So, what reception "traditions" are you NOT doing?

Cole&Eric

            
                  I see nothing wrong with a traditional wedding. Those that think the bouquet toss and garter toss is tacky, well I disagree completely.
 
A Wedding Ceremony is for the Bride and Groom, However the reception is for the guests. Those traditions were put in to include people into the excitement. Some people look forward to those things (even if they don't show it) It gives hope (well at least for the women).

Receptions can be really fun with tradition included; I am having a lil bouquet made for all the single ladies, and having lil garter key chains made for all  the single men, its more for laughs but in a way it keeps "tradition". On top of a D.J. I have hired a Host too, someone that can be fun and entertaining. Little things that keep tradition but have a twist!!!!

lizzydragon

We're keeping a lot of the traditions except we're only serving an hors d'oeuvre meal... Also, no guest book, limo, or extra speeches except for the best man and the maid of honor... Just remember, go with what ideas are interesting or personal to you, and don't let anyone tell you how to run your wedding or reception... This is your day! Hope it's an awesome one  

ultravox

We are not having:
garter toss
bouquet throwing
cake cutting
any attendants
the giving away of the bride

We're in our 50's and have seen all of that stuff so many times... ugh.

wscott5340

I was at a wedding last month where they did something different for the bridal bouquet toss.  Instead of parading all of the single ladies onto the dance floor they invited all of the married couples up for a dance off.  They let everybody dance for a minute or two and then asked everybody who had been married less than 5 years to exit the dance floor.  They then went 30 more seconds and asked everybody to leave the dance floor who had been married for less than 10 years.  This went on until they found the couple who had been married the longest.  The bridal bouquet went to a couple who had been married for 58 years!  It was so sweet to watch!  A nice way to celebrate marriage!

smkmbrly

I'm not doing the bouquet toss since almost ALL of my friends are single and friends don't let friends sail across the dance floor to fight over flowers!  I think i'm going to pass them on to my mom to honor her 50th wedding annivesary.  I'm also not doing the garter toss.  I just don't like it, so no one will miss it!

Whatever you choose, know that (at least for one day), it's all about you, and your new husband, and everyone else can kiss your grits!

Cheers!

ashleybombshell

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_reception-ideas_reception-traditions-not-doing?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding%20BoardsForum:5Discussion:6a25063d-3496-45b2-b67f-2bdaca336591Post:b82635de-9694-4289-9558-1c1edfe9fd1a">Re: So, what reception "traditions" are you NOT doing?</a>:
[QUOTE]I was at a wedding last month where they did something different for the bridal bouquet toss.  Instead of parading all of the single ladies onto the dance floor they invited all of the married couples up for a dance off.  They let everybody dance for a minute or two and then asked everybody who had been married less than 5 years to exit the dance floor.  They then went 30 more seconds and asked everybody to leave the dance floor who had been married for less than 10 years.  This went on until they found the couple who had been married the longest.  The bridal bouquet went to a couple who had been married for 58 years!  It was so sweet to watch!  A nice way to celebrate marriage!
Posted by wscott5340[/QUOTE]

<div>
</div><div>I absolutely love that idea! I plan to do the bouquet and garter toss, but I think this would be nice to do also.</div><div>
</div><div>We're doing almost all of the traditions because I think that it helps to include and entertain the guests, and to keep the evening interesting. I feel like a reception without the little traditions is just 5 hours of music and mingling, which doesn't seem much like a wedding and could make the night drag a bit.</div>

Alanda1318

We aren't having a traditional guest book. I bought "Where the Sidewalk Ends" by Shel Silverstein because it is a childhood favourite of both me and my fiance and we are asking people to sign and write little messages in the blank spots on the pages. Throughout our relationship we always joked that we were the poem "Me and My Giant" because I am 6'2" and he is 5'6". That way when we have children we can read them these poems like our parents did to us and share a peice of our wedding day with them. I figured it was better to buy something I will take out and use instead of a list of people's names and addresses that I already have.

