What happens if you don't want a "Normal Wedding"?

(5 Non-Traditional Ways to Celebrate Your Special Day)

Traditionally, when one thinks of the word “wedding”, our imagination conjures up a pile of white tulle, black tuxedos, a white cake with a *cough* white couple on top. The font is a classic cursive, and the registries are filled with Rae Dunn dishware.  It can be intimidating, thinking through all the movies and TV shows we’ve seen, with the big poofy white dress, the traditional father giving his daughter away to a good man, who promises to “take good care of her”.

While these traditions and thoughts are great if they resonate with you, they don’t need to be what weddings are all about. Marriage, by legal definition, is “the lawful union of two persons to the exclusion of all others” (according to the Civil Marriage Act). You need to have a marriage licence, an officiant, and two witnesses, but that’s basically where the requirements end.

So that means if you don’t want the white dress, the traditional aisle, the flowers, the rings, the vows, the tulle and the bows, you don’t have to!

Here are 5 non-traditional ways you can celebrate your day.

1. Bring your dog into it. You want your dog to be there? Awesome. Invite Fido! Quick Tip: Wedding Dog attendants might sound a little silly, but these professionals are insured, trained and capable individuals who make sure your pup is comfortable, happy and healthy on a day you’ve got a lot of other things to worry about!

2. Get married at your apartment. Do you love being home? Awesome, let’s bring the party to you. I offer “cere-minis” (explained more in my officiant services). Basically, you get to have a nice little day in your house, where you celebrate what your love means to you on your own terms.

3. Don’t like cake? Cool! Do jello. Tim Horton’s donuts. A candy bar (either one single candy bar shared amongst many, or a table with lots of candy for guests to choose from.)

4. Think outside the box for outfits. You can get something custom-made, thrift from Vinted, Etsy, or some local thrift stores. You can also use a rental service like Rent the Runway for a chance to wear something cool and crazy for one day, and not worry about purchasing something outright and storing it after the event. If you don’t want to keep your wedding outfit, don’t! (We all live in small apartments!)

5. If you’re looking to get married in a wedding venue, you can think non-traditionally about that too! Instead of a banquet hall, maybe a restaurant or bar would be a better fit for you. Or a bowling alley. An art gallery. A backyard, a local park, a funky coffee shop, a bookstore. The possibilities are truly endless. If you have a dream to do something a little bit more non-traditional, it doesn’t hurt to reach out to these places and see if they offer party rentals.

I hope you find this (the ranting and raving of a wedding professional who thinks nearlyweds deserve everything they want on their special day) helpful.

Xo,

Your Friendly Neighbourhood Wedding Officiant