I just attended a very non-traditional wedding in Claremont, CA. eep in mind that the venue was a 65 mile drive for nearly all the guests. The bride was quite beautiful and the groom very handsome. The wedding was whimsical, the venue lovely, the ceremony - well it was a little odd - like being at a stand up comedy show. Personally, I don't believe such a monumental occassion should be taken so lightly, but to each his own. Ultimately it is all about the bride! However, there were two significant Faux Paux I just had to pass on to all brides-to-be....
1) If you have tattoos, especially "full sleeves" cover them up with your gown or with make up just for the day. Sure your showing how unique you are, but to most of your guests it is a negative distraction. It takes away from your true beauty as a bride. You have worked so hard for this day, why do you want to look like a biker who is out of place in a beautiful wedding gown? It was so sad when I heard guests snickering about "when were the Hells Angels going to show up" and "will they be riding off on a Harley". Those guests were rude, but other people heard them and were giggling.
2) Most of us knew the bride is a Vegan but the goom is not, so it was still a shock when we were served an all-Vegan menu with no other choices! In fact I dont think any of the guests were Vegan. Please, if you are going to serve "Vegan" food only, either have the courtesy to provide a non-vegan choice, or at least advise your guests in advance of the "Vegan Only" menu. At least then they can eat before they arrive. Most people picked at their food, or didn't eat it at all. Don't get me wrong, I'm a Vegetarian myself, but this food was so bland and tasteless that even I ate very little of it. When the Vegan cake came, most people passed, it was so sugary and chewy I could only tollerate one bite. Many people were expressiing their dissapointment and some even seemed angry (they drove over 130 miles roung-trip). Many of us were starving and left early to meet up at a restaurant down the street for dinner. I felt bad that we all left early, but if we had known ahead of time that Vegan was the ONLY choice, we could have at least ate before we came.
So if you have tattoos or are a Vegan, please don't be insulted. This is your one and only shot to get your dream wedding right. Don't let your tattoos upstage your gown, make up and hair,,, and don't torture your guests by selfishly only serving Vegan food. After all most other weddings are polite enough to offer a vegetarian option for their guests.