People have been getting hitched since civilization began, but how they go about it has changed drastically.
After speaking with local wedding experts, florists and brides-to-be, one comes to realize that the day of someone's wedding is much more than just a ceremony based on age-old traditions. It will come to be known as one of the most important days of the couple's lives. But, hey, no pressure, wedding planner.
Weddings used to be a fairly repetitive and simple task for the common couple, but not in the modern world. Brides and grooms want things the way they want them, no matter how outlandish or nontraditional their desires may be. This can include everything from tiki straws in their cocktails, blue orchid centerpieces and the family Chihuahua starring as the ring bearer.
In this day and age of weddings, absolutely anything goes. And this includes the season in which couples chose to marry.
Florida in particular is a place to make this argument, as coordinators are forced to take into account unique weather and temperature demands the Sunshine State bestows upon them.
Local event planner Mary Lamb of The Garden Ballroom in downtown Winter Haven has been in the business of weddings for 25 years. She said she doesn't see many outdoor-themed weddings any longer due to the state's intense humidity and heat, as well as its unpredictable showers and storms. But this doesn't stop some couples from trying their luck.
Florida is a rather whimsical place, with equally whimsical residents who enjoy the outdoors and bold colors. In other words, if the time is right, so is the season for Florida's brides and grooms.
"June used to be the biggest month for weddings, but not any more," Lamb says. "It all depends on what the bride wants."
Florist and Angelic Flowers owner Ellen Almond of Winter Haven has provided flowers for weddings for 40 years and has seen the tradition evolve into an "anything-goes" territory, where brides want tropical weddings in the dead of winter.
"There really is no more 'off season' for weddings," Almond says. "Business is pretty even throughout the year."
Obviously, as a florist she is aware that certain flowers, like calla lilies, are better suited for fall, but flowers now can be imported from anywhere in the world if the wedding budget allows it. Other flowers that tend to be in season in the fall are tiger lilies and hydrangeas.
"Roses are always in," Almond adds. Some popular fall color trends she's experienced in the past are chocolate brown and dark greens.
Tiffany Anger, a Winter Haven resident who planned a mid-October wedding in Lake Alfred, chose lavender for her wedding, a color more traditionally paired with spring.
"My decision for colors didn't have anything to do with the time of year," Anger says. "I chose lavender and white because they are my favorite colors. Unfortunately, it is really hard to find purple flowers around the fall season."
Due to this difficulty, Anger had to pay someone to travel for a full day to four different flower shops around Central Florida to find a florist who would cater to her needs. But because of the way wedding planning has evolved, she found what she was looking for quite quickly.
Not only are the seasons beginning to become irrelevant, but so are old wedding traditions. Bands are now replaced with hip DJs and their turntables, the pot roast is replaced with cheese fondue and a chocolate fountain, and little Jimmy the ring bearer is replaced with the family dog.
As far as lighting goes, if the wedding party decides on electricity at all, they are choosing more canopy lighting and replacing chandeliers and hanging lights for beaded lighting placed inside the ceiling, according to Lamb.
"You see more candlelight versus electricity nowadays to save on costs, as well as polyester versus satin linen," Lamb says.
Of course, these changes concern how large a budget the wedding party is working with, but Lamb is seeing more and more economical choices these days. She has also seen more long rectangular tables instead of round, as well as "sweetheart tables" where the bride and groom are separated from the rest of the party so their guests can come up to them one by one and get a more individual experience with them.
Another trend Lamb has come to witness are the difference in the bride's dress color.
"You see more color contrast in the dress," she said, in the lining or inserted in a unique way. Many modern day bridal dresses are not exclusively white.
At the end of the day, whether it be in an ornate church, on a sandy beach, in a decorated reception hall or a flowery garden, two people end up married, for better or for worse.
If only it were still that simple.