SwanyGirly911

We are not doing a bouquet or garter toss. My florist gives a free tossing bouquet - so I'm not sure what to do with that yet. Oh well.

-My engagement ring is Aquamarine.
-FI wedding band is made of river rock & tungsten carbide.
-Our cake is green and brown.
-Wearing brown shoes (some say untraditional, lots of people doing this nowadays)
-Limo - We are having a biodiesel bus instead.


I guess thats all I can think of right now...

mkmccorm

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_reception-ideas_reception-traditions-not-doing?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding BoardsForum:5Discussion:6a25063d-3496-45b2-b67f-2bdaca336591Post:a7bc127f-8ddf-4b46-9c56-7564b1fa6e66">Re: So, what reception "traditions" are you NOT doing?</a>:
[QUOTE]The gifts are a thank you for being in the wedding, not for buying their apparel.  Wedding related items are not gifts, so you do still need to buy them a gift.  You could make it more cost effective by letting them wear their own shoes in X color if the shoes you had in mind are matching and not ones they choose themselves individually.
Posted by gottahavashorti[/QUOTE]

People always say that's NOT a gift...but I beg to differ...after being in numerous weddings it would be a huge a GIFT to have the bridesmaid dress purchased for me! I think it's a great idea! I wish I could afford to do it for my bridesmaids!!!!

Great idea!! I think your girls will be hugely appreciative!!!

rsmarie

We''re not doing the garter toss or the bouquet toss. 

I also am letting my bridesmaid each pick out their own dresses in their own colors. I just requested that they be in fall colors. 

Since most of his family is from out of town, we were going to get together the night before and play whirly-ball with our families. Seemed like a good way for the nieces and nephews to break the ice. (I won't be playing, as I have a reoccurring dream that I get hit in the nose by a ball)

tappergirl

With my guests, not many of them are not married, so I was thinking of skipping the bouquet toss altogether. There's even fewer guys to catch a garter! So, what we may do is do the removal of it, but then present the "toss" bouquet and the garter to our friends who were actually married on the same day of our marriage and then that would segway into a single dance for them on the floor of their first dance song (since she will be a bridesmaid and it will be part of the "thank-you"). We will be doing the cake cutting and the dollar dance (because I think that way people get to spend a few mins with you that they may not get during the night, plus it is a tradition in my family to do so).

deecee79

I personally feel that the garter toss is a poor display and embarassment to the bride and then to whomever catches it. I once caught it because our friends all wanted 'us to be next' but it was horrible and I usually like the center of attention, but I didn't really like the attention on how far up my dress some stranger could go in front of a crowd.

So we will absolutely not be doing that tradition. Although SOME pople i have heard do the bouquet toss and then the guy tosses like a local sports's team's jersey out and then you take a pic with the two that caught it so there's no embarassment by any of the people during your classy day.

miaka51

I am thinking of doing a dance off for the bouquet and garter as prizes, since most of my fiance's friends are married. I have some single girlfriends from college, but I hated doing that crap as a single woman and I just dont want to do that to them.  I dont think its tacky, but I do think it has a bad connotation today - women are not just grasping for husbands.  we have lives outside of the home so its not our sole dream.  I always thought it was a sad social commentary.  but anyway enough of my soapboxing.  We are not doing a money dance or a bridal party dance either.  i think that stuff is very boring to guests since all the dances seem to come one after another and dont break up the night. I wish i didnt have to do mother son or father daughter dances but FI is really set on it so here we go...

melcowell1

we are not feeding people. We are going to vagas to get married and starting the reception at 7pm. with the number of people that the groom and my dad HAD to invite it would not be cost effective to feed all of them. that would have blown our whole wedding budget! but grandma is upset "how can you have a wedding without food" but it is our wedding and we will do it the way we want!

chantelcutie7

I don't mind a lot of the traditions, and I think they can be fun....at other people's weddings! 

