You, and everyone else, might be glad you did. Please don't get me wrong. Tradition has its place. I am simply suggesting that it doesn't have to have it's place at your wedding.
This weekend I attended (and was in, of course) the wedding of a friend of mine from high school. It was the MOST nontraditional wedding I have ever been to. What's more, I can't imagine going to a more original wedding. They out did themselves.
For starters, my friend, the groom, had two grooms women (his sister and myself) and two groomsmen. The bride, also my friend, had three bridesmaids and a brides man. Yes, I realize that this happens from time to time, but it was the first wedding I had been to where there were both sexes on both sides. And, this was just the beginning of tradition being broken. A live String quartet played Coldplay's In My Place ( http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p4ih6KLOUMo ) during the processional. It was beautiful. The bridal party walked down to the front, alternating between groom's side and bride's side ending with the maid of honor. There were no flower girls or ring bearers. There was also no priest, rabbi or any other religious figure. The wedding coordinator doubled as the officiant (that caught me off guard too). The vows were 100% original and fit these two to a T. It was beautiful. They had each clearly put lots of effort and thought into what they would say. I have never heard any vows so personal and it actually made the ceremony much more special and fun. Honestly, can you count how many times you have heard "and I promise to honor, in sickness and in health, for richer or for poorer" blah blah blah? Everyone says that! It was awesome. BIG PROPS to this bride and groom for originality.
After the ceremony the bridal party exited with the newly weds for MORE PICTURES. That's just one of those things you can't get around. However, rather than leave the guests waiting, a cocktail hour had been scheduled and they were herded into a room directly behind where the ceremony took place for a BEAUTIFUL hour of drinks and light hors d'oeuvres (which were so delicious-crab cakes, bruschetta, and cheesy lobster pastries). After pictures, the guests had been seated in the giant ballroom by name, obviously, this was a classy affair. The lights went off and the DJ introduced the Bride and Groom for what the guests thought would be the first dance. Turns out, they introduced the bridal party after the Bride and Groom, in three different groups, each group with one guy. The guys were escorted by either one or two attendants. It should be noted that ALL us danced in, throwing our drinks and shoes at our table on the way to the dance floor where we broke it down. Then, as the spotlight found the guy of the group and the ladies made their way to the side, the DJ proceeded to ROAST the guys. It was awesome! We (the attendants) were not told any of this until about 5 minutes before it happened as we were handed our favorite cocktail and lined up outside the ballroom. The Roasts were pretty legit too. The crowd was roaring.
There was no mother-son dance, no father-daughter dance, only the FIRST dance. This wedding was about two people and celebrating that union. It was truly their moment in the sun and they shined like I have never seen two people shine. My father, a man of few words, told me that it was the best wedding to which he has ever been. I think that sums it up.
Oh, did I mention they served Sea Bass AND steak, both cooked to perfection. I wanted seconds, and the night to last forever.
Bravo, Friends, Bravo! I love you, both. Congratulations.
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That sounds nice. We're doing something similar as far as the wedding party goes. We will have a mixture of men and women on each. No religious figure and our own vows. That's as far as we've gotten. But I'll going to keep the roasts in mind. I like to make fun of my friends.
ReplyDeleteCan you explain the "throwing drinks" part? Did you actually throw your drinks at your table? That would've been hilarious.