In the last decade, couples have begun choosing less traditional wedding customs and instead embracing what is meaningful to them, making their wedding personalized and one of a kind. We have facilitated many traditional weddings, non-traditional weddings, and a collaboration of both within our Upstate New York country venue. If you are looking for unique ideas to include at your wedding reception, we will review our favorite non-traditional suggestions that are easy to implement and will be sure to impress your guests. 

In case you are new here, the Preston Barn is an all-inclusive historic wedding venue on the property of The Old Drovers Inn, in Dover Plains New York, that dates back to 1750. You and your guests will receive a full weekend wedding experience with modern amenities, historic housing, exquisite high-quality food, and a beautiful rustic barn that will exceed your expectations. Our upscale country wedding venue is the perfect place for couples to combine traditional and non-traditional styles. To learn more about our venue click here, or book a private tour of our wedding venue today! 

Established Wedding Traditions 

For centuries, couples have been incorporating traditional wedding rituals on their special day to symbolize good fortune and fertility. Most of these wedding traditions have been very popular in the past but present-day brides and grooms are starting to choose some personalized and eco-friendly alternatives. 

The Wedding Bouquet & Garter Toss

The modern tradition of tossing the wedding bouquet to all the single ladies started in England in the 1800s. The actual bouquet dates even further back in history to ancient Greek and Roman times. The garter toss began sometime during the Middle Ages and even though these traditions are still very popular, couples have been opting for something a little different. If you are looking to add a little country charm to your special day, consider incorporating these novel non-traditional ideas.

Flower Bouquets 

1. Hoop Bouquets 

Hoop bouquets are perfect for a fashionable country barn wedding. The hoops are generally made of gold-colored metal but if you want to add that extra rustic element, consider hoops with a wooden base. Beautiful flowers and greenery are generally added to the hoops either at the bottom of the hoop or around the sides to complete the look. You will love how elegant your bridesmaids appear with the hoops draped over their arms as they walk down the aisle and later pose for photos. 

2. Wooden Flower Bouquets 

Handmade wooden flowers are popular items at local craft shows and a creative substitute for the traditional wedding bouquet. Wooden bouquets are absolutely stunning and blend beautifully inside The Preston Barn’s rustic wedding venue. The flowers are soft with delicately handmade petals that allow you to fully customize your bouquet by choosing the flowers, the shape of the bouquet, and also the colors you would like to include. This option allows you to keep your wedding bouquet for years to come after saying, “I do!” 

3. Pine Cone and Evergreen Bouquet 

Nothing says a country wedding like a pine cone and an evergreen bouquet. This earthy rustic bouquet can easily be handmade or ordered from a florist. This bouquet is perfect for the late fall and winter weddings when many flowers are not in season. The top of the bouquet can be frosted white to enhance a snow-themed wedding. 

Alternatives To Tossing The Bouquet 

1. Key To The Flower Bouquet 

For a fun wedding activity, consider placing your bouquet in a locked decorative box or bird cage and giving random keys to your single friends and family. Whoever has the key that unlocks the box, gets to keep the flower bouquet as a prize.

2. Lavender Bouquet Toss 

Place small bunches of lavender tied with ribbons into a handheld woven basket and toss the arrangements to your participating guests. This allows for more than one person to catch the bouquet and share the excitement. 

3. The Wedding Anniversary Dance 

Request your DJ to play this wedding game at your reception and invite all the married couples to gather on the dance floor. The longest-married twosome receives the wedding bouquet to take home to honor their commitment to each other. 

Garter Toss Alternatives 

1. Boutonniere Toss 

Instead of retrieving and throwing the garter to your single guests, consider tossing your boutonniere. As newlyweds, you can throw the bouquet and boutonniere together to the gathered participants. 

2. Sports-themed Toss 

For all sports fans out there, this one's for you. Get a custom-made football with your wedding date and a catchy phrase printed on it such as, “Great catch, you're next.” Ask your DJ to play your favorite NFL theme song to get your wedding crowd excited to catch the football. 

3. Candy Toss 

Who doesn’t love a fun candy scramble? You and your spouse can toss your favorite candies, and chocolates to your family and friends to get everyone involved. If you want to personalize the experience, consider supplying custom-made wedding favor candy bags for participants to take home. 

The Traditional Wedding Cake 

The tradition of a wedding cake originated in the ancient Greek and Roman era. Originally, it was not a tiered wedding cake but instead, it was a wheat or barley cake and would be broken over the bride and groom's head. The layered wedding cake was introduced in the Mid-17th Century in England. Saving the very top of the cake became a tradition for many newlyweds over the years. In the 1800-1900’s, the top tier was to be used to celebrate the couple's firstborn's christening. Today, if the contemporary duo decides to keep the top of their wedding cake, they use it to celebrate their first anniversary. If you want some other options instead of a traditional wedding cake, here are some popular ideas. 

Non-Traditional Wedding Cakes 

1. Cupcake Tower 

Display rustic-themed cupcakes on a 3 or 4-tiered wooden cupcake stand for your friends and family to choose from a variety of flavors or gluten-free options. Choosing different flavor cupcakes for your guests to enjoy will surely make everyone happy. To continue the tradition of cutting the cake together you can have your favorite flavor made into a special cake placed at the top of the tower. This cake will be for just the both of you to enjoy together. 

2. Donut tower 

If you are having a fall wedding, displaying an apple cider donut tower will be sure to leave a lasting impression. You can have a hot apple cider bar with cinnamon stir sticks next to the donut tower to create an incredible fall aroma in your country barn venue. 

3. Pie bar 

Not everyone is a big fan of cake and those looking for something more contemporary are choosing to go with a pie bar. You can choose your favorite pies or seasonal pies to complement the season of your wedding. For a spring wedding, a lemon meringue pie is light and citrusy for a perfect combination on a warm spring day. During the summer months, consider key lime, blueberry, or strawberry pie and in the fall and winter months, classic apple and pumpkin pies are sure to be crowd-pleasers. 

Some other random fun twists on tradition:

• Instead of introducing your wedding party individually, try sending them all in at once as “The Wedding Party” or the “Wedding Squad”. It saves time, gets the crowd hyped, and makes any shy and awkward friends feel more comfortable.

• It is traditional to wait until the ceremony to see each other, but these days, most prefer the First Look! (We have a blog all about that!)

• Not a fan of the cake-cutting ceremony tradition? Go ahead and ditch it, or consider a private cake-cutting. You still get the photos and the moment, but the party will keep on going!
  

Here at The Preston Barn, we have an on-site wedding coordinator who will assist you with choosing between traditional and non-traditional wedding options to help make your wedding day unforgettable and unique to you! No matter what you decide, our venue will provide you with the perfect backdrop for your Upscale New York country wedding. Step back in time with modern amenities with a twist on traditional customs to make your wedding day one of a kind. Book a private tour to see our beautiful facility and you will be one step closer to making your wedding dreams come true!