Culture Shock!

Being in a long-distance relationship for the past four years, Kieran and I are always communicating--daily phone calls, emails, letters, etc. You would think that we would run out of things to talk/write about and would already be experts on one another. But it always surprises me that some of the most simple topics like family, school, work, etc bring out our different experiences. Having grown up on different continents and immersed in our own cultures, we see the world differently. Even still, Kieran will use an English slang word and I will be totally lost.
"Whoa whoa whoa, wait a second, Kieran. What did you just say? You went to his gaff? What the hell is a gaff?"
And don't even get me started about the look on his face when I casually used the word "fanny," wrongfully assuming that Brits used that term for a person's butt! oh no!

Anyways, the most recent cultural discovery we made was in all this wedding planning. We are getting married in my home county, but I still wanted to incorporate some British/English traditions into the day. Little did I realize that there were some strange and large differences that I ran into! Here's a few big ones that Kieran clued me into:

1) THE SCHEDULE OF THE DAY:
Generally, because American weddings are rediculously expensive, an American wedding is generally 6-8 hours long. You have a 10-20 minute ceremony and a dinner/reception for the rest of it, depending on how many hours you've rented the space for.
In England, the wedding is an all-day event. I wish I could afford that!!

2) THE CAKE
In America, the wedding cake can be pretty much anything you want it to be. Nowadays, people are opting to have a cupcake tree in lieu of a tiered cake. However, the cake material is always the same--the type of stuff you'd expect when you hear the word "cake."
In England, the wedding cake is fruit cake with marzipan, similar to a Christmas fruit cake.
ALSO, you know how American couples do that annoying thing where they feed each other cake and smear their faces with delicious icing? Not in Britain!

3) TOP TIER CAKE TRADITION
Newlyweds in America will traditionally save the top tier of the cake and freeze/refridgerate it. On their first anniversary of marriage, the couple will eat the top tier for good luck.
In England, the top tier is also saved. However, the top tier is called a "Christening Cake" and is supposed to be shared after your first child is Christened.

4) THE HORSESHOE
It's customary for a British bride to carry a small horseshoe symbol somewhere on her person. Some have a small charm sewn into the hem of their dress. This is to bring good luck and good fortune to the marriage.

5) SIZE AND COST OF A WEDDING
Until very recently, English weddings were usually a modest to small size--70 guests or less. American weddings, in contrast, are considered "small" if there are less than 100 people in attendance. Not surprisingly, the average cost of an American wedding is double the amount that British weddings cost, factoring in conversion rates

It's so amazing how an international human experience like marriage can be celebrated in such different ways!

What other cool international wedding traditions have you heard of? I'd love some input!


Amanda <3