The week I got engaged, I went out and bought a bridal magazine. Read through it. Then wanted to jump out of a window.

The main thrust of the magazine was ‘the perfect wedding.’ And for me to have the perfect wedding, at least according to the magazine, I’d have to buy a load of crap, like unity candles and something having to do with sand, plus I’d have go out and research wedding photographers, hair and make-up people, florists, videographers, bands/DJs, and on and on it went. Or plunk down a bunch of scratch to pay a wedding planner to do it for me.

And then the gown. Ay carumba. I’ve owned cars that cost less than some of the gowns they were touting.

So, after the guy I grew up with, who has a very successful DJ/photography/whatever company, told me he could get a DJ for my wedding ‘starting around $2,500’ I finally said, “Screw that, I am NOT hemorrhaging money for this.” Got a nice gown for $700. Got our rings from Etsy. They’re sterling silver with a 14k yellow gold lining. (Didn’t see the point of the lining, but that’s how they came. ) $400 for the pair. Did the flowers myself, from flowers I bought at Produce Junction and Acme. Total about $50. Did my own hair and makeup.

My sister-in-law offered to do the videography. Another friend offered to snap photos of everything. For the reception, I hired a harpist for about $200. Nobody got to dance, but at least they could hold conversations without screaming to be heard. The reception cost about $1,500. Beautiful wedding cake -about $100. No bouquet toss, no garter.

Over and over through out the years, I’ve been told by the people who attended (we had between 40 and 50 people) that ours was the best wedding they’d ever been to.

Barrie Creedon Wennberg , Joel & Justyna Report

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Mary Rose Kent

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Sounds fun—I wish I had been there!

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Pigeons are pets. They are not made to live on their own in the world. White pigeons are specially breeded for weddings and released into the wild, where they die. This tradition is animal cruelty.

Christina Rauscher , Wikimedia Commons Report

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Anna Solan

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No, I understand that they are usually homing pigeons, and they return to their coop after the release. It would be ridiculously expensive otherwise to breed and raise "disposable" pigeons for ceremonies.

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I find this appalling & disrespectful along with it being more fitting at a child's birthday party than a wedding reception. If after spending thousands of dollars on wedding attire, the wedding itself, and spending hours dressing with care only to have my mate abuse & humiliate me in front of our guests, I wouldn't have married him to begin with. It's more than just cake smeared faces, it's the total disregard of feelings & lack of respect that puts this in the top spot of something I'd never take part in. Ever.

Laurie Parks , Al Abut Report

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Nikki Sevven

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That's actually not traditional. The tradition is for the bride and groom to feed one another a bit of cake, not to smash it in one another's faces.

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Father Escort. I hate this tradition so much because of its original meaning. It stems from a time when a woman was practically “property” for all her life. The tradition basically means the father gives away his daughter (his “property”) to her husband. It’s just awful, no thanks.

Lea Sing , myllissa Report

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Jessica Nametz

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One of the best moments of my life was when my father walked me down the aisle... So to each their own, I suppose ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

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I hate white for two main reasons: First, it looks boring, second, it looks awful on me. Doesn’t suit me at all. Also, most wedding dresses look just like that: a wedding dress. You spend a ridiculously high amount of money for a dress you’re probably only gonna wear once in your life. I’d rather wear something in navy blue or a really dark purple. Looks much more interesting in my opinion, and you can also wear it in the future.

Lea Sing , 99mimimi Report

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Mary Rose Kent

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Good call!

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I basically planned my own bridal shower. That’s probably weird to some people, but it just seemed like the easiest thing to do. I just wanted something simple where I could spend the afternoon with some of my closest friends. We went bowling, drove go-karts, went through a laser maze, and checked out the arcade games and virtual reality set-up that the venue had. A few girls came over to hang out afterwards. Affordable and fun for everyone involved.

Jessica Duhon Quinn , georgia Report

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Mary Rose Kent

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Sounds fun!

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Diamond engagement ring… nope. I had a garnet in my first engagement ring and my second one was zirconia that I eventually replaced with a garnet. Diamonds (and tradition) are not my thing.

Victoria Elder , Diamond Expert Report

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Aunt Messy

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Mine is jade.

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Nah, I won't invite people whom I haven't talked to for months to my wedding. I won't invite all my relatives that I don't really know. I won't invite old friends from school, neighbours, colleagues and so on. A wedding is a very private thing for me. Actually I'd like to invite no one so my husband and I can share this special moment alone.

