Unconventional wedding ideas : what Jacquemus can teach us

Simon Porte Jacquemus and Marco Maestri did not have a wedding designed to please everyone.

They had a wedding that felt like them.

When the French fashion designer and his partner married in the south of France in August 2022, their celebration quickly attracted attention. The fashion was unexpected. The ceremony arrival was unusual. The dress code challenged traditional wedding rules. Even the dessert became part of the story.

But what makes this wedding interesting to us is not simply its originality.

It is the thought behind it.

The couple did not appear to follow unconventional wedding trends simply for the sake of being different. They took familiar wedding traditions and asked a simple question : what if we did this our way?

That is an interesting approach for any couple planning a wedding.

You do not have to reinvent the entire wedding to make it personal.

Sometimes, changing one expected detail is enough.

Why the Jacquemus wedding broke so many wedding rules

Tradition can be comforting.

There is something beautiful about knowing what usually happens at a wedding. Someone walks down the aisle. Guests wear certain colours. The couple chooses formal outfits. The cake looks like a wedding cake.

But none of these things are mandatory.

Jacquemus and Marco Maestri demonstrated this very clearly.

The unusual wedding arrival

The couple did not arrive at the town hall in the traditional way.

They were accompanied by women from their families. Jacquemus arrived with his grandmother, while Marco Maestri arrived with his mother.

It is a small change, but it completely changes the symbolism of the moment.

Traditionally, wedding processions often focus on the bride being escorted by a parent. Their choice gave space to the women who mattered to them and created a more personal entrance.

This is a good example of how to rethink a wedding tradition.

You do not need to eliminate the tradition, but you can change what it means.

Perhaps you want to walk into your ceremony together. Perhaps you want both mothers to accompany you. Perhaps your siblings should have that role.

The question is not what couples usually do.

The question is who matters to you?

For couples planning a symbolic wedding ceremony in Paris, this freedom can be particularly interesting because the ceremony can be built around the couple rather than a fixed sequence.

Unconventional wedding ideas you can actually use

The Jacquemus wedding offers plenty of inspiration, but copying the details would miss the point.

The most interesting lesson is to understand the thinking behind them.

Rethink your wedding outfits

Jacquemus started the day in a black suit. His husband wore a cream coloured suit.

Later, Jacquemus changed into a white wedding dress for the evening celebration. His guests were also invited to wear white, with dresses made available for them.

That decision completely changed the atmosphere of the evening.

It also challenged one of the most familiar wedding rules : guests should not wear white.

Of course, you do not need to ask your guests to wear white.

You could create a different dress code instead.

For example :

• Ask guests to dress in a particular colour.
• Choose a black tie dress code for an unexpected setting.
• Invite guests to change outfits between the ceremony and the party.
• Wear two completely different looks yourself.
• Choose a suit instead of a traditional wedding dress.
• Add a dramatic evening outfit for the reception.

The idea is to use fashion as part of the storytelling.

This approach also fits with the current move towards more personal and relaxed wedding aesthetics. Paris wedding trends are increasingly moving towards carefully chosen details rather than decoration for decoration’s sake.

Let your reception change character

One of the most interesting choices was the transformation of the celebration.

The evening party took place in a nightclub rather than a conventional wedding reception space. Jacquemus changed his outfit and invited guests into a completely different atmosphere.

This is a clever idea because the wedding does not have to maintain exactly the same mood from morning until midnight.

Your ceremony can feel intimate and emotional.

Your dinner can be elegant and refined.

Your party can become completely unexpected.

A destination wedding in France can also benefit from this approach. Paris and other French destinations offer such a variety of settings that the different moments of your wedding can each have their own identity.

You might exchange vows in a garden, have dinner in an elegant private venue and finish the evening somewhere completely different.

The transition itself becomes part of the experience.

Give your guests something unexpected

The Jacquemus wedding did not only surprise the couple.

It involved the guests too.

The white dress concept transformed the dress code into an experience. The unusual dessert also became part of the visual identity of the evening.

This is an important distinction : an unconventional wedding is not necessarily about surprising your guests every five minutes.

One or two well considered moments can be enough.

You could surprise guests with :

• An unexpected mode of transportation.
• A change of venue between the ceremony and reception.
• A secret musical performance.
• A completely different evening dress code.
• A personalised menu.
• A late night food station inspired by your favourite place.
• A meaningful ritual that nobody expects.

The best surprises usually have a reason.

They tell something about you.

How to break wedding traditions without losing elegance

Being unconventional does not mean being chaotic.

This is where we think the Jacquemus example is particularly useful.

The wedding was unconventional, but it remained highly curated.

