You can’t plan a wedding without thinking of tradition. From the bouquet toss to the white dress, traditions are sometimes what makes a wedding special.

When it comes to planning your wedding, you have to do what’s right for you and your partner. My husband and I only included actions in our wedding that meant something to us and brought us joy. Also, sometimes you simply run out of time!

I regret nothing from our wedding, it was absolutely perfect. The traditions we did include can be found here, but first, check out what traditions we skipped.

Wedding Traditions I’m Glad We Didn’t Do

1. Skipped the couple’s first look at the ceremony

   Our wedding ceremony was at 4 pm and based on the timeline, we did the first look before the ceremony. The best part of this was my incredible photographer Paige Wallace made sure that we had 30 minutes before the ceremony with no photos, just the two us spent time talking and truly enjoying our special day together. It was the perfect re-set before the ceremony and reception flew by.

2. Skipped the individual entrances for wedding party

   The wedding party rode to the reception on a bus and when we pulled up to the shed at the farm, we did entrances for the wedding party a little differently. Instead of catchy entrances (which always make me nervous to think of) the DJ started introducing everyone as each group walked off the bus. It made the entrance go a lot faster and everyone got to eat quicker.

3. Skipped cutting the cake

Our cake was beautiful and it was way too pretty to shove in each other’s mouths. Neither one of us wanted frosting all over our faces to start our ceremony so we skipped the cake cutting. A group of us ate the cake around midnight and left just enough to enjoy on our one-year anniversary!

4. Skipped the garter toss

We don’t do P.D.A. Case and point.

5. Skipped the father of the bride speech

Since the wedding reception was on my family’s farm, my dad actually gave a welcome speech and it was epic! Not only did it break up the list of speeches that were given in a row, but it was also the perfect way to lead into the prayer, then the meal. and then the rest of the speeches. Charlie’s dad also spoke and gave a wonderful toast. We were so happy both fathers spoke and are so thankful for our wedding party.

Photo credit to the amazing Paige Wallace Photography.