English Wedding Traditions and Ceremonies

All nations have a lot of beliefs, acceptances and rites associated with a wedding.
Great Britain, like not every European country, is famous for its love and respect for its traditions and customs. But no matter what customs, no matter how highly a nation values its commitment to tradition, time is of the essence. However, the British have also found some symbiosis between what was once considered cult, absolutely indestructible and modern, comfortable and convenient. This trend is particularly good in the case of modern English weddings. This is where you can see, on the one hand, the meticulous pedantry, the desire to do everything in the best centuries-old traditions, and, on the other hand, the desire not to get lost in longstanding obscure customs.

England, the decision to marry was made by the parents or guardians of young people, often for their benefit. They were also the ones who organised the wedding. However, the bride and groom often did not even know each other at the time the decision to marry them was made.
Often young people who were in love with each other would run away and secretly get married without their parents' consent. This was a protest against parental despotism and lack of freedom in choosing their future spouse.
In 1653, a civil law was passed that required a civil marriage ceremony to be held by a justice of the peace.

a special registration have been recognised as legal. Until 1990, it was only possible to get married in a church in the county where one of the future spouses lived.
A serious obstacle to free marriage in England was the issue of the religion of the married couple. There were strict boundaries between Catholics and Protestants, so that people with different faiths rarely married, because their relatives, friends and acquaintances turned away from them.
Since the 17th century, the number of unmarried men and unmarried women in England has gradually increased.
By the 18th century, real "marriage" fairs had begun to function in major cities, where balls, meetings, etc. were held, helping young people to meet and get to know each other.

to this day by the famous wedding of Queen Victoria and her cousin Albert of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha, which took place on 10 February 1840. An interesting feature of this marriage is that Victoria took the main initiative. Her words: "A few minutes later I said that he must have guessed why I called him - and that I would be very happy if he gave in to my wish (to marry me)".
The wedding ceremony of Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip took place on 20 November 1947 in the presence of over 2,000 guests at Westminster Abbey. The British Queen and her husband, with whom she was destined to live together for 60 years, fell in love as teenagers.As you might expect, the wedding attire was also kingly rich.
Elisabeth's wedding dress, designed by Norman Hartnell, was luxurious thanks to a strap of up to 4.5 metres in length alone. But at the same time, it was a vivid reflection of the position of post-war Britain.

in British history.
Diana's wedding dress looked like a puffed meringue, with huge lush sleeves and a neckline.

The dress was made of silk taffeta embellished with lace, hand embroidery, rhinestones and 10,000 pearls. The dress had a 25-foot ivory taffeta trail and antique lace

29 April 2011 at Westminster Abbey in London. Middleton was wearing a white dress. For the wedding custom of "something old, something new, something borrowed and something blue", Middleton's dress was with traditional lace - "old", diamond earrings from her parents were "new", the queen's tiara was "borrowed" and the blue ribbon sewn into the bodice was accordingly "blue" . Prince William was in the form of his honorary title of Colonel of the Irish Guard

of a wedding day and month has long been very important. The English wedding is divided into two parts: wedding breakfast and reception. Wedding breakfast is a gala dinner immediately after the registration of the marriage, whether it is at 11am or 'at work noon'. - This is a full lunch, where only the closest relatives are present. Reception is already a party with a buffet at 19:00, no matter whether you choose: hand buffet (only canape) or fork buffet (when cutlery is used), hotcold (a full-blown banquet with a hot dish).
So choosing a place is very important. Because you have to choose two places - for wedding breakfast and reception. For a wedding breakfast, you do not need a large room, but a spacious one for reception. Modern British brides and grooms prefer to hold a wedding in a suburb or village, unlike in Russia, where the approximate wedding programme looks different. Those who can afford it rent locks or park areas at the worst. The wedding itself becomes a kind of public performance, a kind of ancient-style show.

salt and water, the girl took half of it and, walking backwards to bed, ate, hoping to see her future husband in her sleep. Back in the 15th century, there was a belief in England that on Valentine's Day (13-14 February), the patron saint of all lovers, people, like birds, choose their marriage partners. On this day, a girl met her first man and believed that he would be her husband. On the eve of the holiday, guys would send the girls so-called valentines, gifts in the form of elegant knickknacks, and often poems would be attached:
If you love me, send me a blue ribbon. If you don't love me, send me a green ribbon.
However, in a more or less pure form and almost everywhere, pre-marriage beliefs and customs were preserved, which manifested themselves in various kinds of fortune-telling, timed to certain days.

to throw daisies on the way to Church. Sometimes a small bench is placed on the doorstep of a building so that a couple can jump over it. It is a symbol of joint overcoming of all obstacles in joint life. The ceremony itself is usually scheduled for noon. All the guests are waiting for the clock to strike. Only then do they go inside. It is believed that the striking of the clock during the wedding procession promises misfortune. At the ceremony itself, the bride walks down the aisle to her father's right. There they take an oath of allegiance with the groom and exchange rings. The procedure in the Church is as follows:
entrance of the bride with her father;
greeting;
hymn;
sermon;
exchange of marriage vows;
prayer;
registration of marriage;

to leave their wedding dress for their daughter, as fashion changes and their daughter is unlikely to be happy to wear a 25-year-old dress to her wedding. Therefore, the wedding dress after the wedding is either sold or used more interestingly and touchingly: the fabric of the wedding dress is used to make baptismal clothing for the firstborn.

old, something new, something borrowed, something blue and 6p in shoes".
The bride's garter of blue is her indispensable attribute.

hold a touching wedding in a Church.
As usual, the bride, introduced into the hall by the groom's father, will be preceded by a little girl who will sprinkle fresh flowers on the path. To the sound of wonderful music, the newlyweds will swear allegiance to each other and then the fun events will begin.
Before the wedding feast, business cards are laid out on the tables with the names of guests and small bags of sweets, expressing the gratitude of the newlyweds to the guests. The wedding feast menu has a wide variety and assortment. The leading place among wedding dishes is occupied by baked lamb, from alcohol – champagne, wine, and for dessert there are many different fruits.
Wedding cake is a mandatory component of a wedding Banquet. The bride and groom independently cut and divide between the invited guests, but keep the top. The last piece is given according to the rules to the bachelor of her husband's friends, so that he will soon have a family. Toasts are made at a wedding celebration after a meal, and the first toast should be made by the groom's friend. Then everyone goes for a walk, after which there are incendiary dances. That's it!

leads us to the conclusion that this rite of marriage dates back to the 16th-17th centuries. An analysis of the information collected showed that many traditions are relevant today, which leads us to the conclusion that the British honour their traditions despite the fact that they also welcome new ones.