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By Jason Hennessey



Great Britain has one of the longest and famous cultural histories across the world. When it comes to weddings, British nation and its people draws wedding traditions for over two thousand years of culture. Over the time, they have flourished wedding occasions to uniquely elegant events filled with a sense of deportment and class. Some cultures have emulated wedding traditions from the British, making their wedding a world-wide festivity characterized by receptions and ceremonies from British heritage. Their style has been recognized internationally for their attractive and apposite sophistication. So if you wish to wed this time soon, a British wedding festivity could be just the right thing.

According to British wedding traditions, the ceremony starts off with a flower girl showering flower petals to the daisies along the church aisle closely followed in succession by the bride and the bridesmaids. The bridesmaids and the bride are expected to wear similarly. This tradition has a long practice; dating back to the ancient traditions of the country’s far province of the Roman Empire. This period is famous with the legendary tales of how brides used to be abducted by robbers and highway gangsters as they made their way to the church during the day of the wedding. Bridesmaids were supposed to dress like brides so as to ward off the abductors. Some of such wedding superstitions still exist although they lost significance with the coming of the church doctrines.

Wedding superstitions are another phenomenon that characterizes British wedding traditions. For instance, sewing a silver horseshoe onto the hem of the bride’s dress was a common practice as it was believed to be a good luck charm. If it happened that it was to rain during someone’s wedding, this was perceived as a sign of good luck. Some of the traditions that have remained dominant not only in Britain but also worldwide include wearing of rings when the couples tie the knot. This gesture was long practiced by King Edward VI way back in 15th century, who designated his left hand finger for her bride’s wedding ring. Since then the wedding rings have revolutionalized from iron ones to classic gold.

Typically, the wedding ceremony is characterized with rehearsal dinners and the “hen parties” although brides are not exclusively expected to attend the later. These parties are attended by the groom and the bride’s friends to cheer them up and wish them good luck as they become a husband and wife. Wedding traditions in Britain has merged with church practices; which offer a formal announcement of the union between the couples. The bride and the groom usually recite vows in the church as the congregation witness.

After the wedding, guests and other participants joins the couple in a “wedding breakfast” with cakes and chocolates. At times the breakfast may include fruit cakes made of cherries, ground nuts and other delicious ingredients. It is a norm to most of the newly wedded couples to go for honey immediately after the wedding ceremony. The honeymoon is usually between the two only. This is another practice which has gained a number of followers and popularity all over the world.