by Heather Tomasello, Staff Writer

"Dear Susan…"

The bride's eyes welled with tears as she read aloud her husband-to-be's precious promises to her. She and her fiance John had wanted to write their own pledges in addition to sharing the traditional vows. However, they didn't want to worry about memorizing words or holding notes. Their solution?

"We wrote our vows as letters to one another and exchanged them during the ceremony, when we read them aloud for the first time." Susan explained. "It was so special, so natural, everyone in the church was crying. We were amazed at how similar our letters were, though we hadn't discussed beforehand what we were going to say."

Susan and John are just one example of the growing number of engaged couples altering tried and true wedding traditions to suit their individual needs.

Bridesmaids and groomsmen are generally friends or family members who have been instrumental in the lives of the bride and groom. They help in wedding preparations and may even have special roles in the ceremony, such as seating guests, holding flowers and rings, helping the bride with her train, etc. However, oftentimes attendants are unknown to those attending the wedding, nothing more than a name in the wedding program.

One couple decided to honor the members of their bridal party in a special way and allow those present at the wedding to get to know them better. They included in their program a description of each bridesmaid and groomsman, as well as of the flower girl and ring bearer. They did not simply write, "Friend of the Bride," or "Brother of the Groom." The couple explained who their attendants were, the role they'd played in the their lives, and the things that they admired or appreciated. The couple did not tell the members of the wedding party about this commemoration until the day of the wedding. The attendants were surprised and honored to be so meaningfully described in the program.