5 Outdated Wedding Traditions Couples Should Ditch

Just because a girl’s getting married doesn’t mean she can’t be practical.

A couple weeks ago, I was having a conversation about weddings: recent weddings of people I know, weddings I had been in, and weddings from several years ago. In the midst of this discussion, I found myself contemplating what I would do at my own wedding compared to what others have done (because, you know, what single woman doesn’t do that at least a little bit?).

But rather than deciding what bridesmaids dresses I wanted or what kind of cake I wanted, I actually found myself wanting to ditch the more popular wedding traditions altogether.

Here are five wedding traditions any bride- and groom-to-be should totally ditch.

1. Signing up for a wedding registry

In a modern world where most folks go to college at the age of 18 rather than straight to married life, do we really need wedding registries? Honestly, I already have enough dishes, towels, sheets, wall decorations, picture frames, and kitchen supplies from living on my own the last seven years of my life.

Why would I want new stuff when what I already have is perfectly fine? If you want to give me money, then go for it. I can certainly benefit from some extra cash, but I don’t really need some extra fancy bedding.

2. Buying a gown

One of the things I found interesting while living and teaching abroad in South Korea was that none of the women there bought a wedding gown. Instead, everybody rented. At first, I found this to be a little strange. I mean, how could a rental really fit properly and why wouldn’t you want to own it?

But the longer I thought about it, the more it made sense. Why buy a $3,000 dress that you’re only going to wear for one day and then spend all this money later to preserve it so it can sit in your closet? It just doesn’t make any sense.

3. Spending thousands on diamond engagement rings

Though I certainly enjoy having some pieces of gorgeous jewelry, whenever it comes to engagement rings I can’t help but find myself thinking, “God that’s a lot of money to spend on just a ring.” Personally, I’d rather have a nicer place to live, a more fuel-efficient car, or a vacation to Europe or the Caribbean.

4. Making sure the groom doesn’t see the bride before the wedding

I don’t know how many weddings I’ve gone to where I had to deal with this super-long wait between the wedding ceremony and the reception because the bride and groom didn’t want to see each other to take pictures before the wedding. Has there been any correlation between couples who didn’t follow this tradition and a greater chance of divorce?

I highly doubt it, so I’d rather make things more convenient for my guests than to be concerned about my future husband seeing me in the white dress before the ceremony.

5. Taking the groom’s last name

This seems like a silly thing for me not to do considering that I clearly have a complex last name that nobody is ever able to pronounce correctly, and I have to spell it out all the time. Because of this, I actually spent most of my childhood anxiously anticipating the day that I could have a different last name so I wouldn’t have the added stress that comes with it.

Yet, I can’t help but ask myself, “Why bother?” It’s taken me nearly 20 years to master writing my own signature with its grand total of 18 letters. On top of that, I have everything that’s mine under my current name. Why on earth would I want to go through the hassle of changing everything? I’d rather opt-in for keeping it simple for myself.

Jennifer Twardowski is a self and relationship coach and teacher. She helps women create fulfilling relationships and lives by reconnecting with their true heart’s desires. She has founded her business on the belief that true healing and peace can come through complete empathetic understanding in both our relationships with others and our relationships with ourselves. Jennifer Twardowski is the founder of www.jennifertwardowski.com. Here she helps women improve their relationships with both themselves and others, both personally and professionally, so that they can create lives filled with joy, love, and support. Jennifer has been featured in Cosmopolitan magazine, TinyBuddha, Elephant Journal, and Purpose Fairy.

This originally appeared on YourTango. Republished here with permission.

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