Traditional, different or...a compromise?

Will you want to try something a little different?

Nowadays you can get married almost anywhere: in a church or other house of worship, a hotel, on a beach, abroad, on a boat, underwater or even on a rollercoaster. So how do you decide which one is for you? First have a think about how you view your wedding – do you want it to have a fun-filled party atmosphere, or would you prefer the more traditional, serious feel?

There is a tendency to steer towards the side of traditional because ‘that’s just the way it’s done’, and it is all too easy to be swept along in the current as soon as you start to plan for the day. So, before you start planning, STOP for a moment:

         -  Have a talk with your fiancé about what you don’t want, as these ideas will usually be more established within each of your minds than what you do want. (Hopefully you will find that you each don’t want the same things!)

         - Think about other weddings you have been to before and pick out the elements that you liked

        -  Are you in a position that yours or your fiancé’s parents will have a say in your day? If so, what are they likely to expect?

     - Do you both like to try new things and branch out? You could consider a Handfasting or a Medieval ceremony

        - Are you both from different religious backgrounds? Will you need a fusion of 2 very different kinds of tradition? Or, instead, 2 completely different ceremonies in 2 different countries?

But, whatever your situation and preference, remember that there will always have to be a compromise somewhere along the line, whether it be on your part or your other half’s.

For example: When sitting in a sauna in a ski resort in France and first talking about my wedding with my brand new fiancé it went something like this:

Chris: “So, how do you see our wedding being?”

Me: (After a giggle of excitement) “Well....we could go abroad somewhere and get married on a beach at sunset, just us and a few close friends. How about you?”

Chris: “I want a really big party near home.”

Me: “Oh.”

What we ended up doing was unsurpassable for us so I am glad that I compromised on that one!

I thought that I would like a beach wedding, somewhere exotic

Your ideas will evolve and morph into your eventual plan, and it may end up being something completely different to what you had dreamed. Have fun with it and think it through before you do anything else such as seeing venues or looking at dresses.

Above all, remember, that it is yours and your partner’s day. 

So, what are you planning and what have you always dreamed?