Letter of the law
US law is strict in relation to those wishing to tie the knot. Future newlyweds must pay a fee in the state where they will register their marriage. But this is not the most unpleasant thing. To stop being a bachelor, you need to go through certain procedures - medical and legal. For example, get tested, get vaccinated, provide a tax certificate to the court.
The list of procedures depends on how old the bride and groom are, as well as where they live. Each state has its own nuances. Sometimes citizens even have to prove that they are sterile. But the legend that everything is possible in America is not true. Perhaps no one will condemn a union between people of the same sex, but homosexual marriages cannot be registered in any state.
Wedding Dress
Somehow, fortunately, I quickly decided that with my thin figure and 45 kg, a fluffy dress suits me best (although I didn’t initially want one with a crinoline). Everything was complicated by the fact that I even knew what kind of dress I wanted, and this was not available anywhere. During numerous fittings, I had a fixed idea: a multi-layered dress with lots and lots of chaotic layers! And I found this in the Esti salon , thanks to Aunt Andreeva, who went with me to the fitting, for supporting me and saying, “This is it! We have to take it,” although the dress was a little beyond my budget allocated for a wedding dress. My shoes were pink to match the color of our entire wedding!
Expensive pleasure
Compliance with American wedding rituals costs the heroes of the occasion a pretty penny, namely tens of thousands of dollars. We are talking about a classic wedding. The first thing you need to spend money on is rings. In the United States, you can buy a set of three rings, one for men and two for women—an engagement ring and a wedding ring. As a rule, these jewelry are made of gold and encrusted with diamonds or other stones. After the newlyweds are engaged and engaged, careful preparations for the significant event begin.
Various agencies will help you prepare your wedding. There are many such organizations in the States. Some are engaged in decorating the premises, others advise on the rules of holding an American wedding, provide wedding managers, others take responsibility for the festive table, and so on. A couple cannot do without the services of an atelier. How magnificent the wedding will be and how many guests will be present depends on the thickness of the wallet and the status of the future young family.
The course of the wedding: what competitions are suitable for guests
An American wedding will differ from a Russian one in the style of the event itself. The toastmaster avoids vulgar jokes and obscene competitions, especially those associated with rapid drinking of alcohol; guests make beautiful toasts at will, without pressure from the host. Here are a few competitions that will be a fun addition to an American-style event:
- Pantomime. Male participants invite several ladies from the audience, and the wedding toastmaster gives each a task. The contestant's task: to invite his companion to the park, cinema, circus or hunting, using only gestures. The winner is the couple in which the girl guessed the purpose of the event faster.
- A picture of the future. Two teams with an equal number of people (3-4) are invited. Each presenter is given a large Whatman paper. The goal of the competition is to draw a happy future for a married couple in ten years in 5 minutes. The winner is the team whose “future” the spouses liked more.
- Wrap a gift. This unusual fun game requires several teams of two people to participate. Props for each team: box, gift paper, ribbons, bows, tape, stapler, scissors. The task of the participants of each team is to stand next to each other, clinging to their partner, hiding their touching hands behind their backs. Using the right hand of one contestant and the left hand of the other, you need to pack the gift as quickly and beautifully as possible.
American wedding dresses, suits and accessories
As a rule, American wedding dresses are made to order from the best designer the bride can afford. The entire ensemble must be subject to one interesting rule. There is an American wedding saying: “You need to wear something old, something new, something blue and something borrowed.” Only if these points are observed, the sign promises that the wedding will be a success and family life will be happy.
In addition to dresses for herself, the bride also orders dresses for an American wedding for her friends. There may be two girlfriends, or maybe twenty. All these girls must come to the wedding in dresses of the same color and cut. Most often, girls choose blue or pink outfits. Men wear identical suits. Despite the fact that at this holiday they fail to amaze others with originality, there is still a certain charm in it. From the outside it looks very harmonious and solemn.
How to create a bridal look
When working on creating the image of the main heroine of the holiday, they choose only light, delicate colors and shades of fabrics, fresh flowers for the bouquet, thin lace for the garter and bracelets that will be on the hand of a young woman. It is also important how the hair is styled, how it is decorated, and what flowers the bouquet is made of.
Wedding Dress
In most cases, wedding clothes are sewn from the most expensive fabrics, following the tradition, according to which the bride will definitely wear:
- the thing is white;
- the thing is black;
- item of blue color;
- old thing;
- the thing is new and the thing is from someone else’s shoulder.
