JOURNAL
How to incorporate unique traditions into your wedding
Weddings are full of traditions. From “something old, new, borrowed and blue,” tossing the bouquet, or being walked down the aisle. Many of these are a given, and will be incorporated into your modern wedding without a second thought. But other new traditions are popping up and our couples are thinking outside of the box and getting creative. Here are a few of the unique traditions we’ve had the privilege to witness at recent weddings.
UNITING THE GUESTS
During Alicia + Phillip’s ceremony, scarves tied together were passed across the aisle symbolizing the uniting of all the guests and the bonding of the two families. This beautiful gesture was a great way to make the guests feel included.
HANDFASTING
Lindsay + Andrew used a tradition that dates back to Celtic times. The bride and groom hold opposite hands (so their arms make a figure eight—representing eternity). Then, their hands are tied together with ribbon to symbolize a union.
SMOKE BOMBS
Shannon + Ian opted for a modern idea. Smoke bombs have become a favorite trend of Wedding Photographers. They used their wedding colors and surprised their guests with this dramatic effect.
FIRE JUMPING
Another Pagan ritual is to leap through the flames by jumping over a fire pit or bonfire. Ali + Eli were married on the Summer Solstice and wanted to incorporate a Pagan ritual into their coastal elopement. Midsummer has long been thought to be a time of magic. The purpose of jumping over the fire is to purify, also it’s believed to ward off evil spirits.
Do you have ideas for unique traditions you would like to incorporate into your upcoming nuptials? We’d love to hear all about them!
Remember it’s your wedding, feel free to get creative with it!
Ethereal Wedding at Skokomish Park
We started working with Lindsay + Andrew two years ago. They are a sweet couple from Chicago. He’s a HUGE Cubs fan and she loves all things vintage, ethereal, fox, and styled. They saw a beautiful ethereal woodsy wedding on a blog in the PNW and knew that they had to be married in the woods.
They had a vision and surprisingly, it never wavered. An ethereal wedding in the trees, nestled into the mountains, and a few steps away from stunning Lake Cushman. Every vendor trucked in and there was no cell service but everything was flawless and our vendor team couldn’t have been more incredible. We have so much love for these two! All of our best to you!
We planned their fairytale/ethereal wedding at the base of the Olympic National Peninsula in Skokomish Park on Lake Cushman. It was an amazing location. Every single item was brought in from either Chicago, Seattle or Portland… vendors included. Lights were strung and ran off of a generator, toilets brought in, every table, chair, decor item and all of the food. It was a huge team effort to bring this wedding together in the middle of nowhere…… and without cell phone service.
If you haven’t dreamt of walking over a flower-covered bridge in the woods, are you really dreaming? We’re still swooning over this ethereal day and Lindsay’s amazing blue/green skirt. She looked like a real-life fairy bride!
Lindsay, ever the detail-oriented gal, styled everything to a tee beforehand on photoshop! EVERY LITTLE DETAIL was planned out and thought of. It was a dream to work with a couple that could keep up with the check-lists!
The weather was beautiful and the guests (who hailed from Chicago) were blown away with this wedding in the middle of the woods. Many had never been to the Pacific Northwest and were completely smitten with the tall trees, mountains, and stunning views.
LIndsay + Andrew had a handfasting ceremony as part of their nuptials.
Handfasting is an ancient Celtic ritual in which the hands are tied together to symbolize the binding of two lives. While it is most often included in Wiccan or Pagan ceremonies, it has become more mainstream and pops up in both religious and secular vows and readings. ~ Brides.com
There were so many amazing details for this destination wedding in the woods.
This cake has a story: picked up in Seattle, driven to Hoodsport, WA (2 hours on a lap), and stored in a fridge in a cabin on top of a hill. Finally, two days later, it was carefully carried down the hill by Sabrina (no pressure). This cute cake made its final stop on top of this bar before being gobbled up. People have no idea what some cakes go through before their untimely demise. 😂
These two, this lighting, her dress, his suit, and this location. Need I say more? Everything was magical. Their destination woodsy wedding was perfection
I’ll always remember their wedding as later in the evening, one of their guests passed out mid-laugh and fell face-first on to the gravel. He gashed his ear and forehead open. Thankfully, we had plenty of vodka (to clean his wounds) and superglue in our planners’ kit to glue his forehead and ear back together. Remember the no cell service thing? Yea, hire a wedding planner that used to be a nurse. We made him rest for the rest remainder of the evening as guests danced the night away under the stars and cafe lights.
Vendor Team:
Venue: Lake Cushman Skokomish Park, WA
Photographer: Kristen Marie Parker
Floral: Vanessa Schmidt
Caterer: Herban Feast
Cake: Sweet Side Seattle
Beauty: Bridal Beauty Agency
Dress: English Dept. Portland
Cinema: Northwest Wedding Films
Entertainment: Puget Sound Entertainment
DJ - Alan Chitlik
Rentals: Archive Rentals, Classic Vintage Rentals, Formal Flush
Officiant: Dan Anastasia
Travel/Accomodations: Red Lion Hotel