Sapphire engagement ring instead of diamond.
No Bouquet/Garter toss
No chicken dance/electric slide/YMCA etc.
No cake cutting (we're having cupcakes)
I'm not walking down the aisle to classical music, but Spanish guitar instead
No Limo
No veil
Purple bridal shoes

franksj1

We're not doing the bouquet toss or the garter toss.  Instead, we're going to split the bouquet and give it to our grandparents.  Both as a way to say thanks for all of their support throughout the years, and to honor their years of marriage.  I read it in a book somewhere and thought it was a really amazing idea.
And to borrow from the Jewish custom, both of my parents are walking me down the aisle, and then stopping halfway so I can walk the rest of the aisle by myself.

catemeg

He's in the Marines, but we're not doing the traditional "arch of swords" because I do NOT want to be swatted in the butt!

We will not do a garter toss - I find it tacky.  Same with a money dance, though I've never seen that done.

We only want beer & wine - we're big fans, so it'll be select brands and good quality, but no hard liquor.

We want to do a couples dance in place of a bouquet toss - have the DJ announce, "If you've been married less than 1 day, please sit down" and the B&G exit the dance floor, then "If you've been married less than 1 year, please sit down" and so on (by 5-year increments until they is only 2-3 couples) until only one couple remains - then present the wife with the bouquet as an honor to marriage and commitment (rather than singling out all the single women).

I won't be doing bridesmaids.  I don't want to pick among my friends, and I definitely don't want to tell them what to wear.  My "MOH" will be my brother - a "Man of Honor".

1chemgrl

Like most of you have said, We are not doing the garter or bouquet toss.  My fiance is VERY shy so he won't be doing a mother-son dance and we have been talking about not doing the formal First Dance.  Instead I will will just grab him for one dance during the evening, the same for my Dad.  We also don't have a wedding cake only a desert table, so no cake cutting.  Our rehearsal dinner will be a meet and great cocktail hour for anyone who is around.  We don't have any engagement photos, just a collague of photos through out the years of us dating.  Neither of us care for the toasts, but if someone wants to give on during the night that if fine.  We also aren't accepting gifts since we have lived together for a few years already.

MrsPullen2011

My fiance and I have eliminated the bouquet toss. I always hated being the single girl on the dance floor with everybody staring at you waiting for the bride to toss her bouquet. And he is not comfortable lifting up my dress to take off my garter, he thinks the whole scene is embarrassing. For right now its out but I still have 7 and a half months so we will see what happens. I also never had an engagement party. The economy is bad and my sister and I are both getting married next year. I couldnt do that to my family its too much.

SheenaNash1

We are skipping the wedding cake and doing a pie table instead. We are not doing the garter toss and instead of the traditional bouqet toss i am making a break away bouqet made of lottery tickets so that everyone can go for, not just the single ladies. It will break up into several pieces when I throw it. We ARE doing the first dance and father/daughter and mother/son dance. Im a little nervous about it though because none of us are very good dancers lol.

ericaaxo

If you are not comfortable doing any tradition, that is going to show to your guests and it is going to be awkward for everyone. Who cares about tradition. These days, they are all going out the window anyway.

We are-
- Cutting the cake, only because before getting engaged, my Mom bought me a cake cutting set that I absolutely love, so I want to use it.
- Not seeing eachother before the ceremony. When I walk down the isle, I want him to have a reaction
- providing a photobooth instead of gifts for guests. I figured they would appreciate a photo instead of a box of candy


we are not-
- garter toss
- bouquet toss
- bridesmaids bouquets (they are holding georgous clutches instead)
- first dance- any traditional dance at all
- hosting a traditional reception- instead throwing a party in a suite at the hotel
- no showers before hand

Roxygrl2002

We are skipping boquet and garter toss. I find them to be a waste of time at weddings... no offense to anyone doing them of course. It just seems that trying to drag any single ladies out onto the floor takes forever and you end up with six girls ranging from 5 to 15 and then when the garter is tossed you have some balding frat boy who is supposed to put the garter on a 10 year old? No thanks. We are also not doing the 'clinking' of the glasses for a kiss. I recently went to a wedding where if people wanted the couple to kiss then they had to sing a song with the word love in it...