A wedding coordinator’s how-to: Modern wedding customs

Since time immemorial, wedding customs have accompanied the entire course of the wedding in order to entertain the guests, make money for the newlyweds, and, where tradition dictates, bring them luck. Some customs have deep roots here that stretch back over the centuries, while others have journeyed here from the Anglo-Saxon countries and elsewhere in the past few decades.

Rings

There’s no need for the bands around your fingers to be made of precious metals, as has been the case to date. Have you thought about finding an experienced and proven tattoo artist to inscribe the date of your wedding and your names on your bodies for eternity, or perhaps to ink some rings on your fingers? Ever heard of dermal piercings? Take a look at some wedding dermal piercings and you’ll be astounded at what splendour you could exhibit on your finger.

Wedding dresses

Wedding budget means you can’t afford to dress up in the beautiful dress of a princess or put on a tailored suit? No need for despondency! That’s old hat anyway. In recent years, dresses have come to the fore that lend themselves to use not only on a wedding day, but also on any other day. And you think white is still in vogue? No way. Natural colours are becoming increasingly popular. Our wedding coordinator has her finger on the pulse: Champagne beige, nude, antique pink, and so on and so forth. And as for the gents, comfortable dress slacks, a shirt and braces in the colour of the bride’s dress. That’s the ticket.

The stag do and the hen night

The stag do has long been a wedding tradition, a chance for bachelors to get together with the groom-to-be and boisterously drink to the fact that he is leaving their ranks. By the same token, the bride and her girlfriends would meet up as a last farewell to her single life. These days, the party has levelled up. It’s no longer just about putting on identical clothes (especially among women) and going on a pub crawl. A stay at a wellness resort with friends, a popular festival, a short break by the sea, or tickets for a sports match in some foreign land? Perhaps that’s something to think about.

Speeches and thanks

It used to be that only the best man or parents would deliver speeches and weddings. In this day and age, any of the guests who would like to wish the newlyweds love and health are free to have their say. Everyone you invite is close to you in some way and is someone you are fond of, so you can leave them a note of thanks where they have been sat to express your gratitude for coming to the wedding and giving you a gift. Alternatively, you can write to them after the wedding.

A mobile-free wedding

What’s the point in hiring a professional photographer and cameraman when the wedding ceremony is going to be spoilt by irksome mobiles recording your every movement? And then there are those moments during the wedding celebrations when, instead of conversing with each other, guests are engrossed in their mobiles and posting photos that you would personally never have let see the light of day. So in your wedding announcement, make it known that yours is to be a phone-free wedding. Your guests can leave their devices at home or, if they really need to have a quick ogle here and there, at the hotel reception. Or choose a place that is beyond mobile operators’ long reach. Everyone is sure to be pleased when, a couple of days after the wedding, they receive a link to a repository of photographs or a carefully curated selection of pictures in an envelope.

Wedding fund / wedding gifts

It’s unlikely that anyone would want to get three coffee makers, two kettles and heaps of other stuff that they do not need and will never use. In your wedding announcement, tell guests that you would prefer cash instead of gifts, or draw up a gift list specifying items that you’re actually in need of. Our wedding agency also offers the option of a simple mobile app that we call “proper wedding gifts” in order to save you from unwanted surprises.

Wedding “cake”

Not everyone loves cake, and people don’t all like the same flavours. How about baking something a little more original? Perhaps a cheesecake, macarons, carrot cake, walnut cupcakes, or pancakes? Is your wedding taking place in the summer, when the temperatures spiral way beyond 30 °C? It’s not just the kids who are going to devour those strawberries sorbets or rolled ice-cream.

The first dance

The death knell is ringing for the classic slow dance or the fast-paced polka when the newlyweds kick off the evening’s dancing. Show some originality and heat things up with a different style. How about a salsa? Your favourite rock anthem? Or get the DJ to play a set of cherished tracks? Or even your own choreography along the lines of Come Dancing? The choice is yours alone.

Let us come with you as you take the plunge!

Call us or write to us, we’ll be only too glad to have a chat about your wedding plans at an informal introductory meeting at our office or in your favourite café.

Contact us