That distinction matters.

You can challenge traditions while maintaining a strong visual identity.

Choose one element to break

You do not need to question everything. In fact, too many unusual choices can make a wedding feel disconnected.

Choose the traditions that genuinely do not suit you.

Maybe you do not want a traditional first dance.

Maybe you do not want a wedding cake.

Maybe you want both partners to wear suits.

Maybe you want a ceremony with no aisle.

Maybe you want your guests to sit in a circle rather than facing a traditional altar.

Start there.

Then keep the rest simple.

Create a visual thread

If your choices are unconventional, a visual thread can help everything feel intentional.

This could come from :

• A colour palette.
• A recurring floral detail.
• A particular fabric.
• Personalised stationery.
• A consistent dress code.
• A distinctive table setting.
• A recurring symbol from your relationship.

This is why small details can have such a strong effect.

The embroidered napkins with the grooms’ names at the Jacquemus wedding are a good example. They are not extravagant. They simply make the table feel personal.

This is exactly the kind of detail we love.

It does not scream for attention.

It belongs to the couple.

Personal does not mean complicated

One of the biggest misconceptions about an unconventional wedding is that it requires an elaborate concept.

It does not.

A wedding can feel highly personal because of one meaningful decision.

Perhaps you serve the dessert your grandmother always made.

Perhaps you play the song from your first trip together.

Perhaps you invite your guests to write a memory instead of signing a traditional guest book.

Perhaps you organise your ceremony around your actual story rather than a standard script.

A symbolic wedding ceremony gives you considerable freedom to do exactly this. There are fewer prescribed elements, which means the ceremony can reflect your personalities, values and relationship.

Make your wedding feel personal, not simply different

There is a difference between an unusual wedding and a meaningful wedding.

Something can be visually spectacular and still tell us nothing about the couple.

That is the trap we would avoid.

Before adding an unconventional detail, ask yourself why it belongs at your wedding.

Does it represent your relationship?

Does it make the experience better for your guests?

Does it create an emotion you want to remember?

Does it simply look good on Instagram?

There is nothing wrong with wanting beautiful photographs.

But a wedding should not become a collection of photographs.

The most memorable celebrations usually have details that make sense once you know the couple.

That could be a favourite restaurant, a family tradition, a particular flower, a shared passion or even a joke between the two of you.

This is also where the destination itself can become part of the design.

For an international couple, a Paris wedding offers countless opportunities to incorporate French culture without turning the celebration into a themed event.

A pastry tasting, a French inspired dinner, handwritten stationery or a Parisian venue can create a sense of place without becoming predictable.

Our Paris wedding trends also show how current couples are moving towards more personal experiences and carefully selected details rather than excessive decoration.

What we can learn from the Jacquemus wedding

The most interesting lesson is not that you should wear white to your own wedding.

It is not that your guests need a nightclub.

And it certainly is not that every wedding should become unconventional.

The lesson is much simpler.

Traditions are options.

You can keep the ones you love.

You can change the ones that do not feel right.

And you can create something entirely new when no existing tradition reflects your relationship.

For couples planning a wedding from abroad, this approach can be particularly liberating.

You may arrive in France with a clear idea of what a wedding is supposed to look like. Then you discover that the French approach, your own culture and your personal expectations do not always fit together perfectly.

That is not a problem.

It is an opportunity to create your own version.

Our guide to planning a destination wedding in Paris can help you think through the practical side of building that experience from abroad.

And if you are planning something smaller, an intimate Paris elopement gives you even more freedom to focus on the moments that matter to you.

A checklist for an unconventional wedding

Before adding an unusual idea to your wedding, ask :

• Does this detail tell something about us?
• Will our guests understand or enjoy the experience?
• Does it fit the overall atmosphere?
• Can it work practically in our chosen venue?
• Is it worth the additional cost or logistics?
• Would we still want it if nobody photographed it?
• Does it make the wedding feel more like us?

That last question is perhaps the most useful. If the answer is yes, keep it.

FAQ – unconventional wedding ideas

In practice

The Jacquemus wedding is a useful source of inspiration because it reminds us that a wedding does not need to follow a predetermined script.

But we would not recommend copying it.

Instead, look at the decisions behind it.

Why did the couple make this choice?

What did it say about them?

How did it change the guest experience?

Then ask yourself the same questions.

Your unconventional wedding might look nothing like theirs.

That is exactly the point.

A wedding should not be different simply to be different.

It should feel unmistakably yours.

For further reading

If you want to explore this approach further :

If you are planning your celebration from another country : Explore the mistakes to avoid when planning a wedding in Paris.