5 Modern LGBTQ+ Wedding Traditions

Same sex marriages have been around for quite some time, and it is always fascinating to explore the many ways in which they have diversified the various wedding traditions we have grown accustomed to. LGBTQ+ couples are far from the only ones tweaking the traditional wedding “formula,” of course, but they have certainly been a source of a lot of innovation and new interesting wedding traditions. Let’s go over some of our favourite ones below.

photo by  Rock and Love Wedding – full wedding here 

1. Walking Down the Aisle Together

For heterosexual couples, the traditional approach has long-been that of the groom waiting by the alter, and the bride being led to him by her father down the aisle. For many LGBTQ+ couples, however, this either isn’t an option or isn’t their preference.

Instead, many have found interesting ways to approach this part of the ceremony. Some couples choose to just walk down the aisle together  because they don’t have defined “bride” and “groom” roles.  Other couples skip the “walking down the aisle” part altogether and simple stay by the alter together from the get-go and welcome the guests as they are coming in.

photo by  Light Sky Photography – full wedding here 

2. Don’t Bother to Separate the Two Families

It’s a tradition for heterosexual couples to separate their families into the two different halves of the space during the ceremony. A lot of LGBTQ+ couples are skipping that tradition too.
So, instead of dividing the space into two unequal halves, many LGBTQ+ weddings simply arrange the ceremony in such a way that everyone is seated together or they just let people pick their own seats. Something that is now becoming more popular with heterosexual weddings as well.

photo by Ivy Bencheck Portraits. – full wedding here

3. Get Ready Together

One of the most common traditions in heterosexual weddings is to keep the groom away from the bride while she is getting ready in fear of “bad luck” should he sees her before the ceremony. Most same-sex and other LGBTQ+ weddings completely skip that tradition, however. After all, when you have two brides or two grooms, who should you keep away from whom before the ceremony?

Instead, it’s quite common for both future spouses to get ready together. This isn’t just “a removal” of a tradition, however, but has quickly turned into a rather cool and romantic tradition in and of itself, as the two spouses spend their last single moments together, helping each other get ready for their big day!

photo by Bec Hudson Smith & Fiona Lewis Photography – full shoot here

4. Skip Guest Speeches

This is another change borne from the fact that many LGBTQ+ weddings don’t get attended by both families. Plus, many LGBTQ+ weddings are smaller and more intimate close-circle events, as such couples have met on LGBTQ+ dating app instead and don’t have that wide of a circle of friends and family to invite. So, many modern couples choose to simply forego the guest speeches part. Instead, they either just move on with the celebrations or the two spouses give speeches themselves to welcome the guests.

photo by Stephanie Kelly Photography – full wedding here

5. Create a Whole New Last Name Together

This is a question a lot of heterosexual couples often have too – does the bride really have to take the groom’s name? Lots of couples simply opt for a hyphenating of the bride’s last name instead. A lot of same sex couples do the same, but for both spouses, as each takes the other’s last name and hyphenates it into their own.
However, a new tradition has emerged too, with lots of LGBTQ+ couples simply choosing to create their own family name instead!

photo by  TMinspired Photography – full wedding here 

There are various other new and unique things both heterosexual and LGBTQ+ couples are incorporating into their wedding ceremonies and celebrations too, and it’s certainly interesting to see which ones get wide-spread enough to become new traditions in and of themselves.

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