Wedding Traditions: What We're Keeping

I've been thinking a lot about traditions lately and how they define weddings.  You speak to some brides-to-be and there are just so many passionate feelings about certain traditional wedding aspects.  One bride may say "A wedding isn't a wedding if the bride and groom spend the night before together" while another bride may say "we sleep together every night, what's the point of sleeping apart the night before the wedding?"

I love that we currently live in a day and age where people have the option to do whatever the hell they want to do for their wedding.  Whether it's sticking to every traditional aspect to feel a connection to this experience that so many people have gone through over hundreds of years, shelving every single tradition to make the wedding entirely unique, or falling somewhere in-between, the important thing here is that there are no longer set rules on what you can and cannot do.

I was curious to see where Mr. M and I fell within the "tradition" spectrum and in making this list, I'm realizing that we fall somewhere in-between, but a bit more towards the non-traditional side.  I'll start with what we're keeping (this will be a two-part post).

Keeping

Image via Deviera

White Wedding Dress
To me, there is nothing more iconic of weddings than the white wedding dress.  Also, I can't think of another time in my life where I'll be able to wear a stunning white gown, so this was a tradition I definitely didn't want to skip.  FYI, this is NOT my wedding dress above, but it is from the Pronovias line :)

Via Etsy Shop DiamondWeddingVeil

Veil
I guess the non-traditional aspect of this veil I'll be wearing is that there is no blusher.  But otherwise, I see it more as a fabulous hair accessory for the ceremony and since I got the cathedral length (108"), it makes for a really pretty train.

Image via Wedding Chicks

Matching Bridesmaids Dresses
I know this is a hotly debated topic and the trend seems to currently be in favor of mis-matched dresses, but I for one am still a fan of matching bridesmaids dresses (as long as they are pretty and the color happens to look good on everyone's skin tone).  The groomsmen will also be wearing matching suits.

Image via Kate Spade

Something Blue
I'm not sure yet if I'll be honoring the entire rhyme ("something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue, and a sixpence in your shoe") but definitely the "something blue" with my fabulous Corinnes by Kate Spade!

Bridal bouquet / Photo via The Sole Mates

Bridal Bouquet
At first, I was going to skip a floral bouquet in favor of non-floral one, but when we saw there was room in the budget for flowers, I decided to go for it.  And I'm glad I did, because we'll be re-using the bouquets during the reception as part of the decor.

Image via United with Love

Plated Reception Dinner

There are so many options now for wedding dinners; buffets, family style, food trucks--the list goes on and on.  However since we are having the wedding in a more traditional location (a hotel), formal plated meals are the only option.

Photo via Lovely Little Wedding

Bachelorette Party
I'm just realizing I haven't told you guys anything about my upcoming Bachelorette party weekend in Vegas.  More on that next week!

What traditions are you keeping?