A roundup of 5 things you can skip for your wedding completely guilt-free

When you’re planning your wedding, it’s easy to hear things like “you only get married once so go big!”, or “the more the better!”, or some phrase, comment, or thought that you need to be doing *everything* for your wedding. The bigger the better, the grander the better, and that more is more. And I completely agree that your wedding should be absolutely epic and nothing short of a dream come true. But, can I challenge this idea for just a second? If you’re feeling overwhelmed by all of the things, decisions to be made, comments, and feel like so much more is coming that you’re not even ready for, I want to encourage you! I have been in your shoes, and as a wedding professional who has photographed many weddings over the years, I want to tell you this: you don’t have to do everything. Less can be more. And at the end of the day, you should do what feels right for you as a couple! So that being said, here are 5 things you can skip for your wedding.

1) The bouquet toss

*Cue ‘Man I Feel Like A Woman’ by Shania Twain*. I want to share something kind of crazy with you; in the year 2022, not ONE of my brides did a bouquet toss. And no one, I mean really, no one at all missed it. Is it a sweet tradition? Of course. I did this at my own wedding but with a twist: I had the bouquet loosely tied, so every girl got a rose when I tossed my bouquet. Sorry to any fans of The Bachelor reading this. Point being, you can absolutely skip this tradition, especially if you’re worried about your timeline or don’t want to buy another bouquet, or worse, part with your own beautiful bouquet.

2) The Cake Smashing

You’ve probably been to one wedding where this happens. It’s kind of a cute ‘will they/won’t they’ moment, but 100% not worth having your makeup ruined by cake on your face. Can I be honest here for a second? I actually really dislike this tradition😂 Especially when the bride wasn’t expecting it and has to go clean cake off of her face. Yikes, so not worth it!

3) Favors

My opinion on this one is twofold; one perspective is as a past bride, and the other perspective is as a wedding vendor. As a past bride, with my wedding being almost 7 years ago, I still have about 50-70 mugs that say ‘Eat, Drink, and Be Married’ on them, with some 7 year old coffee packet that say that my husband and I are ‘the perfect blend’ to go with it. Please don’t judge me. Lol. Anyway, from my perspective as a wedding photographer, I see favors left behind by guests about 8/10 times. You can 100% save your money here and invest in literally anything else. An experience for your guests like a late night snack, desserts passed around the dance floor, or anything else that would give your guests an experience to remember.

4) Garter Toss

I’m just going to come right out and say it: I am not a fan of this tradition and haven’t seen it at any weddings I have photographed in the last 2 years. I think people are starting to feel more and more uncomfortable with this and I’m just going to leave that right there. If you’d like to wear your garter, if it’s a family heirloom or a tradition you’d like to start, I love that. You can even have some detail photos taken of this. But if you’re uncomfortable with the idea of having this removed in front oof 100+ of your closest friends and family, I get that, and so do a lot of other brides. Skip it!

5) Oversized bouquets

This one is tricky because it can be truly beautiful. The reason it’s on this list is this: to me, anything that competes with the bride’s attention or takes away from her look is a no-go. This is your day to shine, and if a huge bouquet that swallows you takes away from that, I’m not in love with it anymore.

Here are a couple of other ideas that some of my couples used at their weddings:

• no bridal party
• private cake cutting
• no matching bridesmaids dresses
• no bridal party entrances

I hope this list of 5 things you can skip for your wedding is helpful if you’re trying to make your wedding planning feel a little less overwhelming! At the end of the day, if you’ve dreamed of doing any of these things for your wedding, you should absolutely do so! It’s your once in a lifetime day and you should have your dream day. But if you’re wanting to simplify things, this is a great place to start.

Happy Wedding Planning!

Read Next: The 5 Best Locations For Cleveland Engagement Photos