English Wedding Traditions

We added a little English flair to our American wedding.  We were able to rent morning suits for the guys, but not top hats which DH really wanted.  My mom sewed a sixpence onto me "keep" garter.  It also had a blue ribbon through it and a pin of a crossed UK/US flags.  We got fruit filling in our wedding cake and got our toasting flutes from Harrods. 

DH had hung out with my BIL and my cousin's husband, so he had someone around to give a toast since only his mother came to the wedding.  He wanted to have the evening do after the reception, but we just couldn't swing both, so we had our reception in the back of a lovely restaurant with an open bar.  (We did all get together in my grandmother's room after where she tried to liquor us up some more). 

Neither of us were disappointed,  I think he was looking for something a little different since it was his second wedding and I was looking for something small. 

PS Sixpence you can order on line.  I think we got 6 for $6.

It also had a blue ribbon through it and a pin of a crossed UK/US flags. 

Ooooo!!  I would love to know where you got this, do you remember?  We have little crossed flags on our "save the date" cards which will be going out soon.  I would love to have a pin like this also.

~Liza

Ooooo!! I would love to know where you got this, do you remember? We have little crossed flags on our "save the date" cards which will be going out soon. I would love to have a pin like this also.

~Liza

I went to London with DH to get his K visa, it was our honeymoon since he couldn't leave the US after he entered.  I found them in a little souvenir shop near the Embassy.  We bought a couple, but I can't find them now.  We're moving in the fall, if I come across the extras, I'll let you know.
Or have your bf check some of the more gaudy souvenir shops in the area.

I went to London with DH to get his K visa, it was our honeymoon since he couldn't leave the US after he entered.  I found them in a little souvenir shop near the Embassy.  We bought a couple, but I can't find them now.  We're moving in the fall, if I come across the extras, I'll let you know.
Or have your bf check some of the more gaudy souvenir shops in the area.

Thanks so much!  I'll let him know to keep an eye out. 

~Liza

For english flair we had crackers as our favours.

they had hats, poem (i wrote), mardi gras beads (we met in new orleans) and hershey kisses in them.  hehehe.

also the men were in full morning suits-no hats.  they all looked SO handsome!

I think for favours we are going to buy trees from the Audobon Society and donate them in the names of our guests.  We will explain that, since we are doing so much international flying that we want to give back our bit to the ozone, and want to do that in their honor.  I want to do some little sweet thing with it as well, perhaps color coordinated M&M's or something, maybe in mini crackers.

~Liza

For english flair we had crackers as our favours.

they had hats, poem (i wrote), mardi gras beads (we met in new orleans) and hershey kisses in them.  hehehe.

also the men were in full morning suits-no hats.  they all looked SO handsome!

i handmade crackers for my sister's wedding a couple of years ago--they were awesome, but incredibly time-consuming. they're much more fun to make for christmas, i think.

but they do make wicked good wedding favours.

i handmade crackers for my sister's wedding a couple of years ago--they were awesome, but incredibly time-consuming. they're much more fun to make for christmas, i think.

but they do make wicked good wedding favours.

How do you make your own?! I would love to know how to do that!!!

How do you make your own?! I would love to know how to do that!!!

easy peasy: start saving toilet paper rolls, first thing. 

then you buy some snaps : http://www.oldenglishcrackers.com/cracker-snaps.htm

then simply tape the snap inside the roll, wrap, tie one end, and fill the other & tie off.

 

Thank you! That's definitely something to remember for future parties!

Liza,
If you do the English processional order (bride goes in first, followed by the wee ones holding your train and then your bridesmaids two by two) you may confuse people! They aren't expecting to see the bride right away.  I did it at my big church wedding and kinda laughed at everyone scrambling to their feet when they realized that I was coming first. So warn people ahead of time if you do it that way!
Fruit cake. Yuk. My grandad made it every year at Xmas and I have always hated it.
You might get your fiance's husband to send you horseshoe, clover and black cat favors (they're for luck). You receive them after the ceremony and wear them on your wrist while holding your bouquet. You can always tell the pre and post wedding pics of English weddings by the horseshoes and other favors! By the way: they're usually plastic nowadays. Tacky but traditional and not as heavy as a real horseshoe!

You might get your fiance's husband to send you horseshoe, clover and black cat favors (they're for luck). 

your fiance has a husband?! (sorry couldn't resist!)

your fiance has a husband?! (sorry couldn't resist!)

LOL!! I didn't even notice that at first!!

Fruit cake. Yuk. My grandad made it every year at Xmas and I have always hated it.

Fruit cake for a wedding is one of the few British traditions I'm not in favor of. I agree: Yuck. I like it at Christmas, but once a year is enough, thank you very much!!

What sort of cake will you have, Liza?

We had a fruitcake and a sponge at our (UK) wedding - and the fruitcake was gorgeous.  I was upset I didn't get more of it!

Tacky but traditional and not as heavy as a real horseshoe!

Saying these things are 'tacky' might be insulting to people who have used them in their own weddings.