‘It’s a red flag’: Controversial wedding trend on the rise
A controversial bridal trend is on the rise – and some think it’s “funny” while others have branded the brides as “narcissistic”.
Lifestyle
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We all know that when it comes to weddings, the bride typically carries the brunt of the planning.
But now a bride has been labelled “narcissistic” and “tacky” for publicising this fact for all her guests to see on their welcome sign.
A welcome sign typically greets guests to the couple’s wedding, but this particular bride welcomed guests to her wedding.
On r/WeddingShaming Reddit – a forum where upcoming brides like myself go to read stories about bridezillas and reassure ourselves that we’re nothing like them … someone posted a photo of the controversial sign.
It read, “Welcome to Lauren’s Wedding,” and in a smaller font below, “featuring” the groom.
While the groom was clearly in on the joke (or so I hope), commenters weren’t convinced it was all that funny.
“Comes off very self-centred, narcissistic, bridezilla, etc.,” said one.
Another called it a “red flag” while someone else claimed their marriage would be rocky.
However, a few saw the lighthearted side and told others to “chill out”.
Despite the mixed opinions, it’s clear this couple isn’t the first to have a laugh like this.
One Sydneysider told news.com.au she recently attended a wedding at Athol Hall in the upscale suburb of Mosman, where she spotted a sign at the bar that read ‘Welcome to Aleica’s wedding, featuring Ethan’.
“I laughed so hard,” Alana Werleman recalled. “It was so fitting for this couple”.
“The bride organised the entire wedding, and he basically just showed up. The only thing he had input on was what he wore, but her rule was that it had to fit the aesthetic of the wedding, which it did.”
And in a surprising twist, another woman, Jodi Carley, said she went to a wedding where it was the groom’s name featuring the bride!
“It was leaning into a joke about how the groom had been more particular about wedding choices (more of a bridezilla) than the bride,” she laughed.
It’s clear this sentiment is becoming more and more common, with countless videos on TikTok showcasing similarly worded signs.
A wedding content creator, @outside.the.altar, shared a sign on TikTok that welcomed guests to ‘Bianca’s wedding, featuring Daniel,’ and told me she “loves couples having more fun with their wedding planning”.
Alexandra Loaney, a Civil Marriage Celebrant of over three years confirmed the trend is on the rise.
“I’ve seen it at a few weddings,” she said. “I can see the funny side of it but to be honest, I think it’s a little bit sad to single out the groom.
“Also, a wedding sign is the first thing people see when they enter a wedding – do you really want that to be people’s first impression of the day?”
As someone getting married soon herself, she admits while she did do most of the planning, she still made sure to involve her fiance in the elements that interested him and get him excited about the day.
“It should be about both of you,” she noted. “For example, maybe they won’t have much of an opinion about the florals or styling, but they’ll care about helping out with the food!”
Wedding planner and newlywed Katy Anne from @katyanneplans said that she would personally save something like this for the bachelorette party or forgo it entirely.
She also made sure the planning process for her wedding was a joint effort.
“It was organised and curated with my future husband’s input, so it would feel disrespectful to leave him out of the sign,” she said.
“As a planner, I encourage clients to consider what they want their guests to remember from their day!” she said. “If the client isn’t concerned about how the guests respond, and this is important decor for them to have, then let’s go for it.
“If it’s important to them, it’s important to me.”
While she acknowledges that ultimately, signage is “not that deep,” she believes that a move like this conveys “my husband/partner didn’t care about the details or having a wedding, and this is all about me”.
“It’s not necessarily the precedent I would want to set at the start of a marriage, which is supposed to be about two people who love and respect one another!”
Originally published as ‘It’s a red flag’: Controversial wedding trend on the rise
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