The Modern Bride: Trendy

If you’re like most brides, some of your closest friends might be men. So why not party with them, too? 2021 bride, and former MilMag editor, Lindsey Anderson Rios kicked off her co-ed bachelorette party with dinner and a river cruise before heading to a comedy club, where one of her bridesmen was performing. “It just felt like a fun party, it felt very me,” she says.

This is becoming increasingly commonplace, especially with couples who have lived together before tying the knot. “We’re both in our 30s; we didn’t really need all the kitchen stuff,” says Anderson Rios, who decided not to have a wedding shower. Instead, she invited her mother to the bachelorette bash so that she could be included in pre-wedding festivities.

The question “to change or not to change?” is no longer just for brides. Some couples, including Anderson Rios and her husband Emanuel, are choosing to merge their last names and ditch the hyphen.

It’s time to blast “Single Ladies,” spin in circles and make the unmarried women on your guest list scramble to get their hands on your oh-so-expensive bouquet. Not a fan? Then skip it. Here’s one sweet replacement: Have a “married-only” dance. The DJ calls couples off the dance floor based on how long they’ve been wed, and the couple who have been married the longest get the bouquet as a prize.

Wondering why many wedding traditions seem so archaic? Their roots date back more than 4,000 years.

Throwing the Garter The garter toss is so traditional, it’s medieval. Guests would tear the wedding dress to steal some luck. By the Middle Ages, brides preemptively started sacrificing their stockings and garters.

Ring Finger In ancient times, people believed that a vein connected what’s now known as the ring finger to the heart. Modern anatomy says this is malarkey, but it’s a sweet thought. Bridesmaid Dresses Bridesmaids once dressed like the bride to confuse malevolent spirits that might put a curse on the soon-to-be-wed couple. (Those nefarious spirits are also the reason why brides wear veils.)

Wedding Cake Like tossing rice and breaking bread over the bride’s head (thankfully, outdated), wedding cakes trace back to the ancient belief that grains symbolize and promote fertility.

BUYING A NEW wedding dress will set you back an average of about $1,500 in the Midwest, according to The Knot. And beyond the initial price tag and the cost of alterations, the overall expense of owning your gown goes up when the party’s over, with bloated cleaning and storage fees typically adding several hundred dollars. Is there a cheaper option?

Renting has become a cost-saving solution for brides on a budget. Upfront, renting costs a fraction of buying, and on the back end, you skip the cost of professionally storing the dress in a box.

Services like Poshare. com and Lael (aislesociety. com) offer good options for renters, with friendly cancellation policies if you change your mind. But alterations are limited, if allowed at all, and fees for wear and tear could end up on your bill. Make sure to scrutinize the renter’s policy before agreeing to the terms and conditions.

Another way to go is to buy used. Check out specialty sites such as still white.com and preowned weddingdresses.com. You get the freedom of owning your dress without the sticker shock; just be sure to take note of the return policy.

And after your big day, you can resell your dress and continue the cycle.