Happy Wedding Day! (read with a British accent)

The Holmes family, from my father's mother's side, came from England. At first I wasn't even going to check out English wedding customs because I thought, seriously, how much more different can they be from American? However, interestingly enough, there are some unique differences.

For example, the reading the banns. This is a legal requirement in England. It's where the intention to marry is announced in your church at least three times in the weeks prior to the wedding. The word "banns" means "so summon." It was originally done for the purpose of discovering if there was any legal reason why the couple shouldn't wed, but it's also a time of announcing the wedding to everyone so they can attend. The reading of the banns needs to take place in both the bride's and groom's church (if they attend different churches).

Interestingly, RSVP cards are not included with invitations. Guests buy and send their own. Prior to the wedding the bride and groom have stag and hen parties verses bachelor and bachelorette events.

For the wedding to be legal, the time is also important. You must marry between 8 a.m. and 6 p.m. The most common time is a noon. Bells ring as the couple enters the church, but a different bell tune plays as they leave for good luck.

The bride wears a horseshoe hanging from her wrist for good luck. In the processional, the bridesmaids follow the bride in to carry her train. By the way, the bride pays for all the bridesmaid dresses in the wedding, which may lead to smaller wedding parties ... and younger wedding parties, which is why you often seen children as bridesmaids in British weddings. The groom usually wears a business suit. He most often does not watch his bride walk down the aisle, but rather faces forward.

Female guests typically wear hats at a British wedding ... like being at the Kentucky Derby.

After the wedding a "care cloth" or bridal canopy is held over the newly married couple, like a huppah. It keeps away evil spirits but also conceals the bride's blushing (kind of like the blusher veil). In some areas of England, as couples leave the church they walk over something that symbolizes their husband's occupation. For example, we would have walked over newspapers. I guess Rob and Ayla would walk over food crumbs and Tone and Kayla over NFL ticket stubs.

Tin cans are often tied to the bumper of the couple's car as a prank.

The post-wedding dinner is sometimes only for close family and close friends. A reception is held later for everyone else to include the dancing.

The tiered wedding cake is usually fruit cake. While that means it could probably last without being frozen for that first anniversary, Brits save that top tier for their first baby's christening instead.

So there you go. Happy Wedding Day!

Discussion: Are any of these wedding traditions of interest to you? Are their any that are particularly odd to you?

Prayer: Father, we are always amazed at the different traditions for weddings around the world. Thank you for all the different things we've learned and the unique stories behind them. In Jesus, Amen.

Lá Bainise Shona!

Shamrocks, green, leprechauns, rainbows and luck o' the Irish to you! Today is St. Patrick's Day (and your Aunt Jodi Amoroso's birthday) and since we have some Irish in us, we thought's we'd take a look wedding traditions that hail from the Emerald Isle.

Engagements years ago were sealed with a handfasting, an ancient Celtic or pagan tradition, which nowadays is included in the wedding ceremony itself. It's where the bride and groom are holding hands and a cord is tied around their wrists, binding them to one another. The cord might be braided with significant colors to the couple or they may use a ribbon. This is where the term "tying the knot" comes from.

Bride's dresses were traditionally an icy blue and she might carry a horseshoe, ends up, to symbolize collecting good luck. This horseshoe is then hung in the couple's home. The bride might also carry bells to ward off evil spirits and a lacy handkerchief which is later made into a bonnet for the couple's first baby. The bride will probably need a purse for all this stuff!

The Claddagh ring is most popular for grooms, featuring two hands holding a crowned heart. The ring, around since the 1700s, represents loyalty, friendship and love. Sometimes both fiances would wear the Claddagh (which comes from a city near Galway) prior to the wedding with the end of the heart pointing away from the body then turn it around at the wedding so the end pointed toward the body, showing they were taken.

At the reception the couple might drink Poitín (or poteen), a whiskey made from potatoes (which grown in abundance in Ireland). They might also drink the honey wine, mead. We talked February 24 about how couples would drink mead for a phase of the moon, thus the honey moon. There are plenty of Irish drinks Ayla will certainly remember from her RiRa pub days. Toasting with a "Sláinte" for "Good health!"

The phrase "Your goose is cooked" is Irish and comes from weddings. Apparently a goose is cooked by the bride the night before the wedding. Once it's done, there's no turning back for the groom. Corned beef and cabbage is a popular wedding meal.

The traditional Irish wedding cake is more of a fruitcake. With all the tokens to ward away evil spirits, you wouldn't think you'd need a fruitcake, too.

You can do a little Irish gig, step dancing (think Riverdance) or even a traditional céilí (kay-lee) folkdance at the reception.

What is so interesting to us is that little bits and pieces of each of the nationalities we've learned about are already part of weddings and receptions in various ways. It is fun to see what other culture's customs are. So there are some Irish ones to choose from. Lá Bainise Shona (Happy Wedding Day)!

Discussion: What of the above traditions would you be willing to incorporate into your wedding or reception? Which are definite "no's."

Prayer: Father, how grateful we are to You, the Creator of all peoples and nations. Lord may everything that is part of the wedding and reception, bring You praise and glory. In Jesus' name, Amen.