The Ginger and I got engaged over the Christmas break when I was back in Ireland, and ever since I’ve been thinking about what our wedding should be like and what I don’t want for our wedding. As a girl who never daydreamed about my ‘big day’, so a process of elimination is the first port of call in my planning.
Copyright AuroraLaPetite
What I really really absolutely do not want for our wedding
Expensive white dress
I’ve started looking at wedding dresses already, and to be honest, the price of wedding dresses and all the accessories actually makes me feel ill. The idea of spending between €1000 to €2500 on a dress that will be worn once in my life seems like a ridiculous waste of money. Maybe I’ll go down the route of handmade, secondhand or renting if I want a traditional wedding dress, but at the moment, I’m leaning more towards a cocktail dress. Maybe it will be white, off-white or ivory; then again, it could also be any colour that takes my fancy.
Church Wedding
Just no! As an atheist getting married to a lapsed Catholic, I don’t want a ceremony in an institution which I don’t support and which also frowns upon the lifestyles and choices of many of my friends. Thankfully civil ceremonies are becoming more popular in Ireland, and the idea of a small intimate ceremony really appeals to me.
Being walked down the aisle by my father
My diehard inner feminist has always been repulsed by this tradition, a reminder of the days when women were chattel being traded off from one family to another for political or economic gains. I know it has adapted now into a symbol of love and support from your own family when you are going into your new life but my life with the Ginger has already begun and by the time we get married, we will be living together and will have been going out for several years so it seems much more respectful for the progress made in our relationship if we walk into together as an unmarried couple and leave together as a married couple.
Generic Hotel/ Function Room
While this isn’t a be-all and end-all issue, I would love to get married and celebrate somewhere unusual or unique. Mostly I just want somewhere special to us rather than a function room in a hotel.
Tasteless cake
Cake is important and tasty cake is the best part of any wedding (apart from the exchange of vows and the love of the couple for each other, if you insist). I don’t care about the icing or the decoration on it, it just need to taste good.
Inviting half the country
I want a wedding in which I know everyone there, instead of inviting people to fill out a function room or because they’re third cousins twice removed who I haven’t seen in years.
Copyright AuroraLaPetite
When the wedding planning starts properly, I’m going to keep all these ideas in mind so I don’t fall into the trap of keeping up with the Joneses or forgetting what I wanted originally. Here’s to the start of an exciting couple of years, planning a fantastic celebration of our relationship.
Aurora La Petite 
You’re totally right. While not yet engaged, I’m sure marriage is in my future and the thoughts of a traditional Irish wedding makes me feel ill. The church, the posed photographs, the rushed meal, the drunken guests lurching about… Like you, I’d much prefer something intimate and meaningful 🙂
I think we’re going to start seeing more people going for smaller weddings in the next few years, at least until this recession ends.
I really can’t wait to chat over many cups of herbal tea/coffee about all the different plans that you both have for your day.