Since many wedding traditions come from the UK, lovers often choose an English theme. It is famous for its elegance, solemnity and chic, which earns the favor of young people. To get a great wedding in the English style, the photos of which will be interesting for you to review, you need to determine where the celebration will take place, how it should be decorated, what outfits will be appropriate, etc. You can do all this yourself without ordering the services of professionals.
Peculiarities
An English theme for a wedding will suit people who are inclined towards conservatism. It is a discreet yet sophisticated style that is both cool and friendly. Refinement, grace and classicism are also distinctive features of the British. If all this is close in spirit to the newlyweds, then the English wedding style will suit them perfectly.
Great Britain values old traditions and customs, including wedding ones. Some rituals acquire more modern details, but the essence remains the same. To get a feel for the theme, the bride and groom can study the English wedding customs that are observed in modern ceremonies. These are mainly the following traditions and customs:
- A wedding begins with an engagement. A young man gives his beloved a ring, usually with a large precious stone, and asks her father for a blessing for the marriage. From this moment on, young people can openly show their feelings in public.
- Traditionally, an English wedding is celebrated in the countryside after a formal church ceremony. It was this country that gave rise to the fashion for outdoor ceremonies.
- Bachelorette and bachelor parties used to be held within the walls of their home, but now the bride and groom are trying to go to an entertainment venue or out of town. At the end of the party, the bride should remove the engagement ring and keep it without wearing it from that day on.
- The bride should leave the wedding dress for her eldest daughter or make clothes out of it for her first-born.
- The bride's outfit must include 3 things - new, old (passed on by inheritance) and borrowed from a friend or relative. It is believed that in this case the marriage will be successful.
- The modern classic color of a wedding dress is white, but in the Victorian era the dress was silver.
- The number of bridesmaids is always the same, there should be six. At the same time, there is only one witness on the groom’s side.
- A girl with flowers should walk in front of the wedding procession.
- The bride's garters should be blue.
- After the official ceremony, the newlyweds are showered with flower petals, confetti and grain.
It is not necessary to adhere to all the traditions of the British to organize a wedding in this style. To maintain the theme, it is enough to adopt only a few elements characteristic of the British. The main emphasis should be on elegance, taste and grace, characteristic of both women and men.
The main colors for an English-style wedding are white, beige and pink, but other pastel shades can also be used. Decorating a wedding in the English style should be restrained, without bright accents or excessive pomp. There should be no bride price and vulgar competitions at an English-style wedding; all entertainment should be made intelligent.
Traditions of England
There is no such tradition as bride price in England , so the groom meets his bride directly in front of the altar. Some believe that this is only a positive thing, since the redemption procedure takes a sufficient amount of time.
It is not customary in England to throw a wedding bouquet at the end of the celebration; this function is taken on by the bride's brother. Instead of a bouquet, he throws his shoe on the way to the banquet room.
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You can decorate your invitation cards by choosing a special design that will match the theme of the holiday.
Venue and decor
Despite the fact that an outdoor ceremony is considered traditional for an English wedding, celebrations in this style take place indoors and outdoors with equal frequency. Typically, a celebration in nature is chosen for the warm season, and a banquet hall is rented in cold weather. Regardless of this, the place needs to be properly decorated to match the chosen theme.
If the wedding will take place outdoors, you need to organize three separate zones - for the official ceremony, banquet and photo shoot. The painting usually takes place under the arch; it can be ordered from a wedding agency or done independently.
To do this, a frame is made of metal or any durable material, and then decorated with fresh or artificial flowers in pastel shades. You need to lay a carpet sprinkled with flower petals to the arch, and put elegant chairs for guests on both sides of it.
It is advisable to organize the banquet area under a tent so that possible vagaries of the weather do not spoil the celebration. It is better to place small tables so that guests are comfortable. If you wish, you can hang up a large screen on which “Love story” will be broadcast - a video telling about the newlyweds meeting, the joyful moments of their life together and the decision to get married.
