Wedding Traditions Passed

Long Gone is the Traditional Wedding...

As wedding professionals, we’ve noticed a lot of changes in weddings and lately we’ve been wondering what has happened to some of the traditions associated with a typical wedding. We love the creativity and personalization of today’s weddings but where did all of the tradition go? Here’s 3 traditions we’ve noticed getting tossed.

The Wedding Cake

Tradition:
The tradition of wedding cakes dates back to Roman times when a simple barley cake would be broken over the bride’s head and guests scurrying at her to get at the crumbs for good luck. Once tiered, frosted cakes became more popular, A bride would cut the cake and pass small pieces of cake through her wedding band for each guest.

What Couples are doing today:
Cupcakes! One of the biggest trends for brides today is cupcakes. It makes sense- they’re easier to manage the day of your wedding and they look just as nice, if not better than a traditional wedding cake. Another great cake alternative are pies for dessert. Pies are a great way to bring a great, home-made, personalized, DIY feel to your wedding. I love the idea of seasonal fruit pies in the Spring and Summer. And lastly we have dessert tables. These can consist of any dessert combination you’d like, ensuring that you’re wedding is quintessentially you, and your guests will love all of the options.

The Garter/Bouquet Toss

The Tradition:
The origin of this tradition is a little nuts. After the bride and groom said “I do”, they were expected to almost immediately consummate the marriage. Undergarments were stolen from the bedroom as proof that the marriage had been made official and also for good luck. Women attending the wedding were known for tearing at the bride’s dress as the threads denoted… good luck. As you can imagine, it wasn’t enjoyable for the couple so it became tradition for the bride to toss the bouquet as a distraction for the ladies and the groom to throw the garter so the other men would leave his new wife alone.

What Couples are doing today:
Nothing. It has happened many times at event’s I’ve attended that the couple did not partake in either of these traditions. A lot of couples find the tradition cliché or embarrassing. But ladies, who doesn’t love to put your friends in the center of a dance floor, announce them as single, and then watch as they desperately grab for a bouquet?

Wedding and Engagement Rings:

I’m going to pass on the story that says rings are a lighter version of tools used to keep captured brides from running away- because the Egyptians had a different tradition first… and it’s a more pleasant story to tell the grandkids. 

The Tradition:
The Egyptians, and many other ancient cultures, used the ring as a sign of eternity, no beginning, no end. We wear the ring on the third finger of the left hand, because they believed that that the vein in that finger ran directly to the heart, which the Romans later named “vena amoris”.
Also, a 12^th Century Pope declared that the time in between the engagement and marriage should be lengthened which greatly increased engagement rings in popularity. And a clever 1950’s ad campaign by DeBeers cemented a diamond as the must-have gem. Perhaps you’ve heard it? “A Diamond is Forever”.

What Couples are doing today:
This tradition is not fading as quickly as some of the others. But there is an increasing amount of couples getting ring tattoos (diamonds are forever but tattoos are permanent?) and many brides are forgoing the traditional diamond and opting for other precious gems like a sapphire due to the amount of conflict surrounding the diamond market. And surprisingly enough, men wearing weddings bands is not a deep-seeded tradition but the number of men wearing them is going up.

Wedding Cake Alternatives

Wedding Cake Alternatives

I love cake, mostly wedding cake. No lie, I will think about cake for days before I finally crack, buy something at the grocery store only to be disappointed, my craving fulfilled none-the-less and I can refocus on life again. But sometimes you just want to be a little more creative than cake will allow, especially on your wedding day, a day where your ideas set you apart from the masses of other brides. Cake alternatives are all the rage now and just like everything else, many of the trends have been played out. Cupcake towers, dessert tables, and candy bars are all wonderful alternatives for a wedding cake but if you'd like to go above and beyond on the “Wow” factor, here are a few new ideas:

Belgian Waffle or Crepe Station

As someone who works in the wedding industry, I can say that the one thing that never fails to impress are the “live action” stations- one chef preparing items fresh, right in front of your guests. Many people use stations for dinner but it often gets neglected as an option for dessert. There are so many options when is comes to sweet waffles and crepes- syrups, fruit, whipped cream, chocolate or powdered sugar- the combinations seem limitless and all of your guests will be able to customize their desserts.

Gourmet Coffee Bar

Hire your guests a barista with a fully stocked coffee bar and offer things like cappucino, Irish coffee, or hot chocolate for the kids. You can adjust what you're offering based on the season and time of day your wedding takes place. You can really build up your options with flavored syrups, and for the adults a bit of bourbon or flavored liqueurs to really warm 'em up. Give your guests a variety of biscotti, coffee cakes, and danishes or scones. This idea is particularly great for winter weddings since you can really go for an intimate, warm atmosphere.

Croquembouche

A traditional French dessert used for weddings, first communions, and other major life markers, a croquembouche can be a dazzling display for your guests. Although its technically not a new idea, this dessert has greatly faded out of popularity, although I have no idea why. A large tower of chocolate cream puffs with seemingly elaborate but surprisingly simple threads of spun sugar will have your guests admiring dessert even before dinner is served. Another cool spin on this traditional dessert would be to use truffles instead of cream puffs- because, well...need I say more about a tower of chocolate?

Dessert Shooters

If your guests are ready to dance, they may not even be thinking about sitting down to eat a piece of cake and I've seen a lot of parties where guests kind of just forget about the cake. Dessert shooters can be a great option for the distracted guest because they can be butlered around, eaten quickly and guests usually aren't shy about taking more than one, giving them a chance to sample a few flavors. You can stack cake, cream and fruit like a mini trifle, use gourmet mousses or cremes, or for a lighter option a cold fruit gazpacho or smoothie.

Guests love it when they can attend a wedding that will offer them a new experience. So take your pick. Dessert is always a focal point at weddings and no matter what you choose, it's hard to go wrong...