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Non-Traditional Wedding Alternatives For Austin Weddings

August 14, 2024

bride leaning over grooms shoulder

Photo By: Stephanie Rogers Photography

Choosing Non-Traditional wedding alternatives for Austin weddings is a personal choice. Over time there have been expectations on how wedding days should pan out. But you and your partner want to shake things up and do something different! There’s no judgment for those who want to follow the traditions of weddings. But if you’re a non-traditional couple, this post is for you.

Keep in mind, your wedding day should be a complete representation of you as a couple. So ditch the expectations, and be the real you. It can be easy to be swayed by all the opinions around you between family and friends. By honing in on the details that make you both happy is going to have a lasting effect on how you remember and cherish your wedding day. So let’s dig in.


Non-Traditional Wedding Alternatives For Austin Weddings

Photo By: Stephanie Rogers Photography

Get Ready Together

Often couples are hidden from each other before the first look or ceremony. Why be crammed in different spaces with no way of communicating together? Create a special time to help each other get ready for the day. This also means you get to see each other longer! This moment can lead to beautiful intimate photos that you won’t want to miss.

Hire a Drag Queen

Drag Queens are the ultimate hype person. They are incredible at bringing the whole room together in a single cover song and with moves that will make you gasp. You can hire a drag queen to surprise your guests after dinner to kick off the party, believe us, it will be all they will rave about! Extragrams ATX is an incredible group of Queens you’ll want to have at your wedding!

 

gay couple with wedding party and drag queen laughing together

Photo By: Stephanie Rogers Photography

 

Gender Neutral Wedding Party Attire

We love for couples to include their besties or siblings in their wedding party to be by their side. In order to support and celebrate your wedding party regardless of gender or sexual orientation, you can choose a gender-neutral wedding party style. You can also consider having them choose their own style for the day within a color scheme to keep your photos looking fresh and unique!

Skip The Full Day Wedding and Elope

It’s completely okay if you don’t want the whole wedding planning experience and full-day wedding. If you and your partner prefer to keep things simple and intimate, head to the courthouse! You can still create an experience together that feels right to you. Some couples also prefer to elope now and party later. Throwing a reception in the future can be a happy medium between a full-day wedding in Austin or an elopement.

 

couple standing in front of Travis County Courthouse

Photo By: Stephanie Rogers Photography

Celebrate For An Entire Weekend 

Wedding days are most likely the first time you have all your friends and family in one space together. That’s what makes it unique and amazing to begin with. But what if you expand on the adventure of your wedding day and celebrate for an entire weekend?

Your Austin wedding is already in a popular destination spot. You can grab brunch at Paperboy, dip in the pool at Barton Springs, and in the afternoon hit up one of the many breweries in town. Creating a weekend experience will allow the celebration to soak up even more without trying to cram it in one day.

Ditch the Cake and Hire an Ice Cream Truck

Cake is amazing, we all know this and we all love it. But imagine having an ice cream truck from Amy’s stopping by with a lot of flavors and toppings for your guests to choose from. This will be a sure treat that gives your guests a fun activity during your wedding. Be sure to check in with your catering team for gluten and dairy-free options for everyone to enjoy.

 

wedding couple cheers with ice cream in front of Amys ice cream truck

Photo By: Stephanie Rogers Photography

Rethink the Children’s Roles

The flower girl and ring bearer are super cute, don’t get us wrong. But imagine this, your best friend of 20 years struts down with your dog to bring the rings or Grandma throws flowers as she comes down the aisle! You can think outside the box and have close loved ones celebrate in these roles. Just have fun with it!

Don’t Have A Wedding Party

Don’t let us lose you with this. The people you would consider as your wedding party are YOUR people. By not having a wedding party, it doesn’t mean you still can’t have bachelor or bachelorette parties. It doesn’t mean they can’t be by your side helping you get ready. By ditching the wedding party you have more time to spend with all of your friends and family. You won’t have to worry about the timing of the day or wrangling people for all sorts of photos. You can still get photos with your close friends AND have more time to be present in your day with your partner.

Wear Whatever You Want

You may be looking around for wedding attire for your day and not finding something that feels like you. You don’t have to wear a white dress or a black suit. If you feel amazing and confident in a floral gown or a colorful suit, go for it! You’ve planned a wedding day together that represents you as a couple, you should feel like you!

 

groom kissing brides forehead with fall trees surrounding them

Skip the Portraits – Schedule These Later

Sometimes the wedding day can feel like a production or lengthy photoshoot. Although you can set limited time aside for portraits, we recommend ditching these all together. What’s better than to have candid photos of all of your family and friends hanging out being present in the moment? If you are looking for ways to stay grounded in the flow of the day, this is something to consider.

You can hire your photographer for a ‘wedding after’ session where you both get dressed up again and head to a different location. This is a great way to get even more photos of you together. Plus, you might as well make as much use of your wedding attire as possible, right?

Get A Flower Bar As Wedding Favors

There are a lot of wedding favors out there that are wonderful, but there are so many options to choose from. Not a bad problem to have! What if you had your guests interact together by choosing their own wedding favor? Vendors such as Gypsy Floral or The Flower Peddler offer a flower bar where your guests can create their own bouquet to take home!

 

floral bar cart Austin wedding couple with floral bar cart at wedding

Photo By: Stephanie Rogers Photography

Summary

This list of non-traditional wedding alternatives for your Austin wedding is designed to help you think creatively about your day. There will always be many things to consider for your wedding so use this as a resource while you are planning. Don’t shy away from things you feel excited about because it’s not ‘traditional’. If it makes your heart skip a beat thinking about it, go for it! Just relax and fun with it!

 


Interested in learning How To Choose The Right Austin Wedding Photographer? CLICK HERE to read the article!

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