Being Authentically you on your wedding day.
We have all seen that one episode of 'Say Yes to the Dress™' or 'Four Weddings™.' The episode is usually rampant with turmoil between what the bride envisions for her Wedding and the expectations placed by family, friends, fiancee, or guests. The fight to break non-traditional molds may be less of a faux pas but can be hard to balance.
If the last year and a half of living in a pandemic has taught us anything, the large 250+ guest weddings with the full traditional regalia are unnecessary to have a memorable and self-expressive life event. Micro, backyard, and even video call weddings are becoming less a non-traditional option and more mainstream (and cost-saving) option.
While Audrey and I are in the "Being Authentically you on your wedding day" camp, there are times when the fallout from breaking tradition is not worth it, or a bride and groom wants to keep a classic wedding feel with just specific areas of non-traditional elements.
Themes:
Themed weddings have received a bad rap in the modern wedding era. With elegant inspiration photos from Pinterest and Instagram, it is not hard to see why. However, even with the pressure of staying away from a specific theme or a "non-wedding" theme, Audrey and I are here to tell you that we receive consultations for fully themed weddings regularly. While themed weddings can go from elegant to tacky (fastly), there is no reason that a couple can not incorporate their love for video games, history, or hiking into a more traditional feel.
We have seen it all, from Disney, Harry Potter, and Star Wars to Hobbies, Lifestyle, and Places. The key is to use elements from the theme so that another guest can pick up on it if they have that interest, but anyone else would not pick up the reference.
A great example is Harry Potter and Game of Thrones-themed weddings. These are
relatively popular themes, so there are lots of examples strewn throughout Pinterest and the internet. One of my favorite examples is the Wedding photographed by Steve Lee Photography. The signature cocktails used at this GLAMOROUS (65K kind of glam) were adorned with the names of potions. The escort cards were attached to Quddich hoops, though these are beautiful gold structures to muggle eyes.
This Game of Thrones-styled wedding shoot, by photographer Vanessa Velez, used the venue to provide the themed element. The beautiful architecture juxtaposed with the elegant icy blue, green, white, and gold color scheme creates a mod-mid-evil vibe. Using colors to provide the themed experience is a common and foolproof way to incorporate a theme without breaking tradition...or is it?
Colors:
Recently, Cascadia was tasked with designing and coordinating a Grunge-themed styled shoot.
Naturally, we were instantly hooked on the theme (cue our junior high goth days to the sound of Hawthorne Heights). However, what we loved most about the style was blatant in its message: this is who I am.
We leaned hard into it and with the help of some AMAZING Vendors, incredible lighting, and a truly gifted Photographer, we created this masterpeice.
shots, we are in love! We combined elements of a traditional wedding in many of the choices: the three-tier cake, cake pops, formal dinner setting, natural-yet smokey makeup, and a long white dress (albeit with a gorgeous hand-lettered leather jacket and a floral headpiece). So the foundation of a classic wedding was present but with a dark and edgy aesthetic.
While we are on the topic of colors, another area of hot conversation is the attire of the bridal party/guests.
Fashion:
Want your bridesmaids to be in white or to have mix-matching colors; use a broader range of colors or textures in your Wedding to blend it all together. Invite guests to wear all white, all black, or a specific pattern/style.
Fun fact: bridesmaids all matching in identical
dresses is a newer phenomenon. Originally, bridesmaids dressed in a similar color and fashion as the bride to confuse old flames and confuse evil spirits/omens.
Perhaps the most straightforward way, though not without its critics (looking at you Say Yes to the Dress). to incorporate your personality is what you wear at the Wedding. Never envisioned yourself wearing white?
Then don't. The idea that the whiter the Dress, the more innocent is outdated(and quite frankly patriarchal and sexist). The same goes for opting out of a dress altogether. Instead, wear an elegant jumpsuit or two-piece.
Basically what we're saying is...
In the end, when all the stress of wedding planning and the buzz of guests' excitement is gone, what matters is that YOU loved the experience! That your wedding day was a reflection of who you both are as a couple and individuals.
Did you have a non-traditional element to your Wedding? Let us know in the comments!
Best,
Ashley-Sue
-Being Authentically you on your wedding day-
Sources:
https://www.cosmopolitan.com/sex-love/news/a58296/expensive-harry-potter-themed-wedding/
https://heyweddinglady.com/game-of-thrones-wedding-union-ice-fire/
https://www.brides.com/gallery/fashion-forward-bridesmaid-dresses
https://www.weddingwire.com/wedding-ideas/history-of-bridesmaids
https://screenrant.com/say-yes-to-the-dress-spin-offs-by-premiere-date/
https://wildconnectionsphotography.com/bridal-jumpsuits/