Wedding Traditions to Ditch – Megan Noll Photography

Weddings are filled to the brim with traditions. From unity candles, to tossing a garter at the end of the night – It might seem like every piece of your wedding day is already planned for you. If that isn’t your style, or you are looking to make your wedding day a little more “you”, here are some wedding traditions you can ditch, change, or at least challenge!

1. Wearing a “true” white dress
I remember when I was wedding dress shopping, the people at the shop ask me if I wanted to order my dress “traditional white” or ivory. I was nervous that ivory wouldn’t look traditional, but ultimately decided to go with that option, and I’m so glad I did. True white can have a blue tint to it, and ivory is more complimenting to almost all skin tones. I even have had the chance to photograph a few brides who had a dress with pink undertones, and I was OBSESSED with how it photographed.

Brett’s wedding dress was “champagne” colored, and it photographed gorgeous!

Meredith opted for a wedding dress with pink undertones and it was one of my all-time favorites!

2. Having an all white bouquet

Admittedly, this wedding tradition has been trending out for a while now, and I couldn’t be more grateful for it. While wearing a white dress, a white bouquet can easily blend in to your dress. I love when brides bring the colors of their day into their pictures with a pop of color in their bouquet! Your pictures will really come alive!

3. Not seeing each other before the wedding 

Wedding tradition says the bride and groom are not to see each other prior to the ceremony, but I call bologna. That wedding tradition came from old times where the bride and the groom didn’t meet until they were at the altar for arranged marriages…not something my feminist self wants to promote 😉

I have talked about first look’s before, but it’s worth reiterating. They are awesome. Not only do they give you more time to enjoy your day with your new spouse, but they also give you time to get pictures that are better in quality and quantity. There are about a million other reasons I could go on about first looks, but you can just read my previous blog on it here.

4. Garter and Bouquet Toss

I read somewhere once, “If the idea of your new husband taking off your undergarments and throwing them to a pack of single men is creepy to you, that is okay!” That has always stuck with me, and I have definitely noticed a decline in couple’s doing the garter/bouquet part of their reception. It’s a fun, and playful part of the evening, but if it’s not your thing, that is totally okay!

5. Smashing cake in each others faces. 

I have to be honest, Brian and I agreed all along that there would be no cake smashing on our wedding day. Having icing up our noses, and messing up our clothes wasn’t a wedding tradition we cared to participate in. With that said, I still think it can be a lot of fun depending on the couple. Don’t feel bad about not wanting to mess up that pristine make up, girl!

All that matters is that you two are happy with how your wedding day goes. Don’t be afraid to participate in the wedding traditions that fit your personalities, and skip the ones that don’t! Don’t let stuffy wedding traditions stifle your style!