Newer wedding trends and traditions

In my last post, we explored some of today’s most popular wedding traditions. In this post, we’ll take a closer look at new practices that are emerging as traditions in their own right. After all, every tradition starts somewhere! For example, the tradition of wedding flowers began in ancient Rome, when brides carried herbs beneath their veils to ward off evil spirits and ensure fertility and fidelity. Similarly, ancient Greek brides used ivy to symbolize lasting love.

 

The Evolution of Wedding Flowers

Over time, flowers have become an essential part of weddings. Today, we have flower girls, bridal bouquets, pew decorations, corsages for the parents, reception arrangements, and more. Wedding flowers are big business, and each bloom often carries its own meaning. For instance, the rose is a perennial favorite: red for passion, white for purity, yellow for friendship and joy, and pink for admiration.

Modern couples, however, are redefining floral traditions. While classic white remains popular, brides increasingly embrace bold colors, single-flower arrangements, or monochromatic palettes. Bridesmaids’ bouquets no longer need to match the bridal bouquet, and thanks to global flower sourcing, seasonal restrictions no longer limit floral choices. A bride can now have stargazer lilies in a winter wedding, bringing fragrance and elegance year-round.

Other trends include incorporating dried flowers, pampas grass, or even succulents into bouquets and centerpieces, adding texture and a modern, sustainable twist.

Wedding Dances: First Dance and Family Dances

Traditionally, the bride and groom’s first dance, as well as the father-daughter or mother-son dances, were slow and sentimental. Today, couples are putting a modern spin on these moments. Some opt for choreographed routines to upbeat music—think salsa, tango, or even TikTok-inspired dance moves.

Family dances are also evolving. Instead of strictly dancing with their fathers, brides may choose to dance with mothers, stepfathers, siblings, or other significant people. Another fun twist is the “anniversary dance,” where all married couples join the dance floor, and couples are gradually eliminated until the longest-married couple remains.

 

Rethinking Bouquet and Garter Tosses

The classic bouquet toss is slowly being replaced by more meaningful alternatives. Many brides now gift their bouquet to a parent or a loved one as a sentimental keepsake rather than tossing it to single friends.

Similarly, the garter toss is evolving. Couples are creating kid-friendly alternatives, such as tossing a soft teddy bear or wrapped candies so younger guests can participate safely and enjoyably.

 

Personalized Touches

Personalized escort cards are becoming increasingly popular. Couples write a small thank-you note to each guest on their place card, combining a warm gesture with a practical function—and giving guests a keepsake to remember the day.

Signature Drinks

A modern wedding trend is offering a signature drink during cocktail hour. It’s a fun way to reflect the couple’s personality, and creative names add a playful touch. Non-alcoholic options are also trending, ensuring everyone can join in the fun.

Slideshow and Interactive Media

Couples are increasingly using slideshows to entertain guests. These often start with childhood photos and follow the couple’s journey to their engagement. Some modern couples even include short video clips or interactive elements, turning the slideshow into a storytelling experience rather than just a photo montage.

Modern Wedding Mantra: Anything Goes

The newest wedding “tradition” is that there are no strict rules. Couples are personalizing every element of their wedding, from flowers to dances, gifts, and décor. The focus is on creating a day that reflects their personalities and shared journey, rather than adhering strictly to tradition.

Whether you’re planning a classic ceremony or a completely unconventional celebration, today’s weddings are all about creativity, connection, and fun.

(updated Aug. 2025) 

Photo credits: Pixbay, piqsels, Viemo

Wedding traditions most practiced today

Every bride and groom wants their wedding day to be special and memorable. And many want it to stand out from the rest by doing something different or unique. But it gets harder and harder to find the new and different because word spreads fast. For instance, I remember the first time I had carrot wedding cake. What a delicious difference. That might have been twenty years ago. Now it is common place to have wedding cakes comprised of different flavors for each layer, or even wedding cupcakes. So the traditional wedding cake is gradually becoming an obsolete tradition. 

The Evolution and Meaning of Wedding Traditions

Some wedding traditions are so ingrained in culture that they often feel like rules rather than options. How you respond to that depends on whether you’re someone who prefers to honor tradition or someone who believes traditions are meant to be reimagined. Many are followed without an understanding of their origins, while others are embraced for the personal meanings and symbolism couples attach to them. With that in mind, this post explores some of the most commonly practiced wedding traditions today.

Father giving the bride away

According to a recent Easy Wedding poll most people still think the father of the bride should give the bride away. However, people aren't so sure about sticking him with the bill for the wedding anymore.

