18 Wedding Traditions That Are SO Cringe in 2027

Wedding planning comes with a LOT of opinions. Your mom wants you to do one thing, your future mother-in-law insists on another, and suddenly you're wondering why you're expected to participate in a bunch of wedding traditions you don't even like.

Well, I have some good news. It's 2027, and we're officially giving ourselves permission to ditch the wedding traditions that just don't make sense anymore.

Yes, this post is mostly self-deprecating humor as a millennial who 100% embraced a lot of these when I got married in 2019!

Of course, if you genuinely love any of these traditions, do your thing! But if you've been looking for an excuse to skip the garter toss or tell your fiancé that smashing cake in your face is absolutely NOT happening, consider this your permission slip.

Here are 19 wedding traditions and trends we’re ready to leave behind in 2027.

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Wedding Traditions That Are Out in 2027

1. The Garter Toss

Can we collectively agree to retire the garter toss already?

There's just something so painfully awkward about watching a groom reach under his bride's dress while an entire room full of relatives looks on.

And then having all the single men gather around to catch it? No thank you.

I know some couples genuinely have fun with this tradition, but I feel like it's one of those things that people do simply because they've seen it at other weddings.

If you're not excited about it, skip it. I promise your guests won't miss it.

2. Smashing Wedding Cake in Each Other's Faces

This one might actually be my biggest wedding pet peeve.

You've spent hours getting your hair and makeup done, you're wearing an expensive dress, and suddenly your new husband thinks it's hilarious to smash a handful of buttercream into your face?

Absolutely not.

Now, if BOTH people are genuinely into it, have at it. But the whole surprise cake-smashing thing, especially when one person has explicitly said they don't want it, needs to go.

A cute little cake-cutting moment is perfectly fine without turning it into a food fight.

3. Separate Bride and Groom Sides at the Ceremony

You know those signs that say, "Pick a seat, not a side"?

Okay, those might be a little millennial themselves, but I fully support the message.

We're all here to celebrate the same couple, so why are we still making guests choose between the bride's side and the groom's side?

This is especially unnecessary when one person has a much larger family or friend group than the other.

Let everyone sit wherever they're comfortable and enjoy the ceremony together.

4. Huge Bridal Parties

I say this as someone who had ELEVEN bridesmaids at her own wedding. I get it!

You have your childhood best friends, your college friends, your sisters, your cousins, and suddenly you're trying to figure out how to fit everyone into your bridal party.

But honestly, there's something so appealing about keeping things small.

Having two or three people standing beside you, or even skipping the formal wedding party altogether, can make the whole experience feel so much more relaxed.

And your friends can still be incredibly important parts of your wedding without having to buy matching dresses and spend a small fortune on all the associated events.

5. Choreographed Bridal Party Reception Entrances

Remember when every bridesmaid and groomsman had to come up with a funny dance move before entering the reception?

The DJ announces each pair, they awkwardly dance through the doors, and everyone politely cheers while waiting for the actual bride and groom.

I feel like this was EVERY wedding in the 2010s.

There's nothing wrong with making a fun entrance, but the pressure to choreograph something hilarious for every single member of the wedding party feels pretty unnecessary.

Sometimes just walking into the room is enough!

6. The Receiving Line

I completely understand the intention behind a receiving line. You want to thank everyone for coming and make sure each guest gets a moment with you.

But standing in a line after the ceremony while 150 people wait to shake your hand?

That can eat up a huge chunk of your wedding day.

I'd much rather see couples mingle with guests during cocktail hour, visit tables during dinner, or find other ways to connect with everyone throughout the celebration.

It feels more natural and a whole lot less like a formal meet-and-greet.

7. The Groom's Cake

Okay, this one is giving MAJOR millennial wedding vibes to me.

I'm talking about those elaborate groom's cakes shaped like football helmets, video game controllers, fishing boats, or whatever hobby the groom happened to be into.

They were everywhere on wedding blogs for a while!

To be fair, groom's cakes are a longstanding Southern wedding tradition, so I'm not saying they need to disappear entirely.

But the whole novelty cake shaped like your husband's favorite sports team? I feel like we can officially leave that particular era behind.

8. The Bouquet Toss

Ah yes, the moment when the DJ announces that every single woman needs to come to the dance floor so the bride can throw flowers at them.

And then everyone watches to see who supposedly gets married next.

I know it's meant to be fun, but I feel like we've moved past putting our unmarried friends on the spot like this.

Plus, some people would genuinely rather just enjoy their drinks and keep dancing.

If you love the bouquet toss, go for it. But it definitely doesn't need to be a mandatory part of the reception.

9. The Father Giving the Bride Away

This is one of those traditions that can be incredibly meaningful for some families and not feel right at all for others.

The idea that the bride has to be escorted down the aisle by her father and formally "given away" just doesn't reflect every relationship or family dynamic.

And I love that couples are becoming more comfortable making this moment their own.

Walk down the aisle with both parents, with your partner, with another loved one, or completely on your own.

