The question I have today is about tradition. Tradition says that I should not see Laura on our wedding day until she walks down the aisle. Well, on our wedding day we will be throwing out that tradition. Laura and I plan on having the majority of our pictures taken before the ceremony. Wynn has so many beautiful locations to have your picture taken in front off that we want to get this done before the ceremony. Once the ceremony is over we do not want to take off for an hour to get our pictures taken. People I have spoken to in the past have mixed feelings about this. Some couples have told us that this is the best way to do it because for one, Laura’s hair and make up will be perfect for all of the pictures. Others say you can't break tradition. So I turn to Christine (catering manager) and Jacquie (director of wedding salons) at Wynn Las Vegas for more advice on this question.
Christine’s response:
A little history about the wedding day “hide the bride” issue…A long time ago in a land far away (Europe), the bride and the groom didn’t see one another until the absolute last minute because sometimes clans/rivalries didn’t agree with the pairing that had been made. The bride was kept hidden until just before the ceremony started to prevent her from being kidnaped or even worse, bumped off. Today in Germany it is still traditional for the best man to kidnap the bride before the ceremony. The groom has to pay a “ransom” for her return. Normally this means some sort of silly prize like a boot of beer. Over time, the banning the bride from the grooms eyes became very Victorian. To see your betrothed before the wedding was not proper and according to social graces. Now, the world has become such a diverse place with so much blending of old world/new world, east and west. I say do what makes you happy. You only have this one day to call the first day of the rest of your life together. Plan a few quiet moments to hug each other, profess your love and best wishes then get in there and get the job done!
Very interesting. I am very concerned that if my best man, Gil, decides to kidnap Laura he will charge a very, very high ransom (see picture below).
Jacquie’s response:
We kind of feel that based on the bride and groom, sometimes “the traditions” need tweaking.
With many destination weddings, Brides and Grooms may find themselves making adjustments to the schedule to allow more time with their guests who have traveled quite far to be with them on this very special day. And that is ok! You can still create a very intimate and special moment for the first time you see each other – even though it may not be at the time of Laura’s processional. We have had guests designate 30 minutes prior to the photography time as their “moment”. They meet in a very private and intimate location – like The Wedding Salons Courtyard. We have had music playing softly and the guests will even sometimes like to capture that moment on film by having their photographer present. In a way, this is even more personal because you can really enjoy each other during this time – rather than have the wedding jitters on your mind.
Jamie Johnson, Assistant Manager of Weddings and her husband Marty actually did something similar. They met privately prior to the photography session, exchanged a wedding day gift to each other and really appreciated a romantic moment before the excitement and fun of the day got started. They both said that it was one of the highlights of their day!
Excellent advice and I think Laura and I will stick to doing the photography before the wedding. And if it involves exchanging presents Laura is definitely onboard.
