The entire wedding process that I’ve been going through for a while now has really given me some perspective on values, traditions, and expectations. While a lot of brides just go about planning their wedding with traditional events and milestones (the bridal shower, bachelorette party, rehearsal dinner etc), I’m not really one of those brides. Deviating from the norm in any way, though, really seems to surprise people, or make them think that something might be wrong with you.
Case in point: A lot of my friends were shocked when I told them I wasn’t having a bridal shower. The reason I decided not to have one is because my fiance and I already live together, and we have too much stuff crammed into our two bedroom condo as it is. Adding tons of kitchenware did not seem practical, especially when we had to already give away goods to consolidate our collection after I moved in with him. We do need a few more expensive items, such as a good mixer, that we were not going to get at a shower due to their price, so having one didn’t make much sense. Why not have an alternative bridal shower, like a lingerie shower you ask? Answer: most of our relatives in the area are older, stuffy conservatives (no offense) and it would not be very fun way for me to spend the day. To make up for the lack of a bridal shower, my fiance’s mother is generously taking us shopping this weekend with the money she saved from not throwing a shower, to buy a few new items that we do need, like the mixer.
Image Credit: Williams Sonoma
Instead of a shower, I’m also having two bachelorette parties, which I think is WAY more fun. I didn’t initially intend to have two parties, but given that I grew up in New England, went to college in NYC, and now live in Chicago, my friends tend to live all over the country, and many could not make it to my Midwest party. So I had a fun, low key bachelorette weekend with my Chicago friends, as we took a road trip to coastal Michigan, and rented a cute beach cottage. It was early October when we went, and we had a great time enjoying the fall colors while pumpkin and apple picking, getting lost in a corn maze (seriously), and getting mighty tipsy at all of the lovely wineries and vineyards in the area.
I’ll be having another bachelorette party in Boston the weekend prior to my wedding. This will probably be a more traditional, crazy party given that my East Coast friends are a bit wilder. I’ll also be including a few male friends in this party, because why exclude close friends from your celebration just because they are the opposite sex? In the end, while it would have also been fun to have one large party will all of my friends present, I really like the idea of having two very different parties, and getting the best of both worlds!
Another way in which I’m having a non-traditonal aspect to my wedding is my rehearsal dinner. In the interest of saving money, my mom, sister and I initially discussed having the rehearsal dinner at home, with my mom cooking all of her scrumptious New England delicacies (calamari, lobster balls . . . mmmm). But after we created a head count for the event, my mom felt cooking for that many people would be too overwhelming with everything else she had going on the day before the wedding. But I didn’t want to hold the rehearsal at a restaurant, since this would be the first time certain members of my and my fiance’s families had met, and I wanted an intimate affair in which people to be able to mingle, chat and relax, instead of being isolated at separate tables.
So, we decided to still hold the party at home, but get the majority of the food catered, while my mom would still cook the appetizers that we all love. I’ll be making a hot mulled wine as the signature drink (more about that to come) for the event, and we’re going to put a single long table in our living room, so everyone can sit together in front of a roaring fire and chat over good seasonal eats.
Image Credit: Country Living
These are just a few of the issues I’ve had with the expectations and traditions that come with being a bride-to-be. I plan to blog more about other ones in the near future. What do you think? Has anyone else been struggling with tradition as much as I have? What traditions are important to you to hold on to, and which ones, if any, have you eschewed in favor of doing things your way?
As a "Renewal" bride, I didn’t really feel comfortable going with some of the traditional wedding stuff… so in a way I am right there with ya. I love the direction you are going in, though! You are keeping with the old just enough, but it sounds like you are still planning on being you and having a ball! The idea of the coziness of your rehearsal is wonderful. Keep it up!
You already know I agree with you!
I say way to go for doing what works for you and not worrying about bucking certain traditions. I’ll look forward to seeing the recipe for the mulled wine once it’s ready to go!
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