Paying tribute to tradition, all of the listed features successfully complement the created dress. This includes a thin ribbon in a garter, someone else’s hairpin, new gloves or a hair clip, an old handkerchief, a white veil or cape and a black thread holding the flowers of the bouquet together.
The wedding dress is decorated with lace and ribbons, hand embroidery and beads.
The style is chosen in such a way that it accurately outlines the silhouette of the young beauty.
Hairstyle
The way the bride's hair will be styled depends not only on its length, but also on the style of her dress.
The most popular hairstyles are done with raised or completely loose curls. Traditionally, part of the hair is collected in a bun, decorating it with a tiara. But many heroines of American weddings decide to have two hairstyles:
- more magnificent and solemn for registration;
- light and free for a fun evening.
Having replaced the white dress with a more casual outfit, in which the bride will dance and take part in games and competitions, the young beauty can replace the veil with a wreath of fresh flowers.
Bouquet
When composing a bouquet for the bride at an American wedding, it is important to adhere to the general style of holiday decoration.
However, following traditions, it would be appropriate to use roses for such a composition. These can be blooming flowers and closed buds of white, pink, tea or even red.
It is important that such an important accessory is in harmony with the bride’s dress.
Accessories
Accessories, which become a necessary addition to the bride’s image, are selected taking into account the features of the created hairstyle and dress.
These are long sparkling earrings that look great over bare shoulders, a tiara that adorns the beauty’s head, and a bracelet made from fresh flowers.
Responsibilities of the bride and groom
The chef who will serve on the wedding menu is chosen by the bride. The future wife also faces creative tasks - developing the design of invitation cards, menus and scripts. The groom takes responsibility for the musical accompaniment of the wedding. American wedding songs and music of other genres at the ceremony can be performed by prim symphony orchestras, relaxed folk groups or jazz performers. It all depends on the overall style of the wedding and the tastes of those present.
A lot is spent on a wedding in America, and most often the “sponsors” are the bride’s parents. The ceremony in the church should be ordered approximately six months before this significant event. It is also necessary to decide where the wedding will be held. It is best if it is a huge house with a beautiful garden. The work of florists is to decorate awnings over tables with flower arrangements.
Location
It is known that an American style wedding ceremony takes place either in a church or outdoors. And the celebration continues in a private house, country cottage or hotel. We combined this and found the LightHouse country mini-hotel, which is very reminiscent of just a large private house with a pool and territory. Moreover, it was located 15 minutes from our house. There was also a small banquet hall just for our 45 people. It was also possible to order separate round tables and serve in the courtyard on the green grass, as is often the case at American weddings, but we were afraid of the weather. It could have rained on June 2nd. Thank God he wasn't there.
Bachelor and bachelorette parties
The day before the celebration, the bride and groom say goodbye to their free and carefree life. And they do it on a truly American scale. Usually the bachelorette and bachelor parties are held separately. The groom celebrates it with his friends and relatives, and the bride, respectively, with her friends and relatives. Occasionally it happens that on this day the bride and groom have fun in one room, apparently reserved for the jealous.
A bachelorette party is called a shower. This name is a clear hint that gifts should rain on the bride. Moreover, gifts should be meaningful and remind that the girl getting married will have a pleasant time alone with her husband. Among the gifts may be useful books about intimate life such as the Kama Sutra, silk bed linen, erotic stockings, romantic jewelry, transparent negligees and other cute things that make a woman even more seductive for her man.
It is not forbidden to invite a stripper to the party, who will brighten up the leisure time of the fair sex. You don't have to have bachelorette or bachelorette parties at home. Many people go to strip bars. This tradition is a symbol of the fact that future spouses are parting with the free life and frivolous behavior that they could afford before marriage. From now on, they will behave more seriously and responsibly towards their partner.
Bachelor party
Before young people tie the knot, they have an excellent opportunity to say goodbye to a free life. The girl is having a bachelorette party, her faithful friends are invited to it, and the guy is having a bachelor party, where his best friends are present. Sometimes a young man and a girl prefer to celebrate a common holiday and invite friends from both the groom and the bride to it. It is customary to invite a professional striptease dancer to a bachelor party, who is “presented” as a gift to the groom. Sometimes this process is designed in a rather original way. A stripper emerges from a huge cake and smiles dazzlingly at the assembled guests. To surprise the groom, friends buy exquisite expensive alcoholic drinks, exclusive cigars, and various toys for adults for the bachelor party.
A bachelorette party is fundamentally different from the format of a bachelor party. Only the bride's best friends are present at the party and give her lovely gifts. This could be any thing with a hint that very soon the girl will become a married lady - a set of chic underwear, a book on how to make family life exciting or how to diversify the sexual life of spouses.