Christina Rauscher , Lee Haywood Report

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N G

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Can't do that in most places. You need witnesses. It's a legal requirement just about everywhere. I believe (happy to be corrected) even drive-thru Vegas weddings provide a witness as part of the package. There will ALWAYS be at least two other people besides the bride and groom involved. There is no special moment alone.

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I will not be given away by my father. I don’t want the officiant asking him who gives me to be married to my hypothetical spouse. This isn’t because I have anything against my father or my relationship with him. I just don’t like the idea that I’m his to give away as he sees fit. I want both of my parents to escort me in as a sign that they, as people who love me and raised me, support me and my marriage. I want my spouse’s parents to do the same.

Cherelle-Renée Childs , InAweofGod'sCreation Report

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Malou Hedlund

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wasnt this on nr 2 already?

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The garter. I think its tasteless and I wouldn't have been able to have had a toss either with less than 20 people in attendance.

Cole Ferguson , kaboompics Report

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Maximum Ride

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Well you could make the garter more interesting by using it to hold a gun or a knife, like in movies. Just need to change the theme of the wedding a bit...

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My answer will be short because the one prohibition for my wedding was in the vows. I ensured that the phrase “to love, honor and OBEY” were not uttered. I know me - somewhat of a traditionalist - but only when a role is CHOSEN, not assigned because of gender. I didn’t feel it necessary to promise to do something that I would never do - on principle alone!

Approaching 20 years, my husband sometimes still teases me if we have a disagreement and I’ve dug my feet in on the issue. He’ll say “hey, weren’t you supposed to love, honor and OBEY?! … oh yeah, you did say you wouldn’t “obey,” didn’t you!” (He thinks he’s being funny!)

Shelia Gulledge , Matthew Hurst Report

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Felix Feline

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My wife and I wrote our own vows.

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Speaking for Turkish Wedding Traditions:

I actually have many, but I’ll go with the one that really annoys the hell out of me:

The Red Ribbon. Before the bride leaves the parents’ home for the wedding, her close relatives put a red ribbon around her waist in order to symbolise her chastity. Since the bridegroom is the only one who gets to untie that knot, it also shows her promise to him that he will be the first one to gain access to her body.

Thankfully, this is rarely performed by the modern couples today, but I guess it is still a very common practice in rural areas.

Needless to say, I won’t wear a “maidenhood belt” to make myself look like a gift wrapped up in a box ready for my husband to open.

If, by the time of our wedding, both of us are virgins, then WE may BOTH wear purity rings or something similar to show our commitment to each other, but even this completely egalitarian and not misogynistic substitute would make me uncomfortable. Why does a huge number of people involving many strangers need to know about the intimate details of our relationship? It’s NONE of their business.

Its cultural connotations aside, I think a red ribbon looks awful on a white dress. The right wedding dress is the most elegant and classy thing you can possibly wear, I believe. Something so tacky as a red ribbon instantly ruins the elegance of the special dress you’ll get to wear only once. (Generally speaking)

Zeynep Cemre , Marco Verch Report

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Jayne Kyra

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It is disgusting how many people are obsessed with the idea of virginity.

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I despise the so-called “tradition” of the groom removing the bride’s garter and tossing it to the groomsmen, with the one who catches it expected to put it on the leg of the mortified woman who caught the bouquet.
Why?

A garter is underwear, and any removal of bridal underwear should definitely take place in private, after the wedding is over.
Given the competitive instincts of some young men, especially when free alcohol is involved, injuries are possible.
Any “tradition” that encourages a man to slide a piece of clothing up a woman’s leg in public — possibly a woman he doesn’t even know — while his friends yell “HIGHER!! HIGHER!!” should be discouraged.
It is not even a tradition, it is an unfortunate fad recently introduced in the mistaken idea that the bouquet-toss needed some masculine equivalent.
Even if it were a tradition, not all traditions are worth preserving. The closest tradition I can think of to this is the old one of displaying the bloody sheets the morning after the wedding night to prove the bride was a virgin — and for some reason that one has died out.

Jennifer Georgia , erge Report

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Mary Rose Kent

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...”for some reason”... Good one!

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Flower Girls. Won’t be there either, again, because of the original meaning behind this tradition. From what I understand, this tradition stands for fertility for the couple, and since I never ever want children, I will definitely ditch this tradition…maybe I am gonna be doing a strict ban on flowers of any kind to reduce my fertility lol.