The place for the photo shoot needs to be prepared in advance, since at a themed wedding both the newlyweds and the guests will want to be photographed in unusual images. To do this, you can put a light country table with two chairs, lay a white tablecloth on it and place a tea set. The space around can be occupied by a chest of drawers or even a mantelpiece, on which you can place a lantern stylized as an antique one, a bouquet, a Big Ben figurine or a decorative birdcage.
If the wedding is in English style, the decor must match. It is worth choosing an establishment that is already stylized to match the desired theme, then all that remains is to add solemnity to the banquet hall with the help of decorative elements. To create the desired ambience, the following elements may be useful:
- light fabrics for drapery;
- standing and hanging decorative candlesticks;
- long tablecloths in white or golden color;
- napkins folded in a fancy way;
- wedding arch of flowers over the newlyweds;
- vases and hanging flowerpots with compact bouquets;
- forged decorative elements;
- decorative tea set.
The English-style wedding hall in the photo below looks simply incomparable:
When choosing decorations for a banquet hall, you need to remember that there should not be too many of them, otherwise the atmosphere will turn out tasteless. To understand what a celebration place should look like, you can watch English films that contain wedding moments. Relevant literary works will also help you get into the right frame of mind.
Invitations, place cards and bonbonnieres
For weddings in the English style, it is customary to send invitations by mail. To make them look presentable, it is better to order their production at a printing house according to a pre-prepared layout and a list of invitees. If the bride and groom’s design skills are not going too well, you can order a layout from a professional.
Interesting! Making your own invitation cards is easy. We have already compiled detailed instructions.
Usually, on an English-style wedding invitation, it is customary to depict symbolic things for the chosen theme. In the case of the English style, this is the British flag, telephone booths, London guards and Shakespeare. If you are planning a romantic celebration, then you can make white cards with floral patterns in pastel shades.
So that guests immediately know that a themed celebration is being prepared, this must be indicated in the text of the invitation, along with the date, time and location of the celebration.
Since everything must be perfectly coordinated at an English-style wedding, it is advisable for the newlyweds to make place cards. They are usually made in the same style as invitation cards. Cards should be placed next to each place at the table or attached to glasses or cutlery.
For an English wedding, it is appropriate to make bonbonnieres - small symbolic gifts to all guests in bags or boxes. To emphasize the theme, you can put a British flag or badge, Earl Gray tea bags and other nice little things in small cardboard boxes.
Photoshoot
Photo sessions at an English wedding are relegated to the background. The British do not have a tradition of going around attractions so as not to create inconvenience for guests. Therefore, a special corner is equipped in a cafe or restaurant, symbols of England are installed in it - a flag is hung, stylistic furniture, many small bouquets, antique chests of drawers - and a photo shoot is held.
Outfits of the newlyweds and guests
The style of the wedding should also be seen in the images of the bride, groom and guests. The hero of the occasion needs to choose an exclusively snow-white floor-length dress; a long train and openwork elements are allowed.
The outfit should not be decorated with many details, but at the same time it should be elegant and sophisticated. It is undesirable to use bright elements to emphasize certain areas of the body; this is done only through the style. In order for the dress to emphasize dignity and hide figure flaws, it can be sewn to order from a private tailor.
Shoes should be classic heels of medium length and thickness; the bride can also wear open-toed sandals. You need to style your hair in an elegant hairstyle, you can even experiment with fancy shapes, but make sure that they fit within the theme. At an English-style wedding, the bride may wear a veil, a hat with a veil, or a large decorative hairpin.
Makeup should be natural; a light accent can be made on the eyes using eyeliner or mascara. It is better to choose a matte lipstick in a natural shade. The manicure also should not be pretentious; a plain pastel-colored polish or a classic French style will do.
The classic flower for making a bouquet in the English style is a rose; you can choose a red or white shade. If desired, you can use other plants as a basis - lilies, orchids or callas. The shape of the bouquet can be different, but usually brides choose hemispherical or cascading.
