Something old, something new, something borrowed and something blue. For centuries, brides and their bridesmaids have followed these traditions, spending countless hours deciding what they will do for each category to make their wedding day special. Brides have incorporated grandma’s old lace hankie or a brooch tucked into their bouquet. The new usually is the bride’s dress, and the borrowed can be the bride’s mother’s earrings she wore on her wedding day. Traditionally, the blue stands for the garter or a blue bow tied to the underneath of the bridal gown. Whatever family heirlooms are used, this tradition is still widely popular with brides today.

For the most part, though, it seems that proper wedding protocol has actually gone out the window: out with the old and in with the new. Somewhat of a new tradition or bridal trend is signature drinks. Couples may like a certain cocktail or mixed drink, so they give it a fun name to coincide with their wedding theme. Or they may name the drink after a place they have traveled to or where they met.

Cupcakes instead of a cake…what? Yes, today’s brides want something different, and although they still want that cake-type dessert, they can achieve it with cupcakes. Although cupcakes lend availability of various flavors for each guest’s preference, they don’t provide the elegance of a tiered wedding cake. Candy bars are also very popular and raising the bar for fun at a reception. They are becoming the one thing that brides have to have. There is so much variety with all of the different kinds of candies today, and brides along with their grooms have fun deciding what types of candies to use in beautiful apothecary jars.

One tradition that has gone by the wayside for most brides is the bridal bouquet toss. Brides are cutting back on expenses, so there is no need for the extra bouquet to toss out to friends. Some of the bride’s single girlfriends may cringe with the thought of being dragged out onto the floor to catch a bridal bouquet, so brides are opting not to “single” them out in the crowd.

Whether with wedding traditions or new wedding trends, the bride and groom set the pace of their wedding from the moment they say “I Do.” What new or old trends did you incorporate into your wedding?

by Jodi Colombo, Owner of Beyond Ordinary

This post is provided ‘as is’ with no warranties and confers no rights. The opinions expressed on this site are Jodi’s and do not necessarily represent those of blissBride.NET.