LOVE/HATE: The Now You See Me, Now You Don’t Edition

I thought of this edition of LOVE/HATE after reading this post over at Encore Bride – she talks about and includes pictures of getting ready with her groom. Are those gasps, I’m hearing? I know some people will gasp at the notion of a bride and groom (or bride and bride or groom and groom) getting ready for the wedding in the same room. That means no big reveal of the wedding dress or whatever the marrying parties have chosen to wear and no sweet ‘first glimpse’ reaction shots at the beginning of the wedding ceremony. “It’s tradition!” some people will say. But come on… so many of today’s couple’s live together before getting hitched, or at least have intimate knowledge of one another. At this point, so much of tradition is just play acting.

The big reveal? Should be entirely optional. If a couple wants to keep what they’re wearing secret until the wedding ceremony and sleep apart and so on, fab. And if a couple wants to share a bed before the big day and dress in the same space, also fab. I LOVE the idea of a couple who’s comfortable with the idea sharing tie tying and dress zipping duties! Frankly, it sounds like a lot of fun, and maybe even less nerve-wracking than being in a room full of friends with a photographer, not knowing what your other half is up to. What do you think? Would you get dressed with your sweetie on your wedding day?

Image: Cholmondelly

5 Responses to “LOVE/HATE: The Now You See Me, Now You Don’t Edition”

  1. Toni says:

    I helped my ex get ready, and I thought it was sweet. We both got ready at my parent’s house, so all morning he saw me in my hair and makeup, but I had my best friend and mom help get me into the dress so that would at least have a bit of that “big reveal.” Also, I get fairly uncomfortable with public displays of emotion, so it was nice to have some of those moments be more private.

    You wouldn’t think it, now that we’ve split and moved on, but I still think fondly upon that day, and the quiet moments are my favorite memories. Maybe because the rest was a blur?

    To me, it’s the same as getting dressed up all fancy nowadays. I always retreat to the bathroom for putting on the dress, shoes, and the final touches, since I never get tired of seeing that look of awe at seeing me transformed.

  2. Ravna says:

    Here it’s a tradition to walk together towards the altar. It’s to show that the bride is of age and have come of her own free will to be married. There is no real tradition of not sleeping in the same bed together but it IS considered somewhat misfortunate to see each other in full wedding-gear before you get to the cermony. A normal wedding day consists of waking up, eating breakfast together and then parting ways, fixing last minute details, calling to your planner of the day to see everything is in order, getting dressed and then meeting up and lastly walking up the aisle.

  3. Val says:

    I wouldn’t do it, myself. Not because of tradition or superstition, but just because I’d want to surprise him. Well, that and I can’t be trusted to help him with his tie and everything and NOT get lipstick all over him 😉

    But I definitely agree that it should be optional. The pictures from Encore Bride are wonderful. They look SO incredibly happy.

  4. ChristianeF says:

    I’d do a “first look” thing, but I don’t think I’d want to get dressed together.

    Getting into all that stuff (the shapewear, the hose, the long-line strapless bra) is a lot of work! I want my groom to see the finished product, not the red-faced, huffy puffy, angry ’cause I ripped my stocking AGAIN parts. He has his whole life (plus the past 9 years or so) to see that.

    It’s a nice idea, but I can’t imagine it being all that romantic.

  5. Miss T says:

    Hubby and I totally got dressed together. The entire wedding (the first of two) was conducted for the benefit of his family (the second, naturally for mine), was very very far away from mine, and damned if I was going to have a pile of strangers see me nekkid. We also had about ten minutes to get dressed before the ceremony started because his mother lives in her own time of “whenever”. Though, he had also seen the dream dress long before the wedding anyway.