Thanks for joining us in Part 2 of this post on 8 Traditions You Can Skip at Your Wedding.

If you missed Part 1, check it out here.

What are your thoughts so far? Many brides and grooms think that they have to include these wedding traditions simply because it’s part of a wedding. Half of the time, you don’t even know why you’re including these wedding traditions!

Here are 4 more traditions you can kick to the curb if it pleases you…

Wedding traditions you can break — Wedding planning Calgary

5. A garter/bouquet toss

With most people today waiting longer to get married, pointing out the fact that they are single on your wedding day just seems kind of…well…tasteless. Not to mention the fact that it’s an awkward situation for your MC/DJ to try and convince your single guests to be in the spotlight for this shining moment.

Sure, it’s a silly tradition that could still get a few laughs, but it can also be embarrassing for some of your guests, which breaks the cardinal etiquette rule.

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Speaking of etiquette, I want to make it clear that you don’t confuse tradition and etiquette.

Think of it this way: will skipping a specific tradition cause your guests to feel awkward?

Bad?

Will it affect their overall experience?

If you answered “yes” (truthfully) to these questions, then don’t do it!

6. A Cutting-the-cake photo

(See #3 in Part 1 of this series). I think the best use of this moment is to display the cake cutting photos from your parents’ weddings and have your photographer capture the same moment for you and your newly wed. This way, your future children can do the same at their weddings and you can create your own, personal tradition.

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However, I still think capturing this moment is so much sweeter (pun intended)!

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One of my clients actually provided me with a great story about the wedding cake tradition. At a particular wedding, the bride and groom and their families cut a small wedding cake and were served this wedding cake while the rest of their guests were served fruit. So, here, you have guests eating fruit (which I’m sure was very good), but they were watching the other “special” guests eat a delicious cake. This is a great example of breaking a tradition that actually led to bad etiquette.

7. Favours

Nope. You don’t need them. Most of your guests won’t even miss them! It is always lovely though if you make a donation to your charity of choice in honour of your guests. As an animal lover, I think this favour is especially cute.

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8. A slideshow

Again, no one will miss this. In addition to the technical difficulties that could cause awkward delays (not a big deal, but things like this do happen), slideshows are just a little dated. If the point of the slideshow is to show your guests nice photos of memories you have created, I encourage you show these photos in a gallery somewhere at your reception. This way, your guests can take their time to enjoy the photos without making a production of out it.

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I want you to keep in mind that you don’t have to skip these traditions if you don’t want to. Maybe you love slideshows and are excited to create one for your wedding. Great! The best weddings are the ones that feel most like the bride and groom’s personal party. So break the traditions that don’t fit with you and create new ones that do.