BYOC?
Sometimes with wedding planning I become uneasy due to the cross Atlantic divide. There are certain cultural traditions that are different, and some are even flip flopped. One of the expat bloggers I read frequently has been dealing with the processional. In the UK, the bride goes first, whereas in the US the bride goes last. This poor blogger has been dealing with reactions from the church such as “Flower girls? what and why would you want one?” “But the bride goes first!”, “This is the music we use”. So naturally I’m left wondering - will all the UK guests be confused by our backwards, possibly hat-less, US wedding freak show?
After Miss Perfume’s petal post I was pretty much cemented to the idea of using petals. When I showed the post to Mr.D I was a bit worried he might find it strange. I mean really, what is the purpose of throwing things at the bride and groom? So I was a bit surprised when Mr.D said “oh, that’s normal, people always forget to bring their own confetti”.
BYOC? Bring your own confetti? Apparently, it’s not out of the norm for guests to come prepared to shower the newlyweds. Luckily for our guests, we’ll be providing rose petals as confetti isn’t as welcome at our venue. Since we aren’t planning on having a grand exit at the end of the evening, and there is no church to exit from, we are considering having the petal toss as we receed down the aisle.
Has your fiance surprised you with his reactions to ideas?
May 26th, 2009 at 7:45 am
I didn’t run into the BYOC or processional confusion, but there were things I was surprised about. I’ve been to a few weddings here where it seems the “done thing” to not only throw confetti at the couple, but to also get up close and personal and try and shove it down the groom’s collar (and maybe the bride’s back?). Weird. Another, albeit smaller, fact that threw me was that guests are responsible for their own RSVP card and postage, although I think I’ve seen that mentioned on WB already.
One that cracks me up is the betting on speech times. That’s been done without fail at every UK-related wedding I’ve attended.
One that drives me to distraction is what seems to be the scripted wedding reception play list. And the obsession with the Grease medly - I thought it was cute (I never hear Grease!) until I realized it was played at every DJ’d event. Ever. The ending the night with “New York, New York”I is ok, though!
Does he know about the American wedding tradition of clinking of glasses = kiss? And parent dances (or dollar dances, or any other sort of themed dances) don’t seem to be that common here either. I’ll let you know if I stumble upon any others that threw my hubby (or his mother!) for a loop…
We used rose petals as confetti as well. We got married in a large manor house and had the ceremony under some trees in the back of the house. We then led the guests up to the front of the house (which had a large decorative patio and picturesque pillars framing the doorway) and, standing at the doorway, walked back up the patio between the guests and got showered by rose petals. It was breathtaking and fun and produced some great pictures!
May 26th, 2009 at 2:50 pm
After reading your post I was thinking I am no expert at weddings (my British man has not proposed yet…) but you should do things the way YOU want… no need to conform if you don’t want to… your big day gets whatever you want darling! I am sure everyone would want you to honor your own traditions anyway, right??
June 10th, 2009 at 6:59 pm
Hi, new to your blog and loving it!
I think the US processional is gaining popularity in the UK. I think it’s better anyway, a little longer with the anticipation and the bride gets the whole walk to herself!
You must have hats - it’s the only time I ever get to wear one! Only kidding - whether you be hatfull or hatless it matters not.
I think venues have got sniffy about confetti saying it’s non-biodegradable etc so people don;t bring it. I alays do - just in case but usually dried petals from old pretty bouquets. I’d much rather petals than rice (I know blah blah fertility blah blah but it hurts!)
Sorry for the gigantic reply! As peaceful yorkshire says - just do what you want and and enjoy your choices.