Weddings 101: Break these rules - part 1

August 6, 10:22 AMHouston Bridal Scene ExaminerJan Cancila

 Here is part 1 of the top ten wedding ‘rules’ brides should no longer consider sacrosanct:

1. The bride should wear white
My best friend wore a stunning long black velvet dress as her wedding gown. It was the 1990s and it was a little bit more of a statement of independence than her personal preference (I think). None the less, Susan is absolutely still just as married as her sister Karen who wore a long white gown, illusion lace veil and her grandmother’s pearl necklace. Today’s bride will find a variety of lovely wedding gowns in white, ivory, champagne, gold and pink to name a few of the colors currently en vogue. Many brides opt for a pop of color with an inset panel in the back of the dress or a ribbon to color coordinate with the bridesmaids. As a final argument, white is a very difficult color for most skin tones. Most women look best in a warmer color palette anyway.

2. The groom should wear a tux
Even for a formal wedding, grooms are choosing something more closely resembling business suits and ties these days. Until recently even grooms who normally abhor the look and feel of a tie would suffer through it for their bride. The open collar look, though more casual, is certainly stylish enough to be incorporated into all but the most formal weddings. Destination or beach weddings all but demand that grooms discard the tie. Many grooms even forego the jacket. And those that are really into their beach wedding do so sans shoes.

3. Your décor should be subtle and understated
If the bride is not subtle and understated why, oh why, must she try to be so on the most glorious day of celebration? There won’t be many occasions in adult life where a woman can have unbridled sparkles and spangles and lights and flowers and still thought relatively sane. Let the bride have a little fun. No, let’s go for a lot of fun!

4. You must have a receiving line
Brides and grooms must absolutely greet all their guests. Rather than slow down the party, let go of the formal line and make it a point to visit each table through out the evening. This practice fell out of favor some years ago but many still hang on as an ironclad rule. Let it go.

5. You should have a wedding cake
Of all the rules to be broken, this might be the most controversial. After all, what’s a wedding without a wedding cake? The key word in the rule is ‘a’ because now instead of having one grand cake, many brides are choosing to fete their guests with hundreds of little wedding cakes. Yes, it’s cupcakes in all those cute pleated papers. Arranged to look like the traditional cake, the service is speedier and the variety greater. This is a trend that is riding the wave of gourmet cupcake popularity in general. Specialty shops in Houston such as Sugarbabies Cupcake Boutique or Crave Cupcakes frequently sell out of their most popular flavors by lunch time. Preteens host birthday parties amidst the sugar and sprinkles of the shops. Upscale cake shops such as Cakes by Gina, Who Made the Cake, Cake Affairs and  Susie's Cakes all report a surge in cupcake popularity as the wedding cake. Some brides just can’t let go of the tradition of the single wedding cake so they offer both a cake and cupcakes. That’s a sweet treat for their guests.

Click here for part 2 of the Top 10 wedding rules you should break.

Graphic from Stakxpert, (c) 2005-2009 HAAP Media Ltd

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