Are you the first in your family to have a "traditional" wedding?

Carla1019

For lack of better words...

Most of the older relatives had weddings and receptions in small community churches years ago. Or they went to the court house. So I feel what we are doing is nothing out of the norm compared to what everyone else on TK is doing. But they seem to have such a reaction when they find out we are having a band, real silverware not plastic, catering company not family cook and clean, limos, etc....

Guess I don't really have a question I'm just glad for this board and that I have you all to talk to. Seems like I'm speaking another language with them. And sometimes they make me feel like I'm doing too much, even though I haven't asked anyone for a dime.

mekiakoo

Nobody has really said anything about our wedding. So many people in both of our families have already gotten married. I've never heard anybody being shocked at our wedding.

We're not doing it traditionally- we're getting married outside, a civil wedding. But then we have the usual reception at a hotel.

BmoreBride311

I guess I am the first one of my mother's side to have a wedding for several decades, b/c I'm the first of the grandchildren to get married. So it's a really huge deal to all of her family b/c we literally haven't had a wedding in the family since 1989. Those weddings were pretty traditional, but I feel like a lot of things with weddings have changed a lot since then, so there have been some raised eyebrows from them about a few of our planning decisions (like not wanting to do a bouquet toss).

I think it will be more of a different kind of wedding for my FI's family. They are from South America and used to a totally different kind of wedding than we will have (e.g. reception goes til 5 AM).

penny12986

We are the first ones in our families not to get married in a church.  We are getting married at our reception venue.  I know that this has ruffled some feathers on his side of the family but other than that, everything is pretty typical.

butterflyjumper1

No, our wedding is traditional and most of the weddings i have been to have also been pretty traditional.

However, my mom's side of the family is massive (my grandma has 7 siblings and my mom has 19 first cousins and I am close to ALL of them, and all fo their children), and I am the third-oldest of my generation. I am the first of my generation to get married, and there hasn't been a family wedding since the last round of weddings from the prior generation (I was about 6 and a flower girl in that wedding, haha). I have never seen my family so excited about ANYTHING. It really makes me happy and excited that all my relatives are so excited about it I know my younger cousins are going to start taking turns getting engaged soon so it was fun to be the first!

k8888

Both of our families are Catholic (some members are other Christian denominations, but all basically the same principle), but mine is more practicing than his.  It wasn't really an option NOT to get married in the church since we've decided to raise our children Catholic, as well.

Our families are also both very small but very close, and we've had a lot of death in our families, so anything that isn't a funeral is generally very much celebrated.

Carla - Don't worry about what your family says about your wedding.  If you're doing what you and FI want, then that is the only thing that counts in the end.

Melissa.hylton

I am the first person on both sides of my family to get married since 1995!! We have always had the "traditional" to do weddings. 

KatieK501

I think our wedding is somewhere between what both families expect (expect is probably not the right word - maybe accustomed?).  Most of the weddings in my hometown and that I've been to with my parents are what I consider traditional - church wedding, cake and finger food reception at the church.  My FI has two brothers who are married and I'm pretty sure he and his parents are accustomed to large, formal weddings with seated dinners, dancing, and drinks (though his parents had the traditional church reception).  We're going somewhere in between - buffet dinner, plastic ware, beer and wine, dancing. Informally formal?

Hallanole

Lol, I am the 2nd one in my family to not have the reception at the Elks Club. I am getting complete crap about it by my grandfather still....2 years in the planning.

We are getting married at a Ballroom on he grounds by a JP. I think we are also the 2nd in the family to not have a church person marry us. Neither FI or I have religious beliefs and liked the JP.