Lea Sing , Marquette LaForest Report

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Asy EnderDragon

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oh no! i was the flower girl for my aunt (who just happened to be pregnant)

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This tradition actually involves family and friends showering the couple with disgusting things (usually wet things) and then tying bride to a tree. This is meant to show that the bride and groom are ready for anything.

I think I might stick to killing the ender dragon and the wither at the same time in Minecraft to show I’m up to anything.

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Xylle Flora

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I'd rather kill ten withers while fighting the ender dragon with mining fatigue than have that happen to me lol

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I like hanging out with my buddies but I don’t drink, I don’t like strippers, and I certainly don’t think of marriage as a trap or an end to my freedom.

I get that bachelor parties aren’t specifically tied to all that stuff, I can just go out to dinner with like six of my really close friends but I wouldn’t do that because I’m getting married, I’d do that because they’re my friends. Also the best thing to do the night before a big event that starts at like noon is probably, I would imagine, not going out and staying up super late with guys who are talking like you’re marching towards death row.

Charles Johnson , Youperspective Report

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McPanda

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Bachelor parties can still be an awesome tradition that don't involve that at all. We played basketball, board games, video games, and rented bouncy houses for my buddy. Three-day sleepover like we were in middle school again, and it was awesome

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Bridesmaids and Best Man. Not necessary either. Never understood this tradition to be honest.

Lea Sing , Tommy Huynh Report

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N G

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As long as you have someone else present to act as a witness - we had a best man and a man of honour who had to sign the register as our witnesses - just made it easier to have them already standing at the front.

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As far as the wedding day, we didn’t participate in the dollar dance, although we considered it. I’m pretty introverted myself and can’t dance as is, so we elected not to. We also chose not to smash cake in each other’s faces…to each their own, but to us just seemed like more of a mess than it was worth.

Jessica Duhon Quinn , Antonio Delgado Report

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Aliquid A

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Never heard of the dollar dance before reading this

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It’s traditional for all of the guests to stand when the bride came out. I personally have never liked that. I decided to have my officiant tell everyone to remain seated when I came out before the processional began. Some of the people at the rehearsal the night before thought I was completely insane (some to the point of being combative). They were adamant that I couldn’t go against that tradition and people were going to get confused and stand anyway. I’m a pretty laid back person, so my response was, “Well, then they stand.” Whatever. It’s not going to ruin my day! In the end, no one stood. Everyone remained seated. And my photographer got a great picture of my dad and I coming down the aisle!

Kelly Bailey , Patina Report

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Anna Solan

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Especially when there are some elderly guests who can't stand, then they don't get to see anything either.

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Cutting the cake. I would rather put multiple cakes on a huge buffet and people can just take some as they like.

Lea Sing , Nicole Sánchez Report

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PandaPanda

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Yeah, I get that

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I love to dance and I have always enjoyed weddings that have dancing, but I also have been to weddings where there was a small group of people dancing while the rest of the guests sit at their tables waiting for the appropriate amount of time to stay until they can go home. Those guests can’t talk to each other over the loud DJ, so if they’re not in the mood for dancing, then they just sit there [...] We had a lowcountry boil and the majority of tables were standing oyster tables (with a few tables for people that may have wanted to sit down). People were able to move around and talk and play lawn games instead of hitting the dance floor. It was so fun! We did have our guitarist sing and play in the background, though.

Kelly Bailey , Jon Fravel Report

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PandaPanda

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that does sound pretty cool

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One pre-wedding tradition I selected not to take part in was having a bridal shower. Prior to my wedding, I had been invited to a couple of bridal showers. They were well-meaning, but they were also just downright awkward.

So many people didn’t know each other, and of course the ages ranged from young adults, to middle-aged women, and the elderly. It also felt weird playing some of the bridal shower games with such a…diverse group.

When two of my bridesmaids brought up the subject to me, they offered to host the bridal shower and even had a theme picked out. Don’t get me wrong— I appreciated the thought, but it just wasn’t for me, and I knew it would only be added stress and anxiety that I already felt just preparing for the wedding itself.

For some of the same reasons, mentioned above, I just felt like it would be more of an uncomfortable event versus the fun event it was supposed to be. Too many people not knowing each other, and a wide variety of ages, stacked upon the fact that I knew some people on my side were very introverted and probably wouldn’t enjoy it themselves.

