Wedding Trends I Just Don’t Get
Saying that you “hate” or “dislike” something is perfectly normal and human, yet it turns people off. People say “let’s talk about things we love instead of things we hate”, to which I roll my eyes. While that’s good and dandy, it’s honest and sometimes even fun to complain and make fun of things you might not totally agree with. People bond over that! So instead of titling this post “Wedding Trends I Do Not Like” or “Stupid Wedding Stuff I Hate”, I decided to write it a bit more eloquently as to not piss anyone off.
Since we’ve gotten engaged, I’ve been reading wedding magazines (thanks, Mom!) and browsing Pinterest for inspiration. I’ve found a lot of great things, and some not-so-great. I’ve found things that make me cringe, coil in disgust or make me thankful for my excellent taste. Okay- so that last part was a joke. Sort of.
With that being said, here are a few wedding trends I just don’t get. If you had these at your wedding or plan on having them in the future, don’t assume I hate you or think less of you. We just have different tastes. And isn’t that what makes us all unique?
Sunday weddings
I get that it’s cheaper to host a wedding on any day other than a Saturday. Trust me- I’ve seen the cost difference first-hand when we looked at venues. But to me, the cost savings isn’t worth the complete inconvenience it is for my family and friends. With a Sunday wedding- especially if it requires some travel- means you have to take the following Monday off. Sunday also is a day special to many people- whether it’s because they are obsessed with football or they attend religious services. To me, Sunday weddings are just an annoyance that I wouldn’t subject my loved ones to.
Almost-white bridesmaid dresses
Random wedding guests wearing white is a terrible, terrible thing for one woman to do to another. That was just too obvious to include in the list. But lately I’ve noticed some brides choosing off-white, very pale pink or silver shades for their bridesmaids. To me, it’s just too close to white and it takes the attention away from the bride. I would feel totally uncomfortable if I was a bridesmaid and the bride wanted me to wear white or almost-white. I would wear it, of course, because I’m a supportive friend, but I would still feel a little weird. Why is this a trend? Is your wedding theme “Angels in the Sky” or something?
Garter removals
Tacky, tacky, tacky. I’ve witnessed these at weddings before and each time I cringe. Whether it’s the groom lifting up the bride’s skirt to remove her garter or the unfortunate tradition of a random male guest doing it to a random female guest, it screams inappropriate. At this point, the couple might as well just get it on up in the middle of the dance floor, am I right?
Baby’s breath as your only flowers
I understand that flowers are super expensive, and I plan on sticking to a budget and not going overboard for our wedding for that very reason. Baby’s breath make great filler for bouquets, but if it’s the only flower you have in the bouquet, your bouquet looks like a bunch of weeds to me. At least put a different flower or two in there (a single carnation is super cheap) to balance it out. Make it look like at least you put some thought into the flowers.
Cake smashing
I’m all for silly moments between couples. But smashing cake in each other’s faces while we’re wearing super expensive clothing and I just got my makeup and hair done isn’t fun. I’m not even high maintenance, but I would freak out if James did this to me. You’re also wasting perfectly good cake that someone could be eating. Let’s be honest- that’s the real travesty here.
Statement necklaces
I have a few statement necklaces in my collection, but I think wearing them to your wedding is tacky. The bride’s beauty- and her stunning dress- is supposed to shine through and be the center of attention. And with a statement necklace, the necklace is the thing making the statement instead of the bride. What’s even worse is when the necklace is tacky fake gold with fluorescent flowers or cubic zarconia shapes. Just stop.
Glow-in-the-dark necklaces or items
Nothing aggravates me more than people turning fancy occasions into casual ones or vice versa. Your wedding is not a 9th grade school dance- you don’t need glow-in-the-dark necklaces or glowsticks as props for your guests. You hired a professional photographer to capture all the moments- do you really want those ruined by photos of everyone with tacky neon plastic jewelry and wearing sunglasses indoors? Yes, I get that it’s fun. At parties, people love wearing leis and fun hats, but this isn’t a Hawaiian pool party or a New Year’s Even drunken get-together.
“Pick a seat, not a side” sign
I enjoy the idea behind these signs, but they are just so overdone that the originality behind the nice sentiment is destroyed. People in general are smart enough (or so I hope) to figure out where to sit- they don’t need a hand-written sign to show them. What makes these signs even worse? When they are accompanied by a rhyming poem. Gag me.
One huge long table instead of individual circular tables
One trend I’ve seen a lot is using a long, rectangular table for your guests to dine instead of the traditional circular tables that hold between 8 and 12 people. I feel that everyone is so squished together (which also happens at circular tables, I realize this), and you can’t really interact with anyone other than who is directly across from you or right next to you. The centerpieces and long table runners typically take up too much room on the tables and make it awkward to even see or communicate with anyone else at the table. I understand that sometimes these are mandatory for smaller wedding parties or certain venues, but I’m just not loving them.
Expecting someone else to pay for your entire wedding
Don’t be a spoiled little bitch.
So be honest with me here (anonymous if you want)- what wedding trends do you despise?
I don’t like most of those, but I actually don’t mind the Sunday wedding because a lot of my friends are paying for their weddings and I can understand wanting to save money when you are just starting a new life. One thing I hate is when I don’t get a long notice, if you just got engage don’t have the wedding 3 months later please. Because a lot goes into going to a wedding, travel, buying presents, getting a dress, getting time off work sometimes.
I understand the money part completely (we’re paying for our own wedding, believe me!). But for me personally paying a little more to have it on a convenient day was worth it. To each her own!
And I agree- I’m a planner so if I get something last-minute I sort of hate it and get anxious. I will be the crazy bride sending out my save the dates a year early haha
Hopefully, there will be lots of brides-to-be reading this. The worst trend I see lately is the failure of the new couple to greet all guests at every table and not spend the entire reception partying with their BFFs. You thought enough to invite us, and we thought enough of you to fill an envelope with cash, so you should come by for a 2-minute “thank you” to each and every person.
