Wedding ideas/habits to “trash” in 2019

Hello again readers, brides, planners and co.
We had lots of fun in the past 2 blogs when we unpacked the topic of bridal makeup and hair.

Today we take a look at wedding ideas and habits that have reached an “expiry date”, and ready for the “trash can”. 

Disclaimer: Today’s blog is quite wordy, but i guarantee that you’ll enjoy every moment as you relive past wedding experiences.

I don’t know about you, but I’ve been to a number of weddings where I think to myself…”that’s so predictable, so overdone, so ancient”…Surely I can’t be the only one?.

Truly speaking, there are a few things I would change  about my own wedding if I could go back. I’m talking about the all too familiar wedding concepts that we all can do without in the 21st century!
I remember so well how I wanted my wedding to be unique when I got married in 2012. I spent hours researching for unique ideas…right from planning the program, the dresses, all the way to the menu. Researching on the newest trends and ideas can be a challenge when one is planning own wedding, while having to juggle this with daily work expectations. 

To add to the challenge, most black brides and grooms are normally expected to involve the family or church in planning wedding/program, which makes it difficult to achieve the uniqueness that is wished for. 

Most people end up “going with the flow” and following on trends that have been set by their predecessors.

We say enough with the copy and paste already!

At Masasestudio  we are encouraging brides and grooms to have the guts to follow their hearts, test new things and be agents of the change we desperately need in weddings.

So let’s talk about items/ideas we are trashing in 2019! 

In no order of priority:

1.The first item we are trashing is the all-famous Chinese umbrella, whose objective I’m still not sure about…between serving as a shade or decorative piece…

Let’s face it, we’ve seen these too many a times in weddings, and I’m convinced most people will agree that we’ve seen enough.

If by now the question in your mind is what to use in the umbrella’s place?  Not to worry, recommendations at the end of the blog will be beneficial.


2.Artificial “fake” flower bouquet??‍♀

Ladies ladies, we cannot in 2019!

(T’s and C’s apply where allergy is concerned.)

As a photographer who pays attention to details, Masasestudio works hard to capture and tell a story from every little detail of the wedding. From the small shiny pebbles on the dress, to the hairpin that was particularly picked to go with the jewellery , the designer detail on the shoes, and other special items of the day. We appreciate and understand the amount of effort that is put in collecting these items, and our aim is to ensure NO DETAIL IS MISSED.

Bouquets are our absolute favourite “accessory” as they help us create beautiful work, including morning photos we take when the bride is getting ready to dress.

Masasestudio starts capturing from bride’s home in the early hours of the big day.

Did you know that an informed decorator or florist would normally want to see the design and shape of the bride’s dress, before preparing the right bouquet for the dress?

Did you know the details on the dress can also inform the bouquet’s details?

Not to mention the coordination between wedding theme and the bouquet.

I’m sure by now some people will give a good argument about artificial flowers and their usability as wedding bouquets.

We appreciate that every bride is at liberty to choose what they prefer, but really, a fake flower can’t hide its “nature” from a professional camera.

Our recommendations in this blog will address the use of artificial flowers and what to consider if using them.

Plastic bouquets in the trash can!

 

3. Program item: “Welcome to motherland and fatherland”

If you read the above and are still not sure about what you read, you are either too young or simply not attending South African weddings, LOL!

Honestly, besides this item being overly used, ancient, and time consuming, it certainly covers matters that should be long dealt with by the time we get to the wedding.

My own observation of this item is that it becomes a brain napping moment for most guests, unless its being addressed by a very good speaker. 

Why is this deserving the trash can?…

Truly speaking we hear the same things we’ve heard before at someone’s wedding, packaged in different versions. For example:

#Don’t sleep without resolving matters with your wife/husband 

# Boardroom talk versus Bedroom talk

# Submission and respect rule for the brides, and the rule of love for the husband 

#extreme advises about wives not questioning husbands’ comings and goings, regardless of the day they come back home?. This on its own is a trash item!