There isn't one right way to make your entrance.

10. The Bride's Family Paying for Everything

Can we please retire the idea that the bride's parents are automatically responsible for paying for the entire wedding?

Weddings are expensive enough without putting that kind of expectation on one family.

Some parents genuinely want to contribute, and that's wonderful. Other couples pay for their weddings themselves, split costs between families, or find a combination that works for everyone.

The point is that nobody should feel obligated to finance a wedding simply because of which side of the family they're on.

11. Identical Bridesmaid Dresses

I actually love a coordinated bridal party, but the days of forcing every bridesmaid into the exact same dress regardless of their personal style or body type feel pretty outdated.

And I'm not just talking about letting everyone choose a different neckline in the same color.

Mismatched bridesmaid dresses, complementary colors, different prints, and even entirely different outfits can look SO good together.

You can still have a cohesive wedding aesthetic without making everyone look like they're wearing a uniform.

12. Waiting Until the Ceremony to See Each Other

I know some couples love that big emotional moment of seeing each other for the first time at the altar, and I totally get the appeal.

But the idea that it's bad luck to see your future spouse before the ceremony? We're over that.

First looks have become popular for a reason.

You get a private moment together before everything gets crazy, you can take some of your portraits early, and you might actually get to enjoy more of cocktail hour.

And if you'd rather save that first look for walking down the aisle, that's perfectly fine too.

13. The Traditional Wedding Guest Book

You know the one. A fancy book sitting on a table where everyone signs their name and maybe writes "Congratulations!"

And then it goes into a box somewhere and you probably never look at it again.

I'm so much more into guest books that actually capture something memorable from the day.

Audio guest books, Polaroid photo albums, handwritten notes, and other personalized ideas are a lot more fun to revisit years later.

If you're going to ask guests to leave you a keepsake, make it something you'll genuinely want to hold onto.

14. The Formal Cake-Cutting Ceremony

Do we really need to stop the entire reception, announce that the couple is cutting the cake, and gather everyone around to watch?

Especially when half the guests are already having the time of their lives on the dance floor?

I'm all for wedding cake. In fact, please give me a slice.

But you can serve cake without making the cutting itself a major scheduled event.

If the photo is important to you, have your photographer capture a quick private cake-cutting moment and then get right back to the party.

15. Mandatory Parent Dances

Father-daughter dances and mother-son dances can be some of the sweetest moments of a wedding.

But they can also feel uncomfortable or emotionally complicated depending on your family situation.

And even if you have a wonderful relationship with your parents, that doesn't automatically mean you want a spotlight dance in front of 200 people.

I love the idea of couples choosing the moments that actually mean something to them instead of following a predetermined reception schedule.

Maybe that's a shared family dance, a special song dedicated to someone you love, or no formal parent dances at all.

16. The Sparkler Send-Off

Okay, this is another one that just SCREAMS millennial wedding to me.

The bride and groom run through a tunnel of sparklers while their guests stand in two perfectly arranged lines, and everyone hopes the photographer gets the shot.

It's pretty in pictures, I'll give it that.

But between organizing everyone, dealing with fire safety restrictions, and making sure the timing works, it can become a whole production.

Plus, the staged fake exit where everyone goes back inside afterward? So funny when you really think about it.

I'd rather see a genuinely fun, spontaneous end to the night than another photo opportunity that requires a full set of instructions.

17. Punny Wedding Hashtags

Oh, the wedding hashtag era.

We millennials really thought we were doing something with these.

Every couple needed a clever pun involving their last name, and then the hashtag had to appear on a custom sign somewhere at the reception.

And of course, the more complicated the last name, the more ridiculous the hashtag.

I'm not saying you can't create one for fun, but the days of making your wedding hashtag a major part of your decor feel very much behind us.

Especially when most guests are just going to text you their photos anyway.

18. Mr. & Mrs. Everything

The matching Mr. & Mrs. champagne glasses. The wooden chair signs. The cake topper. The personalized hangers. The matching robes. The giant letters behind the sweetheart table.

We GET IT. You're married!

I say this with love because this was absolutely the aesthetic of so many millennial weddings.

But in 2027, I feel like wedding decor is moving toward things that feel a little more personal and a lot less like they all came from the same wedding aisle at the craft store.

You don't need to put your newlywed title on every available surface to make your wedding feel special.

The Best Wedding Trend for 2027? Doing Whatever You Want

At the end of the day, I think the biggest shift happening with weddings is that couples are finally realizing they don't have to follow a checklist of traditions just because everyone before them did.

You can have a huge bridal party and skip the bouquet toss. You can walk down the aisle with your dad and have a private first look. You can serve wedding cake without smashing it into anyone's face.

Your wedding doesn't have to look like anyone else's.

And if you're looking for more inspiration for planning a wedding that feels current and completely your own, check out my roundup of 15 Wedding Trends for 2027 That I'm Absolutely Loving.

Because the best weddings aren't the ones that follow every rule. They're the ones that actually feel like the people getting married.