That is a good one! I know it must be hard for the bride, but there are plenty of opportunities to come say hi (during cocktail hour is the easiest one! take your photos earlier and plan enough time so you can mingle and thank guests during cocktail hour!)
I agree that you shouldn’t just hang out with your bffs during the wedding… But I will say, as someone who JUST went through this, talking to every single guest (and still enjoying your time at your wedding) is nearly impossible. Unless your wedding is really small, there just isn’t always enough time to greet every single person (although that should be the ultimate goal). Certain guests will monopolize your time (I had a well-intentioned neighbor talk to me for 10 minutes during dinner, which by wedding standards is FOREVER!) And the bride and groom should have a little time to eat too. We only got through half the guest tables during dinner, and probably another 15-20 people during cocktail hour. And a few more during the reception. (We had about 165 people total.) Your family/ wedding party should make the effort to greet everyone they know there too, so it’s not just up to the bride and groom. It’s important to mingle but your wedding shouldn’t be about other people, it should be about you as a couple. And you really shouldn’t feel guilty for that. Sure, your guests came and gave you a gift, but you just bought them dinner, drinks, dancing, etc. I’d call it a wash. You can’t please everybody 🙂
Oh my gosh I am right with you on garters – cringe!
Amen!
Let me just say I am praising the Lord that I got married long before Pinterest and most blogs….because I think I would have just eloped in today’s day in age. Ha!! I didn’t even realize all these “wedding trends” until recently….just go with what you love and feel…it IS YOUR day! 🙂
Aw thanks Shanna. Pinterest is great for inspiration, but you’re right- it makes you feel like you have to have the perfect, expensive, crazy DIY wedding.
I totally understand the thinking behind the Sunday wedding thing, but it does bother me as a guest. I recently had a Sunday wedding and a Friday wedding one right after the other, so I had to not only travel but use an extra vacation day for each… I realize it’s completely up to us whether we attend a wedding or not, and I’d much rather be there to see my friend get married. It’s just a pain for travel and work.
Exactly. I get that it saves money, but it’s frustrating for the guest in terms of $ and work.
HAHA omg this is just too funny Rachel! I agree with a lot of these. I have been to Sunday weddings and I couldn’t take the Monday off after – instead I got home at 11:30 at night and felt useless at work the next day. I also think the garter thing is tacky. I just don’t know where some of these trends started and why they are continued?!?! I think doing what you want to do for your wedding is the best thing, and I do understand certain things being done to save money, but some of those Pinterest sign ideas are WAY OVERDONE!
Exactly! If I don’t have to travel, Sunday weddings are ok. But I always end up having to travel
I felt the same way after reading this. The first couple paragraphs set one tone and the points following are in a different tone entirely, and that tone is pretty mean.
I FUGGING HATE GARTER REMOVALS! They are so freaking trashy. I just sit there and want to squirm because it always done in the MOST TACKY way possible!
yessssss
I agree with all of these things, Rachel! While I was reading down the list I kept thinking “Ok good I didn’t do that one, not that one either..” Haha. One other thing I don’t really get but some people LOVE is having a photo booth at the reception. I think it is a fun thing to have at a work event or some type of other party, but in my opinion it doesn’t quite fit in at a wedding. I wanted my guests to be enjoying the music, food and drinks, not standing in line to take pictures with blow up guitars.
Also, some photographers pressure couples into adding them onto their package as something they NEED to have (and they are pricey!). Now everyone has cameras or iPhones that they can take pictures with instant results, so the whole photo booth to me seems unnecessary. But by all means, if you have one I’ll probably be there posing like I’m on the red carpet 🙂
haha oh stop this is just my silly opinion so if you did them, that’s fine 🙂
I agree, the bridesmaids should never be in a shade close to the brides dress and my traditional family might faint if I did anything regarding a garter!
Haha, I’m with you, girl- cake smashing is a definitely no-no, and the garter thing can TOTALLY get super tacky, super fast.
Ha – so sassy! I agree with MOST of these. I think the “pick a seat not a side” signs are nice when there are an uneven number of guests for each side of the wedding (maybe the groom has a way bigger family than the bride and you don’t want to draw attention to it.) We did a garter toss but Carter didn’t take it off me, I just handed it to him and he thew it, so we didn’t have to subject our guests to that awkward moment of him sticking his hand up my dress. Speaking of tacky, I’m surprised I didn’t see the money dance on this list! That one is the absolute worst.
I forgot about that! I haven’t seen that happen at a wedding IRL yet, only on TV
Awwww man, the garter removal tradition…like, WHO WANTS THEIR DAD SEEING THAT? No gracias!
lol
I HATE BABYS BREATH SO MUCH I CAN’T EVEN TALK ABOUT IT. hate. agree with you on all of these things here! i didn’t even know glow in the dark things were a “thing” at weddings. ugh.
It just looks cheap or like a weed. IDK…
Another guest wearing white is so beyond wrong! I just can’t understand why someone would do that…..yet I see it at so many weddings. I learned so much about wedding trends when I was helping my sister plan hers lol! Hope the planning is going well Rachel!
There is always that ONE guest who is wearing something too close to white
I cringe every time I have to witness a garter removal – so awkward!!
When I first saw the “seat nto a side” signs, I thought it was such a great idea, because it is. But like you said, they’ve so overused at this point (and my friend is using one next month) that it’s almost like, “uh huh that’s great”.
A couple years too late but I agree with all of these except the Sunday wedding one. We’re having a Sunday wedding with a brunch because our religion doesn’t permit weddings on Saturdays. But other than that, good list!
Well that is a perfect reason then!