London - Weddings are occasions steeped in tradition, from throwing the bouquet to the silver sixpence slipped into a shoe.
But couples are forgoing time-honoured customs in favour of Instagram-friendly, American-style weddings, a report has found.
The survey by wedding company Hitched revealed nearly half of modern brides and grooms feel under pressure to have a wedding that is perfectly styled for social media snaps.
And 30 percent said they paid out thousands of pounds more to achieve the right look for pictures to post on Instagram.
The average cost of a wedding is higher than ever before, at an eye-watering £31 974(about R590 000) – up more than 50 percent since 2014 – but newlyweds are choosing to ditch old traditions.
Less than half of brides now throw the bouquet, while only 15 percent follow the silver sixpence tradition. About 60 percent do not have page boys. Instead, couples are copying American traditions such as engagement parties at an average cost of £875 and rehearsal dinners.
Some even bring in photo booths for guests to snap themselves at receptions. The biggest item is still the venue – at an average of £5 406. The honeymoon is next with couples spending £4 645. The most popular destination is now the Maldives, followed by Italy, the US, Bali and Mexico.