Traditions you wanted to skip until you figured out why they exist

In the process of planning, what customs/traditions did you want to do away with until you experienced them “in the wild” and understand why they are done the way they are?


For example, we didn’t get the idea of a cocktail hour before the reception. Most weddings in our social circles don’t follow the WW formula so what is standard for many posters is foreign for our families and friends. Reading about the cocktail hour, it didn’t make sense to us and we didn’t think our guests would go for it either because they aren’t done in our circles. However prior to our wedding, we attended one where there was an unnecessary gap where guests were expected to entertain themselves with no food or beverages and the couple didn’t want anyone arriving late. Needless to say, while guests were happy to chat the whole time, we were getting hangry by the time dinner arrived. While ours was one of the first cocktail hours our guests had been to, everyone raved at how appreciative they were that it was done.