Jessica Duhon Quinn , C x 2 Report

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Easily Excitable Panda

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I've been to one bridal shower, never going to another. It was awful. I was a friend of the bride's, but neither her sister nor mother (the ones who threw the party) knew who I was, and treated me like dirt. I got out of there as quickly as possible, and I'm pretty sure they sighed in relief when I was gone.

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Some cultures kidnap the bride either just before the dancing or cutting the cake. This is an awful tradition because the people who do the kidnapping usually just go sit in a bar and drink with her. It’s very disrespectful to everyone. Plus, I once heard a story about a kidnapped bride and a tragic car accident. The bride was killed on her wedding day early in the reception. What selfish people. It isn’t even a clever prank. So if I ever saw someone trying to concoct this, I would blow the whistle and do everything I could to stop it.

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Bettie-Jean Neal

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I got kidnapped and we just sat in the limo and drank. It was fun. Didn't have to go anywhere.

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Jeez…Who thought drunk men attaching money with sharp, pointed objects to a costly, delicate dress was a good idea? And that's the good part. I first heard of this & saw it in 1991. I couldn't even comprehend the explanation I was given, and then I saw it. Truly, it's one of the tackiest things I've ever seen. The bride covered in paper money while male relatives cajole & ridicule guests into pinning larger bills to the bride's dress. If guests want to give money as a wedding gift they will. They don't need to be coerced into buying time with the bride. Well, maybe some brides, but I mean really…what's next? $100 bills in the bride’s garter? I just…can't.

Laurie Parks , Wikimedia Commons Report

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Mary Rose Kent

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Good call—it’s so tacky!

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Neither my husband nor I are fans of the tradition of pounding on the tables or glassware for the bride and groom to kiss during dinner. We were both hungry, wanted to enjoy our dinner, were grossed out at the thought of kissing someone with a mouth full of food, and also are not big into public displays of affection. After the prayer and toasts at the reception before dinner, we announced that we would kiss once (and we did) and then asked our guests to refrain from doing this. A few non-compliant individuals still tried it, but we basically ignored them and they got the message that we truly weren’t going to do it.

Teri Barrons , Kayla Sawyer Report

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Sara Diogo

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Even as a guest I hate that tradition. This is the XXI century, hasn't everybody seen the couple kiss before?

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I refused to wear white. Not because I wasn’t a virgin, though that was certainly true… but really, not everyone looks good in white and I’ve seen way more white wedding gowns that looked like cheap dress-up clothes I would buy for my daughter when she was a toddler than ones that looked luxurious and beautiful. I also refused to buy something I would only wear once that cost more than I spent for the rest of the wedding and reception combined. I wore a red dress to the first one and a red skirt with a black, white, and red sweater to the second.

Victoria Elder , Wikimedia Commons Report

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Nikki Sevven

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Honestly, I think that an off-white gown looks much more luxurious and beautiful than a stark white one. But I also love that modern brides are going with gorgeous, saturated colors and unique designs.

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Bouquet toss, the bouquet was dried flowers, fragile and handmade from etsy. I also believe that I paid $155 for it.

Cole Ferguson , hippo px Report

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Aunt Messy

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Mine was freesias and orchids, and I was NOT just going to toss that. I gave it to my godmother, where it lasted about ten days as a centerpiece on her dining room table.

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To be honest, I couldn’t care less about it. For my wedding, people can come as they like, as long as they’re wearing something, it is fine with me.

Lea Sing , sylvar Report

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Sarah Grape

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I'm so close to having water guns/silly string/ doge ball at my reception so no one dresses up. because then I don't have to wear a dress while partaking in these activities

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I don’t want to wear a white dress. While, as stated in a previous answer, it didn’t originate as a symbol of purity, it has long been associated with that, and I find the focus on a woman’s so-called purity to be weird and disturbing. Wearing a dress in a different color is a way of saying that my sexual history is nobody’s business but my own and the point is that I’m making a life commitment to someone I love, not whether or not I had sex with anyone else before.

Cherelle-Renée Childs , Wikimedia Commons Report

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Arctic Fox Lover

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She must really, really hate white dresses--so far, the white dress thing was mentioned 3 times.

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You know these typical wedding cakes. When looking at the photo above, the only thing that goes through my mind is B O R I N G. Also, it looks so…creamy? I feel like I am gonna vomit just by looking at it.

I’d rather do something special and unusual.

Lea Sing , jeremywongweddings Report

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Mary Rose Kent

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Boring, yes; vomitous, no

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