English Wedding Traditions

Hello - me again! 

I'm thinking about our upcoming wedding next spring, and since we are being married in the States I would like to incorporate some English wedding traditions into the wedding.  It will be a Catholic nuptial mass so not much I can do there as it's already pre-determined what that will be like.  But at the reception I do hope to have a fruit cake wedding cake.  Depending on what it is, it may be possible to add little touches to the ceremony.

What other little wedding thingies can you think of that might be "English"?  I've heard about the bride carrying a small horseshoe of flowers, do they actually do that?

Thanks all!!

~Liza

Hmmm, well, we had roses everywhere!  Which according to Richard and his family is VERY English.

fruitcake

sixpence in your shoe

carrying a silver horseshoe with your bouquet

singing some hymns at the beginning of the service

british music at the reception

guests with hats! 

guests with hats! 

Oooo!!!  What a fun thing!!  It will be a very small wedding, fewer than 50 guests.  I'm sure I could get the word out to all the women that they need to wear hats!! 

That's a fantastic idea!    Thanks Lola!!

~Liza

We are getting married in two weeks time, and have found a few things to be different (a lot, really).  We, too, are doing the full-on Nuptial Mass, so we can't do too much durring the ceromony--but a Catholic wedding is a Catholic wedding--regardless of culture.

Most recently, we found out that the order of speeches / toasts are very different in the States than in the UK.  It threw Paul for a loop, and we've decided to do it in Brit-order.  We are doing the fruit-cake, and will have special boxes to send to invitees who were unable to attend (it's an English thing I'd never heard of before). 

I will be getting ready at the Church, which is odd to Paul.  I guess that most UK brides get ready at home and ride to the church in full gown et al.

Also, the Brits like to have a late all-night drink after the dinner reception.  Something that we are not doing, as we are having an 11 am Mass.  In lieu of that, one of my sisters will host an after-party at her home.

The guys will all wear traditional Morning Suits, too.

Good luck, and have a great wedding next spring.

We had a small English wedding. If I could do it all over I would have chosen a more American approach.

My SIL somehow found a sixpence for my shoe. I never heard of the horseshoe thing. We did have a fruitcake which I absolutely hated. It was pretty to look at but I would have preferred to have a nice, 2-tier white cake. Honestly the fruitcake was nearly as hard as the icing. I wont even go into how awful it tasted. AND I'm not sure if this is an English thing or a Coventry thing but after we cut through the cake my SIL whisked it away and cut it into tiny slivers and wrapped them in napkins for the guests to take home. VERY disappointing. By the way I have noticed every single birthday party my kids go to the moms do the same thing with the cake...a tiny tiny wrapped up sliver placed in a goodie bag. TACKY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
We had a formal reception and a few hours later we had our "night do" which was basically a disco, cold buffet and bar. We had a huge turn out for that.

We are doing the fruit-cake, and will have special boxes to send to invitees who were unable to attend (it's an English thing I'd never heard of before). 

It's not an 'English' thing... i had a Scottish wedding, and we did this.   I believe the boxed-up bits of cake thing is done all over the UK. 

Call your reception the 'wedding breakfast'- basically the first meal eaten as a married couple. Frances, your 11 am mass would fall great into this category- could be interesting with a 7 pm reception tho..lol

I was married in Somerset.  We didn't have a cake , we had  "Fairy Cakes" which are cupcakes in a wedding cake type tier. They were awful.  I asked my florist for a "throw away" bouquet and they gave me this HUGE cluster of very long garden flowers wrapped in a bow,  I nearly took out an eye with that thing.  Also, very British friends of my in-laws  threw confetti like paper in my cleavage which was funny. And yes LOADS of Hats!!!!!  I also remember speeches being a big thing at the reception.   

Don't forget that at British weddings that the bridesmaids follow you up the aisle and the groom gives the maid/matron of honour's speech.

Lots of speeches.

Speeches, speeches, speeches.

I just love how everybody gives speeches.  When we were married, our best man was my husband's friend from college.  He gave THE BEST speech.  Our wedding was small, but the Yanks were captivated.  Then, my husband made a (drunken) speech to me, which surprised and delighted everybody, too. 

I think they are touching and add such a personal element to the day.  Of the Brit weddings I've been to, the speeches are so memorable.

I think Simon will be disapointed by that, because he will be the only Brit there.  We are being married in the States and his family will not be coming over - we will have another thing in England once I get moved over for friends and family on that side to participate.  I have warned him that he won't hear speeches like he is used to.  He said he will have to take matters into his own hands then.  hehehe

~Liza

I think Simon will be disapointed by that, because he will be the only Brit there.  We are being married in the States and his family will not be coming over - we will have another thing in England once I get moved over for friends and family on that side to participate.  I have warned him that he won't hear speeches like he is used to.  He said he will have to take matters into his own hands then.  hehehe

~Liza

Why don't you ask one or two people to give a speech?  You could give a speech as well!

Why don't you ask one or two people to give a speech?  You could give a speech as well!

I'm thinking about that actually.  I may tell my Dad to work something up - he's always good with a microphone.   

~Liza

I'm thinking about that actually.  I may tell my Dad to work something up - he's always good with a microphone.   

~Liza

The bride's father's speech is quite traditional in England, along with best man and the groom's toast to the bride. 

But I've been to weddings there where anybody who's game gives a speech!