British vs American Style of Wedding
Different countries have different ways on how they celebrate and prepare for their wedding. This is because they have different sets of beliefs and traditions.
And when we are looking for something to share with you guys, we have come across an interesting article. It is actually quite helpful for wedding planners and the like.
The American versus The British Style Wedding
The Pre Wedding Celebrations…
| American | British |
| In America, the Bride get’s together with her best friends and maids to have her ‘Bachelorette’ party prior to the wedding. | In Britain, this is known as ‘A Hen Party’, of course! 🙂 |
| The Grooms have a Bachelor’s Party prior to the wedding day | The Brit’s have a ‘Stag do’. |
The Ceremony…
| American | British |
| The groom faces the congregation so he can watch his bride walk down the aisle | The groom has his back towards the congregation and does not get to watch his bride walk down the aisle L |
| The bride walks down the aisle after her bridesmaids | The bride walks down the aisle before her bridesmaids |
| The wedding party stands with the bride and groom for the duration of the ceremony | The wedding party sits with the congregation for the ceremony |
The Reception…
| American | British |
| Sit down meals are shorter at your typical American wedding so more time can be spent on the dance floor | Brits like to enjoy their meal and make this the focal point of the wedding reception
|
| Many guests hit the dance floor in-between dinner courses.
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Dancing is reserved for after the meal |
| American wedding cakes are made of sponge and the tiers are usually stacked on top of one another. During the cake cutting ceremony, the newlyweds will hand feed each other a piece of cake. Sometimes, they will stuff the cake into each other’s faces! 😉 | British wedding cakes are traditionally made of fruit cake and are displayed using pillars inbetween each tier. While this tradition is slowly fading out, many traditional weddings still order fruit cake, however, most couples now ask for stacked tiers. |
| Top Table:
The American top table consists of the bridal party and is seated man/woman/man/woman, with the bride and groom in the middle, the best man next to the bride, and the maid of honour next to the groom. |
Top Table:
The British top table consists of parents and honour attendants. When looking at the table, the order from left to right is; Chief bridesmaid, groom’s father, bride’s mother, groom, bride, bride’s father, groom’s mother, best man. |
| The first dance is typically held after the bride and groom are announced into the dining room. | The first dance takes place after the cake cutting ceremony, which happens after the meal. |
| An American bride tosses a bouquet into a crowd of bachelorettes, while the groom lifts up his bride’s gown to pull off a garter and fling it into a group of bachelors. Rumour has it that the woman/man who catches the bouquet/garter will be the next in line to get married! | Something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue, and a six pence in her shoe. This last part of the ancient superstition is unique to the British. The Americans never caught on to that part! |
