I've been a wedding planner for over 4 years. Here are 6 traditions that are disappearing.

A candid photo of bride and her bridesmaids wearing light green bridesmaid dresses and holding a gorgeous bouquet. White and pink roses with baby's breath and green accents.
Newlyweds are getting rid of old traditions, like having matching bridesmaid dresses. Salejandro/Shutterstock
  • I've worked in the wedding industry for years and have seen many time-honored traditions disappear. 
  • Guests aren't congratulating newlyweds after the ceremony in a receiving line.  
  • Brides are ditching uniform bridesmaid dresses and the bouquet and garter toss. 
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Couples no longer toss the bouquet and garter.

Bouquet of white flowers in the hand of the bride
You may not get to catch a bouquet. galka3250/Shutterstock

If you have attended a wedding recently, you might've noticed this tradition missing.

A growing number of couples are opting out of tossing their bouquets and garters for a multitude of reasons.

I've noticed the biggest one for skipping the flower toss is not wanting to call out or embarrass single friends. Some couples are also uncomfortable performing the somewhat intimate garter retrieval in front of all their family members.

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Guests skip receiving lines immediately after the wedding.

Newlywed Couple Dancing Wedding Celebration
Some couples will tend to everyone on the dance floor. Rawpixel.com/Shutterstock

A receiving line at a wedding is when guests form a line to address the couple, typically right after the ceremony.

It is essentially the meet-and-greet portion of the wedding. But this tradition has become less and less common over the years.

Instead, couples go around tables during the dinner hour or ask guests to join them on the dance floor.

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Uniform bridesmaid dresses are going out of style.

bride in a white dress and bridesmaids dresses are yellow and are holding bouquets of yellow flowers and greenery
Matching bridesmaid dresses are out. Alex Gukalov/Shutterstock

Every once in a while, you'll attend a wedding where all the bridesmaids are in the same dress, but it's not as common anymore. 

Lately, the biggest trend is bridesmaids wearing different styles of dresses all in the same color. This has gained popularity so people can choose what they're most comfortable in and what will look best on each person.

For more daring couples, the bridesmaids wear all different styles and colors. Some might stick to a theme, like floral print or neutral colors.

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The first-look superstition has been debunked.

The first meeting is newlyweds on a green field outdoors. Bride goes back to the groom, surprise in nature. The woman closed her eyes to her husband.
Couples tend to ditch the first look. Sergii Sobolevskyi/Shutterstock

Everyone has heard the myth that it's bad luck to see the bride before the ceremony.

According to Bridal Guide, this tradition originated from the days of arranged marriages when dowries were still prevalent. Families didn't want the groom to see the bride before the wedding in case he changed his mind.

Nowadays, more and more couples are opting to see each other before the ceremony to take first-look photos. This allows them to get more pics earlier in the day so they have more time to spend with guests.

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It's no longer the norm for a bride's parents to pay for the wedding.

Cropped image of couple choosing wedding ring in the shopping mall.
Many couples split the cost of weddings. George Rudy/Shutterstock

Another antiquated tradition in the wedding industry is that the bride's family pays for the event.

As couples get married at later ages and traditional roles dissipate, more and more duos are choosing to split the financial responsibility of weddings.

I find that the budget is often a communal pot with contributions from both families and the couple.

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