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What Is a Bespoke Wedding?

Tara Barnett
Tara Barnett

A bespoke wedding is a wedding that is tailored to the precise needs of the clients, in this case typically the bride and groom. Most weddings are personalized events, but a bespoke wedding is usually covered by a planner and entails many custom elements. The term bespoke is usually used to talk about specific aspects of the wedding, such as the clothing, cake, or decorations. In a full wedding that has been made to order, some or all of these aspects may be customized, but sometimes the combination of desired features is the only custom element.

It is difficult to identify what elements of wedding planning qualify a wedding as bespoke. Often, a bespoke wedding is simply a term used by wedding planners to make one style of planning seem different from others and therefore more desirable. A wedding that is planned by the bride and groom or other informal wedding planners is also sometimes thought of as a bespoke wedding, but this is more frequently termed a DIY wedding.

A bespoke wedding can feature a custom ceremony.
A bespoke wedding can feature a custom ceremony.

One element of many bespoke weddings is attention to detail and the desires of the clients. When a wedding is made specifically for a couple, it often closely reflects their values and interests. This means that the ceremony can be arranged in a unique way and that anything the couple does not like can be avoided. For example, if the couple does not like cake, a different central dessert can be part of the wedding or left out altogether. People often try to make a wedding perfect by obsessing over every detail, and knowing that all the pieces of the wedding will be made according to their wishes is usually comforting.

A wedding planned by the bride and groom could be considered a bespoke wedding.
A wedding planned by the bride and groom could be considered a bespoke wedding.

Custom weddings arranged by planners not only cover the meals, music, and decorations at the event, but also the suppliers for all these elements as well. This can be beneficial because the couple does not have to search for these items, which can be difficult to find when planning a DIY wedding. Ideally, a bespoke wedding should be less stressful and more satisfying than a traditional wedding.

Custom weddings may include specially designed clothing.
Custom weddings may include specially designed clothing.

There are many different reasons a person might need a bespoke wedding. Sometimes, cross-cultural weddings are difficult to plan and may need a planner who is capable of coming up with an entire wedding plan from scratch based on the needs of the bride and groom and their families. In other cases, the clients are very specific about their needs but do not have the time or inclination to create a DIY wedding. It is often more expensive to hire a person to plan a bespoke wedding than it is to work with more conventional planners, so many couples simply choose the best planner they can work with.

Discussion Comments

Fa5t3r

@MrsPramm - Everyone is going to have different needs depending on what they want their wedding to be. I think most people thinking of a bespoke wedding are thinking of one held by fairly wealthy people who want everything to be completely personalized and fit a particular theme.

But in theory it could also be a wedding where everything is secondhand or locally sourced. Bespoke wedding dresses are more likely to be a gorgeous vintage dress than a newly designed one, because very few people could afford to have a dress designed just for them.

MrsPramm

@bythewell - Some people might not be able to afford a planner and just want a relatively simple ceremony. I discovered the other day that you can, for example, get a packaged wedding at Disneyland, which would be pretty amazing. And it was much cheaper than I thought it would be, considering that the average price of weddings tends to be in the tens of thousands of dollars.

If you go with a package deal you can get some things much cheaper than if you need them to be specially made. And it's not necessary to be completely unique on every detail.

It might not be as intimate as having a handmade wedding, but it would be much less time consuming and arguably cheaper.

bythewell

I'm not sure why anyone would want anything other than a bespoke wedding. It's supposed to be one of the most important days of your life, so using generic options seems like a terrible idea. You want it to be unique and special for the bride and groom and for the guests.

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    • A bespoke wedding can feature a custom ceremony.
      By: photographmd
      A bespoke wedding can feature a custom ceremony.
    • A wedding planned by the bride and groom could be considered a bespoke wedding.
      By: micromonkey
      A wedding planned by the bride and groom could be considered a bespoke wedding.
    • Custom weddings may include specially designed clothing.
      By: gaura_69
      Custom weddings may include specially designed clothing.
    • Custom weddings arranged by planners cover the meals, music, and decorations at the wedding reception.
      By: rodho
      Custom weddings arranged by planners cover the meals, music, and decorations at the wedding reception.
    • Cross-cultural isses are among those handled in the planning of a bespoke wedding.
      By: Kzenon
      Cross-cultural isses are among those handled in the planning of a bespoke wedding.