10 Ridiculous Wedding Myths Exposed

Would you ever ask dinner party guests to arrive at your house with a bottle of wine equal to the value of the meal you'll be serving? We think not. As the host of this all-important event you should be happy with your guests' presence and thankful for whatever gifts they choose to give. While $100 per person tends to be the norm, you need to accept that some of your guests may not be able to afford this and may have already spent a considerable amount of money just to attend your wedding.

As seen in this real wedding.

Who really needs another toaster? Back in the day when couples didn't live together before they were married, they needed a lot of household items to get started in their new homes. Nowadays, with such a variety of living situations, you shouldn't feel the pressure to register for housewares if you don't need them. Why not ask guests to contribute to a honeymoon fund instead?

While including your parents' names on your wedding stationery might be a nice gesture, it's absolutely not mandatory. These days, most couples opt for the phrase "together with their parents" instead.

While it may be a slight inconvenience if you're hosting an outdoor ceremony, there's nothing unlucky about a rainy wedding day. In fact, overcast skies are actually ideal when it comes to capturing dramatic wedding photos. On top of that, rain represents unity, renewal, fertility and cleansing -- what more could you ask for on your big day?

While some couples still opt to separate their families while they recite their vows, this a tradition that's slowing fading into obscurity. More often couples will allow guests to choose their own seats, essentially implying that the group gathered for the wedding ceremony is already one big family.

As seen in this real wedding.

Back when arranged marriages were commonplace, the groom was kept in the dark about the appearance of his bride until the very last possible minute, so that he couldn't back out of his business transaction. On a more romantic note, modern day couples keep with this tradition simply because the suspense of seeing each other all dressed up is exciting.

"Almost all our couples believe that the groom shouldn't see the bride's dress before the wedding day," says Fidan Ismayilova from Designed Dream Wedding Planning. "We do a lot of cultural and multicultural weddings, but I would say regardless of the culture all brides believe in this myth."

To spite the popularity of this tradition, we believe a private first-look photo session before the ceremony can be equally (if not more romantic) than waiting to have that moment at the altar in public.

As seen in this real wedding.

Ask yourself: Do you really want to spend your first anniversary eating year-old cake? "Nowadays, wedding cakes are getting replaced with pies, cupcakes, croquembouche, or any other dessert you can think of, so, often saving the top layer isn’t even an option," says Barb Reynolds from French Kiss Events.

"Depending on your food selection, the price often works out to the same or less than a buffet," explains Barb Raymond from French Kiss Events. "The caterers don’t have to prepare as much extra food, and are able to work with you to create a menu that will fit your budget."

As seen in this real wedding.

“Marry in the month of May, and you’ll surely rue the day,” said the ancient Romans. The month of May for them was a sombre time of mourning for their dead, so they didn't see it fit as a time for marriage.

This May bride, who was visited by a four-day-old fawn on her big day, would definitely dispute this May wedding myth. In fact, these days May is among the more popular months to marry.

As seen in this real wedding.

Ever since Queen Victoria and Prince Albert married in 1840, white has been the front-running wedding dress colour. Prior to this, women would just wear the nicest dress they had.

Some say white wedding gowns represent purity and innocence. It's also thought to be bad luck if anyone but the bride wears white, but we've seen some stunning white bridesmaids dresses lately that prove this tradition is best left in the past.