Wedding fever
I recently attended a wedding, which to be honest, isn’t all that unusual these days. I actually can’t remember who half the girls are in my facebook friends list because they’ve all changed to their married names and I don’t remember what they are. The unusual thing about this wedding was that it was in London and involved a mixed English/Australian couple.
What’s so unusual about that, I hear you ask? Mixed couples happen all the time and Aussies and Brits aren’t all that different. Well that is true, however there are more differences in a British wedding ceremony than I actually thought there’d be.
For one thing, did you know it’s traditional for an English wedding to serve a fruit cake? At this wedding we were served cupcakes and also a fruit cake, which I thought was a little strange until I read dlcarnall’s reasoning:
Traditional English wedding cake is a fruitcake, usually made with raisins, ground almonds, cherries and marzipan. The top layer of the wedding cake is called the “christening cake” which the couple is saves for the baptism of their first child.
The fruitcake is served at the wedding reception along with another traditional cake — the groom’s cake — which originated during the Tudor period. It was once English custom for this to be a fruitcake as well, but today, the groom’s cake is likely to be chocolate. More
The other noticeable difference was seeing women in fascinators and hats, which is apparently not a strict tradition anymore but definitely still embraced by some. Also there were some men in tartan kilts, not something you’d usually see at an Aussie wedding but is quite common for a Scot at a formal ceremony such as a wedding.
It made me think about the wedding traditions we take for granted that may not be as prevalent in other countries.
There are a few differences with American weddings it seems. Although it’s quite common to have a Bachelorette Party (Hen Party), American brides also have the added benefit of a shower, which apparently involves women getting together, giving presents and playing a few games. So many presents! There’s also that other American tradition of the groom throwing the bride’s garter, however it doesn’t seem to be something that Australians have embraced, I have never seen that tradition in an Aussie wedding.
The role of the Master of Ceremonies seems to differ from country to country. Apparently in Britain it isn’t too common to even have an MC, but in American, the Master of Ceremonies also has to entertain the guests and tell jokes, according to Dana B.
British weddings tend to go longer than in other countries (something I definitely found). According to Princess, it can go for 12 hours or longer:
They are longer, it will be noon til midnight or later- there is usually a ceremony, drinks reception, 3 course dinner in late afternoon & speeches, then evening party with drinks, dancing and a buffet- it will be noon to midnight basically. More
Then of course there are the wedding rings. According to AnswerQueen, the hand your wedding is on is determined by your religion, not your country
Christian Orthodox wear the wedding ring on the right side, as the right hand is always viewed as the more important, they also do the sign of the cross right first then left. While Christian Catholics wear it on the left and sign the cross left then right. More
While I love a good Aussie wedding, one ceremony I’d love to experience would be a wedding in India. It sounds like they really know how to celebrate!
What are the most different wedding traditions you’ve observed in other cultures?
Caitlin
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What an utterly outmoded and barbaric pactice that was, mariages. It only ave one supposedly or so the one mistakenl thought, the right to ruin the other’s life.
So much more acceptable to-day just to shack up and leave. If a girl want to start breeding, then let her. No need to get a man involved. He has himself to look after. Enjoy your weddings while they last then.by the end of this century nobod will ever be married again except for nuns.
Well I married a cypriot so their weddings are alot different. Its starts in the morning the bride and groom have “the dressing” in their homes where the best man and best woman will dress and bless the couple. The close family attend and friends they will have a couple playing the traditional bouzouki while they dance with a tray of the groom`s and brides clothes then they finish the dressing best man shavin the groom and dressing him in shirt and best woman adding gloves jewellery. The bride and groom are in their own seperate houses while this occurs. Then they go for the photograph`s somewhere nice. Then they walk to the church with the couple of guys playing the bouzouki`s. Once in church the ceremony lasts about 45mins to an hour the parents of bride and groom stand up front but to the sides and the best man and best woman are by the brides and grooms sides while the priest reads from the bible. I cant remember exactly what we had 2 say just a few amens then we kiss the bible. Stephana(like halo`s but linked with a ribbon) are placed on the couples head 3 times back and forth they drink 3 sips of holy wine and 3 bites of the holy bread. then all four walk following the priest around.
Once they leave the church the reception is held in huge halls and the whole village is invited anything from 2000-8000 people will attend the bride groom and parents and best man and woman stand and shakes hands with all the guests who give small envelopes with money for the couples future. Each guest is given an individually wrapped cake and a buffet is there with a wide selection of good food. Once all the guest have arrived the bride and groom will take there dance and the close family will pin money to the bride and groom. Then more dancing. This is how the average Cypriot wedding is nowadays but years ago the receptions were held in the streets and went on for days!
We eat fruit cake (with horrible icing and marzipan) at Australian weddings too. Custard balls in a pyromid shape seem to be a more recent change from fruit cake. Bridal showers have been catching on in Aus for many years here too.
I’ve caught a garter at a wedding. Is it traditional in the UK for the Matron of Honour to ask past girl friends of the groom to return any house keys they may still have and then have every woman walk up to the bridal table and drop a key?
In some sectors of Australia it seems traditional for the best man to get drunk, tell innappropriate jokes and makes fools of themselves.
A worrying trend here in recent years has been the trend towards the men in a bridal party wearing increasingly outlandish suits.
Throwing the bride’s garter has been around at Australian weddings for years. The groom sometimes has to remove it with his teeth.
When reading this blog i found it quite interesting, My hubby & I are Australian and the many things you listed that Australians dont do, we actually do have in our weddings… it may just be you attended a wedding where it was more formal…
Our wedding ceremony started at 2.30pm and finished at 3pm (short & sweet garden ceremony) then we had photos, pre-dinner drinks from 6pm, 3 course dinner, speeches at 8 pm, cut the cake at 8.30pm, the first dance, father/bride dance, removal of the garter (with teeth) throwing of the bouquet then party the night away dancing until around 1am!