In general, whenever you think of something that has been labeled as “cliché,” you’d probably do well to avoid it. And wedding clichés, as we all know, are some of the worst. I’m sure we can all think of a few times we’ve been sitting at a wedding thinking to ourselves, “I am definitely leaving (fill in the blank) out of my wedding.) However, as much as you may despise a few of these, you might want to leave them in, and we’ll tell you why.
1.) The Conga Line. Ugh. Take it from me, I can’t stand the Conga Line. I hate the feeling of putting my hands on a stranger’s shoulders or hips and having another stranger put their hands on mine. I hate how long it lasts. I hate everything about it. But I do it every time. I don’t know why, but I get up, I join the line and like everyone else I end up on the dance floor just as the DJ fades into a song I really do like and I end up dancing for at least 40 minutes. Sure the Conga Line is lame and embarrassing, but the whole point is to get people out of their chairs and on the dance floor, and (unfortunately for me) it works.
2.) The slideshow. Yes, it’s been done a million times, but as long as you do it right you should have nothing to worry about. So many times there are just pictures of the bride and groom, and who wants to stare at a bunch of pictures of the two of you for 15 minutes? Not fun. However, since you’re surrounded by all of your friends and family, choose to include pictures that include them as well. Choose the picture of your dad helping you learn to walk, of your fiancé and his college buddies at their senior football game and of you and your sister at prom. By choosing the right pictures you’ve now included everyone at your wedding into the slideshow, and now it actually means something to everyone.
3.) The overplayed first dance song. Countless wedding sites will tell you not to play At Last by Etta James, Unforgettable by Nat King Cole or You Are So Beautiful by Joe Cocker, but who cares. If you have a special meaning to that song, dance to that song at your wedding! Not only will your song never go out of style (those songs are classics for a reason), but you’ll also be guaranteed a dance to it at many other weddings, and what’s wrong with being constantly reminded of your love for one another?
4.) Thumbprint trees. Thumbprint trees are those little things by the guestbook you often see. The guest presses their thumb into a specific color of ink and then presses it on the “tree” somewhere creating their own “leaf.” Then they sign their name next to their thumbprint. The couple usually frames it later. So why do it: because it makes a beautiful piece of art of all the people that came to your wedding. Does it really matter if it’s cliché?
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