British Wedding Traditions

Movies and TV shows about weddings have always been popular. Some look at the ceremonies as it’s a modern fairy tale. Let’s dig in and see whether what we see in the drama shows genuinely represents the reality of weddings.

The wedding dress

The trendsetter of wearing “white” for weddings was Queen Victoria who chose an ivory-white gown for her reception with Prince Albert. Before that event girls would pick any dress they considered to be the best regardless of its style or color.

The wedding rings

If you look at 2 wedding rings placed together you may see the sign of eternity. The idea to exchange circle-shaped rings came from Ancient Egypt. They believed that wearing rings on the left finger (counting from the middle one) of the left hand represents eternal love. Such position is connected to the vein that starts with the ring finger and leads to the heart.

The first dance

The tradition of inviting ladies to the first dance dates back to ball times. It was customary for male guests to invite the lady of the house to the first dance which was also an opening activity of the evening. In terms of wedding tradition there was a tiny adjustment. First, the bride has a dance with her father and then the “very first dance” with the man of her heart.

The wedding cake

Initially, instead of a beautifully decorated cake, the newlyweds had piles of sweet bread rolls. The tradition says the groom was supposed to manage to kiss the bride over the “bready tower made of buns”. In the XIX century, the British came up with an idea to hide the wedding pie underneath the bride’s pillow. Now the “wedding cake challenge” only requires both bride and groom cut the piece for each.

The wedding bouquet

This tradition hasn’t always been so romantic. Back in the XV century by the end of the wedding reception, all the invited guests had a chance to tear the bride’s dress or take a piece of her hair decoration. The reason why such a barbaric tradition appeared was a strong belief that grabbing a piece of the bride’s outfit would bring luck. In order to remain in festive mood brides started to throw the bouquet of flowers and run away from the party venue.

Follow this link to find out which English proverbs are popular among native speakers.

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