Traditional weddings - do they exist? As same-sex weddings are debated around the globe, there is a great deal of discussion surrounding what is and what is not a traditional wedding.

The debate on tradition and marriage will undoubtedly last for many years to come, however, one of the more interesting aspects of the entire debate is the fact that it comes at a time when many brides and grooms are looking to break from tradition.

The wedding industry has seen a transformation in recent years as many couples look to personalize their weddings and move away from many of the traditional wedding ceremony and wedding reception elements.

Many couples are personalizing every aspect of their wedding from their wedding vows to the wedding reception and everything in between. An entire industry has been developed to cater to brides and grooms looking for a unique wedding.

Unique weddings offer brides and grooms the opportunity to break away from tradition and ceremony and enjoy their special day the way they wish to enjoy it.

One of the first traditions to go are the traditional wedding vows. With companies like Pocket-Poet offering custom written wedding vows and wedding poetry brides and grooms are no longer interested in reciting the wedding vows that other couples have recited for centuries.

Another tradition that has fallen in recent years is the traditional wedding reception. Many couples are offering more creative receptions including extended cocktail receptions, backyard barbecues, themed receptions, dessert receptions and the like.

The wedding apparel industry has also seen a shift in focus from the traditional to the unique as more brides and grooms look to show more of their personality in every aspect of the wedding including their wedding clothes.

As the last vestiges of traditional marriage are being clung to by the faithful who do not like to see change it may just be that the new traditional marriage is anything and everything completely non-traditional.

David Casey, VP, SetSitesHigh (http://www.setsiteshigh.com) is a website designer and developer with no relationships to Pocket-Poet (http://www.pocket-poet.com) or any other wedding related businesses.