Opting out of a few Traditions...

I don't think we're doing a unity candle or sand either.

I skipped many traditions too. http://genevieveswedding.blogspot.com/2010/07/skipped-traditions.html

I feel like unity sand and thumbprint guestbook tree, which I did, are tradition now though.

@Genevieve I know what you mean! When FH and I first got engaged, I thought the thumbprint trees were a fantastic, out of the box, non-traditional way of having a "guestbook." Well, now every wedding I go to, there is one there for me to put my thumbprint on! So I have decided against that, too. Still trying to find something creative and different. Maybe I can start a new trend if I find something different to do!

We skipped alot. We thought about it for awhile and decided we didn;t need certain things, and knowing our guests (very small - family and very close friends only) certain things would be more of an interuption instead of being enjoyed. I know some of the things we left out may be considered "bad etiquette", but in the end our wedding suited us and our guests perfectly.

What we scrapped:

*DJ - We hooked up an iPod

*Dancing - Me and DH are not big dancers and although we gave eeryone the option to dance, they were more interested in food & conversation

*Tossing of boquet & garter - None of our guests were interested in this tradition, so we chose to forgoe it

*Caterer - We had a picnic pot-luck. We asked guests to bring food in-lou of gifts.

*Toasts & Speeches

*Favors - They would not have been taken, so no need for the extra expense

(cont)

Not doing the unity candle thing. I never even heard of it to be honest until I got on this site. There's alot of things I've learned from this site, but nevertheless, I don't think we will be doing that, or the Sand Ceremony.

Our ceremony is just going to be very simple, short, and sweet, yet very traditional.

*Groom not to see dress or bride before the ceremony - Neither of us are superstitious. He saw pics of gowns I was trying on as I was dress shopping. We slept in the same hotel room the night before the wedding, got dressed in different rooms. Although we did ride in seperate vehicles to the venue, he still saw me.

*Reception Photography (Pro) - Pics were included in our ceremony package, and we just used a photo-sharing site for reception pics.

I am sure there were other things as well, but can;t really remember.

We skipped:

• • A groom. (It was a same-sex wedding.)
• • Engagement rings.
• • Engagement photos.
• • Engagement party.
• • Alcohol or strippers at the bachelorette party.  We ended up with two joint bachelorette parties, one at Dave & Buster's (restaurant and arcade games) and one at a traditional Korean bathhouse.
• • Shower.
• • Welcome bags/OOT bags.
• • Bridal party, other than maid of honour and "dude of honour."
• • Special attire for MOH and DOH (great acronym!). The MOH wore a bridesmaid's dress she got for a different wedding. The DOH wore a business suit he already owned.
• • Being escorted down the aisle.  We just walked together down the aisle, holding hands.
• • Limo.
• • STDs.
• • Placecards and table numbers (luncheon was small seat-yourself affair in the private dining room of a restaurant, and at-home reception was cocktail style seating).

• • Anything monogrammed.
• • I DO letters.
• • Chargers.
• • Any clothing that said "bride."
• • RSVP envelopes (We had online-only RSVPs, using an RSVP Web site designed by my wife.)
• • Aisle runner.
• • Flowers for the ceremony location, other than bouquets for us and MOH, and bout for DOH. We had pew bows and gold chair sashes, but the only other decoration was our ketubah and the chuppah.
• • Wedding musician. We compiled our own CD.
• • Ring pillow/unity candle/ceremony accessories, other than the chuppah.
• • Gift bags.
• • Rehearsal dinner. Most of the attendees were staying in one big house, and we just ordered in pizza the night before.
• • Being announced at the reception.
• • All "special" dances other than the first dance.
• • Flowers for the reception, other than some freeze-dried rose petals.

• • Rice, bubbles, etc.
• • All "unity" ceremonies.
• • Reception dresses. We bustled up our wedding gowns and wore those to the luncheon and at-home reception.
• • Menus.
• • Candy buffet.
• • Disposable cameras. Most of our friends have cameras, and we just asked that they bring them and upload the photos to our photo-sharing website afterward.
• • Bouquet and garter tosses.
• • Wedding coordinator, DOC, etc.
• • Honeymoon.