The fact of the matter is that couples ought to do premarital counselling with a spiritual leader or guardian, where all the “welcome to mother/father land” matters are discussed in length. These sessions are normally conducted over a period of weeks if not months, before the wedding takes place. Surely a 10 minute slot in a wedding wouldn’t do justice?

 

4. Long wedding programs.

Every bride is convinced that their program is or will be short, until the day of the wedding when they watch helplessly as the program drags.

Amongst other frustrations, long programs cause a number of upsets such as:

# Tired and and noisy guests

# Hungry guests leading to more noise and impatience

#Endless trips to the bathrooms

#Late lunch

# Bride and Groom do not get to interact with guests sufficiently after the ceremony, due to time, 

This list can go and on…

A wedding day is a time of celebration, dancing, good food and reunion of family and friends. A short program, that keeps guests well entertained, will  achieve exactly that!

 

5. Matron of honor role?

I might ruffle some furthers here, but it’s got to be dealt with☝?.

The important question is which role is more relevant? Matron of honour or wedding Coordinator?

Which role best helps the bride and groom achieve their wedding day goals?

Good news is that the next blog will be solely focused on these two roles, looking at whether or not one compliments or supplements the other? This will be a very interesting read that I’m looking forward to, and hope you do too.

We will neither keep nor  trash any of the two roles for now, until we unpack this in the next blog. Please ponder on this one, and share your views in the comments section of this blog. I’m eager to hear your thoughts.

 

6. Cake cutting and Toasting “crowds”

This one makes me laugh, thinking about the discussions I had with Masasestudio senior photographer Lufuno Lukhwareni (Polokwane Wedding Photographer), and the number of amusing things we’ve seen happen on this part of the program. 

I totally get the symbolic nature of cutting of the cake by the bride and groom, each helping the other to a piece of the cake.

I understand that this depicts the partnering of the bride and groom in achieving a goal,  which is a quality they will undoubtedly need for a successful marriage.

What we are trashing today is the logistics and manner in which this item is commonly facilitated.

Firstly, limiting the tasting of cake to bride and groom only will be appreciated for time saving purposes. 

We trash the habits of brides serving a long que of the groom’s family during the program, and same with groom…This is unbelievably time consuming. 

The bride will have plenty of time to serve and please her in-laws after the wedding. A lifetime for that matter?

While we are on this, I don’t think it’s even worth mentioning that cake tasting by the whole congregation is beyond ancient, with all due respect. 

Toasting can also be done in people’s respective tables, without inviting a long que of people to the front??‍♀

7. ”MR & MRS” sign/decorating piece

I know I might ruffle some furthers again here…change can be uncomfortable but we all need…it is inevitable anyway.
This idea seems to have blocked all kinds of creativity regarding items to use in decorating the main table.
While we appreciate the emergence of trends, nothing beats uniqueness my beautiful brides and co. Lets explore more!

“Mr & Mrs” sign has been overly used and I think its ready for the trash can.

Recommendations for this blog:

#So what to use in place of Chinese umbrellas?…

Well if the point is to protect people from heat, we recommend things such as modern stretch tents that create shading, while not fully obstructing the natural beauty of the garden.

If the idea is to use the Chinese umbrellas as accessories, press DELETE.

#A word on artificial flowers. 

If you are going to use artificial, then it is advisable to use the silk type that look like natural flowers and not the plastic ones. The only thing to consider here, is that the silk type of flowers may come at a cost higher than their natural counterparts.
Natural freshly picked flowers are the best at any given day.

#Instead if using the overly done “Mr &Mrs “ sign on your main table…

A beautifully laid out table with fresh flowers and less clutter, will definitely be a win.
There are plenty of fresh ideas as far as main table decor is concerned. Beautiful brides, you can dare to be different, I am on your side ?

 

Thank you so much for finding time to read the above, I hope you enjoyed it as much as I did, and I’m certain we’ll be chatting more on this topic in the near future.

Feel free to share you views on more ideas that you believe have reached the trash can list in 2019.

The next blog will be looking at Matron of honour role versus Wedding Coordinator. Let’s meet then!

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