Wedding Traditions That Need To Die

Wedding trends come and go, with a few that have the staying power of becoming a “tradition.” We compiled a list of wedding traditions & trends that we’re happy to see are on their way out or that we’d love to see on their way out. In no particular order, they are: 

1. Receiving Lines

Why don’t we love receiving lines? Simply put, they don’t provide you a valuable use of your precious time on the wedding day. A better option is to provide yourself with ample cocktail hour/reception time to greet your guests and mingle. 

1. Dollar Dances

Tacky. Besides the fact that this would need to be adjusted for inflation, doing any game on your wedding day to “ask” for money is tacky.

1. Garter & Bouquet Tosses

As a culture, we’re starting to admit the cringe factor that is involved with this tradition. Whether you cringe because you think it’s sexist or you cringe just because it’s outright awkward, let’s let this one go.  

1. Send offs and other activities that require the participation of all wedding guests.

The difficulty of coordinating all of your guests into an organized activity is a stress that you can easily remove from your wedding day. Along with this point, most weddings are missing some guests already by the end of the night which can mean an anticlimactic send off. 

1. Sparklers & alcohol

Somewhat on the same note as send offs, planning a sparkler send off is problematic, especially because the guests have been drinking. It’s not only difficult to coordinate, it’s also risky.

1. Best man first looks

A little because it’s cringy, a little because it could indeed be a disappointment for the groom. 

1. Cheesy signage

I take issue with signage that errs on the “cutesy” side rather than the elegant side. Personal opinion :).

1. Cake smashes

Not the best way to begin a happy marriage. Preserve that makeup right up to the end of the night and savor the cake instead.

1. Advice to run from marriage

2. “Yes dear” comments

These last two are basically in the same category. Negative comments about marriage are not life giving in any context, but they are especially inappropriate at a wedding. Culturally, we’ve allowed ourselves to promote a lot of negativity about the partnership & commitment of marriage. It’s time to start making life giving, encouraging comments about marriage again!

Planning a Stress-Free Wedding Morning

We took on a new aspect of wedding day stress in this episode. Admittedly, this may have been one of our most fun episodes to record due to our juvenile sense of humor but I hope that we were able to convey information to you that will help with planning for a wedding morning filled with calm anticipation.

It’s very easy to overlook the pre-ceremony portion of your day when planning & delegating tasks. Your first order of business should be to consult with your hair & makeup artists regarding a schedule for styling. You should have a time slot for each person’s styling which you then will communicate to your bridal party members. Remember to let them know any additional information from your stylists about the condition that their hair should be to prepare for styling. Second, appoint someone to deliver snacks & drinks to your getting ready location. Third, appoint someone to keep luggage and wedding day apparel organized.

On a wedding morning, we often come into getting ready rooms that are cluttered and and disorganized. This inevitably leads to a frantic search for a missing pair of underwear or other important detail. We recommend keeping all extra luggage in a separate bedroom from the getting ready space. Before you start getting ready, bring all wedding day apparel into one easy to access location (dresses, shoes, jewelry etc.). Make sure that all of your bridal details needed for detail shots (dress, veil, jewelry, shoes, invitation etc.) are set aside for the photographer. Ask your “luggage and apparel” appointee to pack all of your personal belongings into your overnight bag if you’ll be staying in a different location on your wedding night. Lastly, appoint your bridal party members to go through the space and make sure that all personal belongings are packed up and organized before you leave the getting ready space.

Starting your day with peace will allow you to be relaxed and focused for the rest of your wedding day!

Wedding Day Expectations 2.0

In this episode we discuss the importance of creating flexibility within your expectations of your wedding day. Although it is necessary to have a vision and plan for your wedding day, it is also necessary to allow for alternatives in case those plans change as you go. There should only be one circumstance that would truly ruin your day-not getting married. Besides that, I suggest determining your three top priorities that are most within your control.

These three "non-negotiables" could be something like having a religious ceremony or the song that you play for your first dance. They should depend as little on other individuals as possible and be fluid to fit a variety of scenarios. As the most important elements of your day, these non-negotiables will help guide your planning process. If wedding plans should need to change, these will be the things that you keep in mind as you replan. 

Links from this episode:
Radiant Weddings Episode 6

Join our Facebook Group! - Radiant Weddings

Ria Hy (Wedding Planner)
  Website - www.radiantevents.net
  Facebook - Radiant Events
  Instagram - @radiantevents_flx

Joe Hy (Photographer)
  Website - www.joehy.com
  Facebook - Joe Hy Photography
  Instagram - @joehyphotography

Maintaining Relationship During Wedding Planning

We’ve reached our tenth podcast episode! In this episode we discuss the fact that it’s easy for couples to overlook the maintenance and nurturing of their relationship while wedding planning due to the sheer number of decisions that need to be made. Thankfully, there are some practical ways to ensure that you are planning your wedding together. As always, communication is key to hearing each other’s desires and needs in how the day is planned. We also discuss the need for taking time to just date and have dedicated time away from talking about the wedding or wedding plans.

A few other significant notes from our conversation are:
1:00 Joe's thanks to the "little people" who produce our podcast...namely himself.

We're were on the news! WETM interviewed us about the Covid-19 impact on weddings. We spoke about wedding delays, elopements, and changing plans. I loved the opportunity to represent this industry that I love and talk about the struggles that vendors and couples alike are facing. There was only one little note in the article where they named Joe as co-owner of Radiant Events...a promotion that I didn't approve. Maybe I’ll have to rethink his position :).

4:00 We took Jade camping for the first time and since she loved it so much, Joe believes that we should have her take her naps in the yard.

15:00 Joe learned that chevron is not a fabric but rather that chiffon is. We decided that it's probably good that he's not a wedding planner.

16:20 Joe is sensitive about his food sensitivity. Since he has some dietary restrictions, we had my sister-in-law bake our personal sized wedding cake to accommodate his needs. Although the cake was delicious and not a sacrifice at all, this was one way that we went out of our way to make sure that we both were cared for in our wedding.

17:45 Taste in description….this cake is truly delicious!

mmmm

Thanks for listening!

-Ria & Joe