Night before the wedding spent apart

The UK's four-star Hallmark Hotels also polled people in the UK regarding wedding traditions and 54 percent of them believe couples should spend the night before the wedding apart. In the U.S. we are even more traditional with 74 percent of us following this tradition.

 

Something old, new, borrowed, and blue

This tradition of the bride wearing something old, something new, something borrowed and something blue is a tradition that originates from an Old English rhyme but is still widely practiced today. 

Adding these items to what the bride wears is among wedding traditions thought to bring good luck, but each item has its own meaning. The old represents continuity, the new signifies optimism, the borrowed item stands for happiness, and the blue symbolizes love, purity, and fidelity.

Throwing the Bouquet

Throwing the bridal bouquet is another popular tradition which stems from a time when other women tried to rip pieces of the bride's dress and flowers to steal some of her good luck for themselves. Back then, the bride tossed her flowers into the air in order to make her get away while the guests were distracted. Today, the belief tied to this practice has morphed into whoever catches it will be the next to be married.

In my next blog we'll take a look at new practices that are quickly becoming traditions in their own rite.

 

 * * *

Some links in this post are affiliate links. We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to amazon.com and affiliate sites. 

Related article: Wedding Traditions Origins: Newer Wedding Trends and Traditions

Photo credits: John Mayer, Timothy Marsee

Why brides carried a bouquet

We've seen the surprising origins of many wedding traditions on this site, and the origins of the bridal bouquet is no different. This is another ancient tradition that can be traced back to Rome. At that time, brides carried or wore flower garlands because they believed flowers signified new beginnings, fidelity and hope of fertility.

Original purposes of the bridal bouquet

Like many wedding traditions, the origin of the bridal bouquet tradition can be traced back to ancient Rome. For them, like I said, it signified new beginnings, fidelity and hope of fertility. By the Middle Ages bouquets of strong-smelling herbs and spices were carried by the bride for their magical effects to ward off evil spirits, bad luck, and sickness. 

Today, the bouquet represents happiness and satisfaction in marriage and the wedding flowers making up the bouquet are thought to have their own special meanings.

In the Middle Ages, the wedding bouquet also became a way to distract female guests who were eager to tear off a piece of the wedding dress for good luck. The bride tossed the flowers to the wedding guests who believed it would be be a talisman for good luck for the one who caught it. And so why while they were distracted as they scrambled to get their hands on the bouquet, the bride ran away with her dress in one piece. Tossing the bouquet is a tradition that is still practiced today! 

 

 

Vintage wedding bouquet ideas for the modern bride

• Consider wearing a flower garland like the ancient Romans who believed flowers signified new beginnings, fidelity and hope of fertility.
• Make up a bouquet of your favorite wild flowers, herbs and aromatic spices.
  

I'd love to hear from you. If you have a wedding story, a tradition you'd like me to blog about, a question, or have something to say, feel free to contact me. And if you enjoy reading my blog, click "follow" and you'll be notified when a new post is added to this blog. Thanks for reading.

Photo credits: wikimedia, Victorian Magazine, wikimedia, wikimedia, widimedia

History of Marriage Contracts: When Marriage Was a Family Agreement

(Updated June, 2026) 

Stories of star-crossed lovers make wonderful tales, but throughout much of history marriage was not primarily arranged around romance. Instead, marriage often served as a social, economic, and political agreement between families.

According to Stephanie Coontz, author of Marriage, a History: How Love Conquered Marriage, marriage was historically “a way of getting in-laws, of making alliances and expanding the family labor force.”

The First Recorded Marriage Contracts

Marriage is one of humanity’s oldest institutions, and the earliest recorded evidence of marriage contracts and ceremonies dates back approximately 4,000 years to ancient Mesopotamia. These early contracts focused on practical matters such as property, inheritance, family obligations, and social status.

In that world, marriage helped preserve family wealth and power. Among royalty and ruling families, marriages were often arranged to create alliances, secure peace agreements, gain territory, and produce legitimate heirs. A marriage could strengthen a kingdom in much the same way treaties and political agreements do today.

For ordinary families, marriage was also a practical decision. Parents looked for partners who brought valuable qualities to the household—such as good health, a strong work ethic, useful skills, and the ability to contribute to family life. Having nearby land or shared interests could be an added benefit.

Marriage Filled the Role of Modern Institutions

For much of history, marriage carried responsibilities that are often handled today by banks, businesses, and legal agreements. Marriage contracts could determine property rights, inheritance, financial obligations, and the transfer of wealth between families.

