Weddings are famous for their traditions, from the white gowns to bouquet toss. Phuket beach weddings are an excellent opportunity to add your own flair to the ceremony. You’ve already ditched the church in favour of the beautiful tropical surroundings of a Thai beach – why not change a few other things while you’re at it? The following are a few possible twists you can put on old wedding ways.
The Long White Gown
Let’s start with the obvious one: There’s no law saying that you must wear the traditional gown. In fact, the classic white gown is really cumbersome and unhelpful for a Phuket beach wedding. A shorter, lighter dress will prevent you overheating or tripping up while trying to walk on sand. If you want to go one step further, why not wear a bikini and a sarong? You’ll certainly be more comfortable, and who’s going to tell you that you can’t?
Bridesmaids and Groomsmen
If you’re having a Phuket beach wedding, the chances are your wedding party is going to be pretty small. After all, it’s a long way to come for the wedding and it’s not easy to organise hundreds of people, coordinating time off, flights, hotels and so on. With a small party, why not get some of your friends to pull double duty? Who says that bridesmaids have to be women and groomsmen have to be men? Don’t forget to coordinate their looks – get the bridesmen in colourful suits to match the maids!
No Peeking!
The tradition of not allowing the groom to see the dress before the wedding is an old one in the west, but one which has long been left behind in Thailand and other Asian countries. Pre-wedding photo shoots, with the bride fully dressed up, are common and fun. Don’t let an old superstition get in the way of getting the most out of your dress.
The Vows
The traditional vows are now so clichéd that we can all quote many of them from memory. However, the vows themselves are not legally binding. You’re under no obligation to use the traditional ones for your Phuket beach wedding, so why not insert some humour in there to lighten the mood or personalise them to make them more meaningful?
Diamond Ring
Did you know that the tradition of a diamond engagement ring was actually started as a marketing ploy by a diamond company? It is now intensely ingrained in our wedding traditions that we have even added other traditions around it, like the fact that it’s supposed to cost at least a month’s salary – potentially as much as three months’! However, there is no law saying that it has to be a diamond. So long as you love each other, the colour of the stone isn’t important.
