Non-traditional ways to have a better, more enjoyable wedding
It kinda wild to start this helpful wedding article with an existential crisis, but let’s quickly go through one together:
The most important thing you can ask yourself about something you are doing is “what is this for?”, or in other words: “what am I doing, and why?”.
What is the point of a wedding?
What is the point of your wedding?
Who is this wedding for?
What purpose should your wedding serve?
What should people at your wedding experience?
What should people at your wedding remember?
What do you want to experience at your wedding?
What do you want to remember about your wedding?
It’s really easy to get wrapped up in the bullshit.
What actually matters?
A lot of the answers to these questions should reveal the true intention behind the wedding, and guiding light for your planning process.
The main thing that this revealed for me when planning my wedding is that the main thing that mattered to me was time spend with my loved ones. That’s it.
There are a few, very easy, very simple ways to spend more time with your people on your wedding day.
- Get ready together
- Do a first look
- Don’t hide before your ceremony, go mingle or greet your guests that are arriving
- Have your cocktail hour before your ceremony
- Have a 90 minute cocktail hour
- Skip intros
- Skip speeches (or do them the day before at the rehearsal)
- Do your dances and any other formalities first so the reception is a bit more free flowing vs having people sit and watch over and over
- Plan buffer time into the timeline
These suggestions work two fold, and there’s a reason your photographer is suggesting these things. Your photos are better if you’re having fun.
If your priority isn’t the same as the example above, adapt the premise to fit your criteria, do things that make sense for you, and make your day as enjoyable as it can be.
