Bespoke weddings increasingly popular

There is a growing penchant in the UK for bespoke weddings that break with tradition, the Observer reports.

Many couples are looking for more inventive ways to make their nuptials unique, different and more personal.

"The first thing that happened, three or four years ago, was that people realised they could have more than one best man," UK Alliance of Wedding Planners director Kelly Chandler told the daily.

"Now half the weddings I organise have two or three best men," added the marriage planning specialist, co-founder of the Bespoke Wedding company.

More recently, she adds, couples have realised that the best man need not be male. "Some think that their best and closest friend is female so why should they choose a guy?" she asks.

As the predeliction for bending the age-old gender rules has grown, some brides and grooms have even opted for male bridesmaids.

Brides magazine editor Deborah Joseph has also witnessed a similar shift from the traditional.

"People are keen to have an individual, bespoke wedding," she tells the Observer.

"They hope people will remember the day by the fact that they have done something different."

Wedding experts have also reported a growing number of combined stag and hen nights, though the trend is far from mainstream.

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