We live in a day and age where couples young and old are no longer slaves to tradition. Weddings have steadily become more creative events over the last decade, with engaged couples ditching the something old for more exciting, and personal touches on their big day.
While many are still interested in holding onto key wedding traditions like exchanging rings and vows, there are a lot of aspects of traditional weddings which have fast fallen out of favor. Here are just a select few trends you likely won’t be seeing at any weddings in 2018.
Cutting Cakes and Cutting Costs
The cake has long been one of focal points of any wedding. Tiered, extravagantly decorated, and given pride of place at the wedding venue – wedding cakes have been a must-have item since time immemorial. And yet, more and more couples are ditching traditional wedding cakes and the portion of the evening usually reserved for carving them up.
The reasons for ditching traditional cakes are manifold. For starters, not everybody has a sweet tooth. Since traditional values have loosened up a little, adventurous couples have started exploring other options, like tiers of cheese wheels for a more savory touch. For those who still enjoy a bit of sugar on their big day, the options are even more creative. Why have a messy cake-cutting moment when you can daintily hand each guest a cupcake or a donut?
Perhaps the biggest push factor away from traditional cakes is cost. Young couples are finding the rising costs of living (and weddings) difficult, and applying for wedding loans is becoming more and more common. As a result, many couples are opting to save money on large cakes by turning to smaller, more modern alternatives.
Throwing Away the Bouquet Toss
While the practice of throwing the garter may have died out decades ago, the bouquet toss lingered as a fun tradition until relatively recently. For some, a wedding simply isn’t complete without a mad dash to catch the flowers, and hopefully become the next in line to be wed. But as social values change, so too do traditions, and younger couples are less keen to throw bouquets to their single friends.
A lot of it has to do with how society viewed single women in the past as opposed to how perspectives have changed today. Marriage was often pushed upon young women as an end goal above all else but today’s young women are encouraged to explore a life free from matrimony if they so choose. As a result, the idea of clambering to be the next in line strikes many young women as antiquated, if not a bit insulting.
Furthermore, sensitive couples are steadily feeling less comfortable with the idea of drawing their single friends into the spotlight as a spectacle. Though it might be your big day, nobody wants their guests to feel uncomfortable or gawked at, and keeping the bouquet is a small price to pay for the happiness of your nearest and dearest.
Taking Out the Trash
Nothing says “Just Married” like crossing the threshold in a burst of confetti, but the days of throwing brightly colored pieces of paper could be numbered. As we all become more environmentally conscious, couples are turning away from more wasteful practices like throwing glitter and confetti. The logic is sound, as not all kinds of confetti are safely biodegradable. Glitter, too, has come under fire lately for being a massive hazard to the planet’s health. Even old standards like throwing rice are discouraged, as they can interfere with the dietary health of local wildlife. With this in mind, plenty of couples are looking to celebrate without leaving a nasty mark on the surrounding nature.
With all this in mind, a lot of couples are choosing to forgo confetti altogether. But, if you’re particularly wedded to the idea of a bright and busy start to your life as husband and wife, there are Earth-friendly options. As previously mentioned, biodegradable confetti do exist –you just need to do your research. Alternatively, many couples are choosing to have flowers – both fresh and dried – thrown at their wedding. You still get the same flurry of color and excitement, but without the harmful waste.
While some might mourn the good old days and the traditions of yore, it’s worth remembering that all traditions have to start somewhere. What seems new and unusual today, might be considered old-fashioned in twenty years’ time. Couples preparing for their big day are fortunate that they can dictate exactly what they want, and truly make their wedding the best day of their lives. At the end of the day, all that matters is the loving union between two people. Trends may come and go, but love is eternal.