to their wedding. Even the parents of engaged couples would invite guests as a way to show off their child’s accomplishments.
Yet a change in values seems to be taking place and couples are becoming more discerning about their ceremony size. Some are even choosing to do micro weddings for the many benefits they entail.
And as we navigate changing traditions, Hermann Hill is open to evolving how weddings happen—from focusing on elopements and micro weddings to live streaming services.
Where there’s a will, there’s a way, and there is always a way to Hermann Hill!
Photography
Instead of formal portraits, which requires a considerable chunk of time, why not have the photographer capture random shots throughout the day as in more of a photojournalistic style? Or even a mix of the two?
Candid memories are always more fun to revisit!
There are many other implied traditions that you can skip if it doesn’t fit your needs, wants or style. Wedding toasts, the garter and bouquet toss, cake-shoving or the somewhat popular dollar dance—just to name a few.
Your Wedding, Your Way
The beauty of planning your wedding at Hermann Hill is that even though we love traditional weddings, our expert wedding coordinators thrive on the challenge of helping you plan your special day the way YOU want it. We will work hard to make your wedding day dreams come true!
Book a tour of our wedding venue and start planning the exceptionally unique ceremony that you’ve been dreaming of today!
