French wedding traditions are not a mandatory checklist, they are options every generation of couples reinterprets. Some remain very common, others fade out without anyone really minding. Here is where the main ones stand today.
Still widely present
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The vin d'honneur (welcome cocktail) between the ceremony and dinner, nearly universal
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The croquembouche or a tiered cake, often given a more modern spin
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The bridal party's speeches, a fixture of the evening
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The couple's first dance
Increasingly adapted or skipped
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The bouquet toss, still common but increasingly optional depending on who is attending
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The garter toss, in clear decline, seen as dated by many couples
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The mid-meal digestif break (trou normand), reserved for very long meals or certain regions
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The full-length veil, often replaced by a shorter version or skipped entirely
Regional variants still alive
Some regions keep stronger traditions: cutting a ribbon on leaving the town hall in some rural areas, the running or jumping game in Brittany, traditional songs during dinner in the Southwest. These local traditions are often followed more closely than generic national ones, because they carry a concrete family root.
There is no right or wrong answer here: the only criterion that matters is whether the tradition means something to you, not whether it is "usually done."
How to choose what fits you
For each tradition, ask yourself whether you are keeping it out of genuine desire or a felt obligation to family. A tradition kept reluctantly often shows on the day, while a tradition adapted to your own style (a croquembouche reworked as a dessert bar, for instance) keeps the meaning without the imposed format.
How Fiancé can help
The traditional moments you decide to keep fit easily into your day-of timeline, timed so they do not push the rest of the evening off schedule.