Arranged marriages were common in many cultures, and in some cases the bride and groom had little or no say in choosing their partner. Among wealthy families, a marriage could be a carefully negotiated agreement between households. While love and affection certainly existed, they were not always considered the foundation of marriage.

The Role of Dowries and Marriage Contracts

Dowries became an important part of many marriage agreements. A dowry was property, money, or goods provided by the bride’s family to help establish the new household. In some societies, dowries represented a significant transfer of wealth and could influence marriage negotiations.

Marriage contracts also sometimes included protections for women. In parts of Europe, the “widow’s third” was a provision that guaranteed a widow a portion of her husband’s estate after his death, helping provide financial security.

 

The Babylonian Bridal Auction

One of the most famous examples from the ancient world comes from Babylon. The Greek historian Herodotus described a Babylonian custom involving a bridal marketplace where women were presented for marriage. However, historians debate the details and accuracy of this account, so it is best understood as a historical description rather than a universal practice.

Love and Marriage Through History

This does not mean love was absent from marriage in ancient or medieval times. Couples certainly formed deep emotional bonds, and affection played a role in many relationships. However, for many centuries marriage was viewed as a partnership that connected families, protected resources, and created social stability.

By the late 18th and 19th centuries, ideas about marriage began to shift. Romantic love increasingly became an important reason for choosing a spouse, helping transform marriage from primarily a family arrangement into the love-based partnership many people recognize today.

Marriage contracts reveal an important part of wedding history: before the white dress, the flowers, and the celebration, marriage was often a carefully crafted agreement that shaped families and societies for generations.

*** 

Some links in this post are affiliate links. We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to amazon.com and affiliate sites. 

Thanks so much for being part of our success. 

 

Image credits: en.wikipedia.org,  worldhistory.org, picryl.com, en.wikipedia.org, commons.wikimedia.org

Jumping the broom tradition

Jumping the broom is an historical ritual with Celtic roots. Like many traditions, exactly how and where it started is brought into question. Some say it started with the Romani Gypsy people living in Wales and others say it originated with the Welsh people themselves. Today variations of this ritual are practiced by Welsh, Celtics and Druids as well as the nomadic Romani. In fact, the earliest mention of this tradition is tied to the Romani and dates back to the 18th century. Today, common-law broomstick weddings are still practiced in some parts of Wales as a centuries-old custom called priodas coes ysgub.

 

Along with this heritage, some say jumping the broom comes from an African marriage ritual which was practiced in the U.S. during the days of slavery when blacks weren't allowed to marry. However, others attribute this as a practice taken from the whites. Either way, secret ceremonies were held as black couples committed themselves to each other by stepping over a broomstick in front of family and friends.

Now the tradition is practiced as a folk tradition in various parts of the world from Eastern Europe to the Americas. 

 

Besom broom used for broom jumping

The type of broom used in these ceremonies was besom brooms constructed by tying twigs or straw together against a strong rod or stick. Back in the 18th century, brooms were found just inside the door to every home with bristles up to ward off evil spirits and to protect the home and all who lived there. Sometimes it was hung over the door with the bristles facing opening of the door for good luck. It was considered one of the first lines of defense for the homemaker.

Today, jumping the broom is thought to represent the couple entering a new life together, and sweeping away their single lives including former problems and concerns.

4 jumping the broom variations

 

While we can dispute where and how jumping the broom started, I'd rather focus on variations of the practice as wedding planners have started to include the custom today. Jumping the broom can take place at the church, the reception, the couples' new home, and is often included in neo-pagan unions, too.

1. Place the broom at an angle by the rear door of the church.
2. Groom jumps first, followed by the bride.
3. Broom laid on floor and couple jumps over it hand-in-hand as high as they can.
4. Broom laid in the entryway to the new home with bride and groom taking turns jumping over it. (Another variation of this one is for the groom to carry his bride over the broom into their new home.)

Another old custom involves the couple jumping over a crossed broom and sword held by the best man and the maid of honor. This practice represents cutting of ties to parents and the ties being swept away as the couple crosses a new threshold to start a new life together.

Today couples jumping the broom often design their own broom and decorate them to complement wedding colors, or they can be purchased already-decorated.

Tajiri 36" Jump Broom for Wedding

Some who want to eliminate the broom because of its Wiccan associations may choose to step over a sword instead of a broom. 

***

Some links in this post are affiliate links. We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to amazon.com and affiliate sites.

Photo credits: wikipedia, Wikimedia, wikimedia, Amazon