The groom should dress like an English gentleman. He can choose from several options for classic suits - two-piece, three-piece, tailcoat or tuxedo. It is best to choose a black or gray shade in combination with a white shirt.
To complement the groom's look, you can use a top hat and a pocket watch on a chain.
Guests at the wedding can dress in a classic style - cocktail or evening dresses for women and suits for men. Bridesmaids should wear dresses of the same style or shade. It is advisable that the groom's witness suit be made in the same color. Guests should not wear unnecessary decorations; they should adhere to an elegant style.
How does a celebration take place in English style?
If you want to fully follow English traditions, then instead of two witnesses, you will need to invite six bridesmaids, and one friend from the groom's side. The girlfriends' costumes should be the same, but if this is not possible, then they should be in the same style. According to English traditions, wedding rings should be kept by the groom's witness.
The scenario and conduct of the celebration is assigned to the shoulders of the witness; he must perform the functions of a toastmaster. This point of celebration is certainly not an easy one, but if the groom’s friend has a good sense of humor and organizational skills, then perhaps he will be able to do this. Bridesmaids can help prepare competitions.
Scenario
In order for the celebration to go exactly as the newlyweds intended, you need to plan everything in advance. It is advisable to schedule all stages of the holiday in time and then stick to the plan. A wedding in the English style, the scenario of which is not much different from the Russian one, is fun and joyful.
The future newlyweds must spend the last night before the wedding separately; they will meet only at the registry office before the ceremony begins. After the wedding, the newlyweds walk through a “corridor” of guests who shower them with flowers, grain and confetti. Then the whole procession heads to the place of celebration.
The newlyweds and their parents should stand at the entrance and greet each guest again until they have all gone inside.
Wedding ceremony
According to tradition, the bride should be ten to fifteen minutes late to church. The priest in England is dressed in jeans and a T-shirt, he jokes and creates a relaxed atmosphere, thereby relieving the internal tension that is usually present before such an important event. Guests gather in the church, with relatives from the bride’s side sitting on the left, and relatives of the groom on the right. Married English women are required to wear a hat to their wedding ceremony. On the benches are scripts for the wedding ceremony, as well as lyrics to songs performed by the choir.
The ceremony begins quite solemnly. The choir sings, and the groom and best man stand to the left of the priest. The bride is led by the father, followed in pairs by the bridesmaids, whose main duty is to monitor the hem of the bride's dress. The future wife reaches the altar, the girlfriends sit on the benches. The wedding ceremony itself is filled with tenderness and love, the priest speaks measuredly and beautifully, the choir sings, and the bride and groom look into each other’s eyes, promising to love forever.
Additional Tips
You need to think through the menu for the celebration with special care. At a wedding in the English Garden style, it is not customary for the table to be crowded with treats, but it is necessary to maintain the basic order of dishes - main course, salads and appetizers.
The main course is usually baked stuffed duck, chops or casserole. Salads can be made from vegetables and meat. The greatest variety is presented in desserts - puddings, biscuits, pancakes and much more.
The tradition of a multi-tiered wedding cake also came from England. The top is eaten by the newlyweds themselves, the remaining parts are divided between the guests, and the last piece always goes to the bachelor.
It is advisable to make a wedding cortege of retro cars or limousines. There is no need to decorate cars too pretentiously; flower arrangements will suffice.
In general, there is nothing complicated about preparing a wedding in the English style. You just need to remove everything that is overly pompous and formulaic from the script and try to make everything that remains as sophisticated and elegant as possible. If you approach the process responsibly and put your soul into it, you can create a unique celebration that will be remembered by both the newlyweds and guests.
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Banqueting hall
The decor of a wedding venue should be done with a sense of proportion and sophistication.
What will you need for this?
- Avoid balloons and various bows.
- Preference is given to fresh flowers.
- This style is characterized by the use of dishes and drapery in the old style.
- This color is ideally complemented by candles.
- For such a wedding, use a multi-tiered cake; by the way, in England such a dessert is called a pie.
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