Why Traditional Wedding Celebrations Are Becoming A Relic Of The Past
For years, people have assumed that having a traditional wedding celebration was a desire and a right of passage for everyone. Getting married is considered a positive step in a couple's relationship and most friends or family members want the opportunity to celebrate that love. However, just because you want to be married doesn't necessarily mean that a big wedding needs to happen.
While the traditional aspects of a wedding have long been seen as a non-negotiable, many millennial couples and younger generations are reconsidering this "mandatory" concept, according to Boston Magazine. Some may see eloping as a selfish act, but many couples are truly considering it. They are normalizing the prioritization of their needs above the opinions of others. It's easy to say you don't want a big wedding, but once you book a venue, all the typical wedding purchases can start to spiral. You may even find yourself looking into tiered cakes or questioning how much wedding favors really cost. Avoiding tradition is hard, especially if people in your life are pushing for certain wedding norms.
Ultimately, this can leave couples unhappy, in debt, and regretful of how much time and money was spent. Therefore, having a clear and unique vision for your path to marriage is becoming more common. There are many reasons why couples choose to opt out of the big wedding celebration, and many of them seem extremely logical.
Weddings are expensive
While no one can make you pay tens of thousands of dollars for a single day, many family members will pressure couples to throw a big wedding because it's something they've always envisioned for them. It can be hard when children don't share the same vision as their parents, but with more and more couples being left to foot the wedding bill themselves, younger couples are thinking twice about draining their bank accounts for a party.
Weddings cost around $30,000 on average,which is hard for many couples to justify. A lavish ceremony and reception are now being weighed against other major purchases like upgrading an old car, having a down payment on a house, or even funding a retirement account. Instead of just assuming a wedding is a mandatory expense, many couples sit down and analyze what is actually important to them.
Being intentional with money is usually viewed as a good thing. However, it can still be hard for people to accept that a traditional wedding isn't valued as it used to be. The truth is, times are changing and this shift in priorities has paved the way for a new "un-wedding" trend that puts the focus on the couple and highlights the growing desire for non-traditional weddings.
Many couples are living together long before getting married
While marriage is still something many couples want, the traditions that used to come with married life are happening a lot sooner these days. It used to be extremely uncommon to live with your significant other before saying your wedding vows, but now nearly three-quarters of couples in the United States choose to live together before tying the knot.
This creates less of a need for the typical wedding festivities like a bridal shower or wedding presents to furnish a new home. Instead, couples are getting creative with their nuptials and letting their personalities shine through. This could mean getting married at a Las Vegas courthouse or eloping in front of the Eiffel Tower in Paris. Some couples choose to have a small, intimate destination wedding by themselves, or with their closest friends and family, in places like Italy or Mexico. Plus, there is something special about giving your destination wedding guests the trip of a lifetime. For the couples that do go a more intimate route with their ceremony abroad, family members may choose to throw a party in their honor when they return, which gives the celebratory feel of a wedding reception without the price tag.
The options are truly never-ending and just depend on each couple's unique desires. Instead of inviting a lot of acquaintances to an elaborate celebration out of obligation, couples are simply wanting their wedding to be more personal, with a focus on their love. After all, that's what a wedding is truly about, regardless of how non-traditional it seems.