My FH and I haven't decided on our ceremony yet, but I don't think we're going to do the unity candle or sand. The candles will def blow out (we'll be on a deck overlooking a valley) and FH is superstitious!

Not sure what we're going to go.

Also not doing the following: guest book, garter and bouquet toss, video, programs, bubbles or rice or whatever.

@Mandee L.

If you do want to do a thumbprint tree I made a post about ways to make it a little different: http://genevieveswedding.blogspot.com/2011/07/thumbprint-guest-book-tree-ideas.html

I really like the wish / advice jar over a traditional guestbook: http://genevieveswedding.blogspot.com/2010/04/finished-wish-jar.html

We are not doing unity candles or the sand either. We are doing something called a handfasting. Very similar to what you are doing with your chords. We are not having a receiving line. We are not using "here comes the bride" as any ceremony music. We aren't including our wedding rings in this ceremony! (We are not doing it until a year and a day after this ceremony.) I am NOT doing a garter toss. Not having a guest book. We didn't really have an engagement party, just dinner with my FH family. I am not being 'given away'. (I hate the idea of it anyway! BLECK!)

We did a sand ceremony as well as a handfasting ceremony, but we skipped out on a lot of the froofy details. No flowers, no ushers, no speeches, no dj, no engagement anything(party, ring, etc), no bachellortte/bachelor party - we spent the night before together, no invitations (muchless STDs), no guest book, no bouquet toss, no rice or bubbles or anything of the sort, no grooms cake, no receiving line, no something borrowed, no bridesmaids or maid of honor, no veil, nothing on our car.

There were a few other things we didn't do but I don't see them so much of a tradition as most people do, I guess.

We'll be tossing a lot of the normal traditions out the window as well. We will also be doing a handfasting, but will be exchanging our rings at that time. I will be holding onto the rings, as we're having a Halloween themed wedding with pranks happening throughout and I know that someone would do something them. FH and I will be walking down the aisle together and we'll also be the night before together. No bouquet or garter toss either - not many single people. The music during the ceremony is going to be "Halloween" themed such as the funeral march - this type of stuff. We're also doing a silent auction during the reception with quilts that I've made to cover the haybales that the guests will be sitting on. The ones that don't sell be will be donated to Project Linus or Quilts of Valor. That's all I can of right now.

We're thinking about doing handfasting, too! I'm not having a ring bearer or flower girl ... instead, we're having sword bearers. My fiance's two little brothers are going to walk in front of me and my dad with swords, like an honor guard, and my little honorary nephew is going to walk in between them with a sign that says, "Here comes your girl!"

I am a wedding consultant and have done over 1000 weddings! This is the first time that i am planning my own wedding! I tell you it is a lot easier spending other people's money, even a very small wedding is very expensive! My fiance' and I are very excited to be able to get married legally now in New York. It is going to be the first same sex wedding I have ever done and it just happens to be mine!

We are not doing a sand ceremony or unity candle. Instead we are doing a wine ceremony. Also having guests sign wine bottles as the guest book.

We are not doing the sand ceremony or unity candle. I am opting for non-traditional music for walking down the aisle. I am not having a garter toss ( there will only be a small handful of single men) and am debating about the boquet toss.

I'm kinda new to these boards... I've figured out from the context FH must mean finace? What is the H? And what is STD?? Lol, I guess it is a different acronym here than everywhere else?

We aren't doing a sand ceremony, or a unity candle. We're not even using a Church; honestly, neither of us is very religious. We are being married by a priest, but we're doing the ceremony and reception in the same location. We thought that would be convenient because we can skip the limo rental, and because we have so many out-of-town guests, it's one less drive everyone has to make and possibly get lost. Not to mention, we'll be able to get the reception started literally immediately after the ceremony.

No receiving line.

No favors - instead, we're making a donation to the SPCA. As someone earlier posted, favors are a lot of money to spend on stuff that half the people will either leave behind, or they'll throw away after they leave.

Didn't do an engagement party or engagement photos, either; the photo we submitted to the local newspaper was a favorite we already had of ourselves.