5 Wedding Rules for Brides to Break

Some wedding rules were made to be broken. These are 5 wedding traditions I dislike so much I'd get married again just to flout them.

Brides Wear White: Some people still associate a white gown with virginity rather than joy. Brides should wear whatever color they like. White was never flattering for me so I broke the rule by wearing a navy dinner suit. Unlike a wedding gown, I can still wear the suit. More importantly, societies that restrict women usually have the highest rates of violence against women so I find this wedding rule nasty and I'm very glad this wedding tradition is becoming extinct.

The Bride's Parents Pay: Expecting the bride's parents to pay for everything but the flowers is another wedding rule to break. I would never have dreamed of burdening my parents with all the expense. Like many couples, we paid most of the costs ourselves. In addition to not causing hardship for others, it's nice to have more control over the arrangements.

Brides Should Expect Gifts From Every Guest: Greed seems to be spawning new wedding traditions. I even read one so-called bridal expert claiming that every invitee is obligated to send a gift even if they decline to attend. I'm happy to say I did not include gift solicitations in our wedding invitations. As a guest, I've always brought a gift but I might even break this wedding rule if I encountered the greedy bride above.

Brides Should Issue Plus One Invitations: Some couples think they have to enable every invitee to bring a guest. I went with the general wedding tradition of inviting couples we were familiar with and tried to be flexible if any guest needed to adjust their party. Many years ago, I had an odd experience when a distant cousin asked if I would change my mind about coming to the wedding if I could bring someone. I almost reassured her that my parole officer lets me travel alone but did resist the sarcasm.

Brides Must Assemble Binary Wedding Parties: A wedding party should reflect the couple's wishes for the loved ones they want around them rather than any wedding rules about correct numbers and positions. I did not designate a Maid of Honor and I would have been happy to have an odd number of attendants of any gender.

There are many good wedding traditions for a bride to uphold and many bad wedding rules to break.