Non-Traditional Wedding Ideas

Every culture has different wedding norms that are usually hybrid evolutions of even older traditions, but Western culture has merged to the extent that weddings in North America and Western Europe are largely homogeneous. For some couples, these traditions are important to uphold, but for others, following the crowd is boring and unacceptable, so some cutting-edge, non-traditional wedding trends are emerging.

Changing Trends in Wedding and Engagement Rings

Wedding bands have become more diverse over the decades – diamond wedding rings are still popular, but rings with other precious gemstones, or no gems at all, are gaining in popularity. Many women are choosing to have their birthstone or a stone consisting of their favorite color, fitted into their engagement rings. For some brides, this is purely an aesthetic choice; for others, it’s a conscious moral decision to not financially support diamonds mined by children and other mistreated workers.

Some couples have taken the trends toward more unique wedding rings even farther, and have gotten wedding band tattoos instead of or in addition to their physical wedding bands. Sometimes the tattoos look similar to an actual ring, other times the tattoo involves the wedding date or their betrothed’s name.

New Styles in Wedding Dresses

One of the most prominent aspects of the entire wedding is what the bride is wearing. Like wedding rings, once traditional styles have branched off into many assorted varieties. Wedding dresses can be found in almost any style of dress, long or short, extremely conservative or daring and risque. Color wedding dresses are available in muted tones like ivory and pastels, but also in bright hues and even in black.

Some aspects of a modern wedding may shock more conservative attendees at the wedding, but it is important to remember that this is the bride and groom’s big day, not theirs. If a neon green wedding gown and matching wedding ring tattoos are what it takes to make the couple’s wedding day perfect, then so be it.