Civil and religious ceremonies
In the United States, there are two types of wedding ceremonies. The first is a civil marriage ceremony. In America it must be held a week or two before the religious one. Unlike a religious ceremony, a civil ceremony is quite simple. A couple wishing to register a marriage comes to the appropriate authority with documents, and an employee of the institution declares them spouses. After this, a few days later, the newlyweds receive a marriage certificate by mail.
For a religious wedding ceremony at an American wedding, invitations are sent out well in advance. The ceremony is performed in a church by a clergyman. The future husband stands at the altar with his best man - his best friend. The bridesmaid, the maid of honor, walks down the altar first. This should be a responsible and nimble friend, because she is responsible for supporting the bride and solving her problems during the period from the engagement to the wedding ceremony. In addition, on the wedding day, a friend helps the bride get dressed.
The maid of honor is followed to the altar by a little girl with flowers, dressed in a white dress. The girl throws flowers to the sides. Walking next to the girl is a boy carrying a pillow with rings. Following them, stepping straight onto the path covered with flowers, comes the bride. She approaches the altar accompanied by her father or another close relative. The moment the bride enters the church, everyone present rises from their seats.
The priest makes a speech, and the bride and groom pledge to be faithful and be good spouses. Afterwards they exchange rings, putting them on the fingers of their left hands. Traditionally, at an American-style wedding, the newlyweds leave the church first. They go for a walk - walk through the beautiful places of their city and take photographs as a memory of a wonderful day. This moment is very similar to a Russian modern wedding. But whether people cry bitterly at an American wedding will be known to those who have been there themselves.
American style wedding: highlights
American wedding: where to hold it
In the homeland of traditional American celebrations, the location is chosen based on the time of year and accompanying weather conditions.
In the warm season, try to organize an outdoor ceremony in a picturesque place in nature. It will be very cool to visit it afterwards and remember those wonderful moments associated with it. A classic wedding arch is installed at the appointed place, seats for spectators are organized, and a registrar is invited. At your discretion, during the cold season the banquet can be moved indoors. Not a single American wedding is complete without an important ritual, which consists of the bride’s father leading her to the altar, where the groom is waiting for the girl.
Preparing for an American wedding
America has its own rules for organizing wedding banquets. And the very first point is the solemn moment of engagement, which, as a rule, occurs about six months or a year before the wedding.
The list of pre-wedding chores includes the obligatory organization of a rehearsal for the holiday. This is done so that it is possible to provide for all the small nuances that may arise during the celebration itself. In America, it is customary to draw up a clear wedding script. It is recommended to schedule official registration a few days before the official date, so as not to pay attention to it during the main ceremony.
American style wedding: bride and groom
An American wedding does not in any way oblige the bride to look a certain way, since America is famous for its freedom of morals. And yet, American women, like most European girls, are more accustomed to seeing themselves in a white wedding dress. As for the style of the outfit, here you can safely be guided by your own taste preferences, the general tone of the upcoming ceremony and the individual properties of the figure. The same goes for makeup and hairstyles.
However, there are some points that you should pay attention to in order to emphasize the American style in your image. Here are the main ones:
- Take with you some relic or thing that was inherited from relatives, which will be a symbol of your strong connection with your family. And, on the contrary, you will definitely need an accessory that symbolizes a new stage in life.
- Ask a happily married friend for a small gift. He will have to bring good luck and peace to your union.
- Take a blue or light blue accessory with you to your wedding, symbolizing purity and purity of thoughts.
The bride's bouquet should have a round shape. Traditionally, Americans fill them with delicate rose or peony inflorescences.
For the groom, an American-style wedding includes a formal, elegant suit or tuxedo. In general, you can choose any option, the main thing is that it harmonizes well with the image of the bride.
As for the newlyweds' cortege, there is no place for traditional Russian dolls, rings and bright ribbons. Americans take this much more simply: they tie rattling tin cans to the car and write the initials of the newlyweds on the rear window.
American wedding: images of guests
At all American weddings, there is a certain dress code for guests, which is agreed upon with them in advance. It is an unchanging tradition that all bridesmaids dress up in the same dresses. You should carefully consider the choice of these outfits; they should go well with the bride’s dress or her accessories, but at the same time not be too flashy so as not to overshadow the image of the newlywed.
American style wedding: decoration
Decorating the hall requires a serious approach from future newlyweds. Please note that an American wedding does not tolerate flashy, random decorations. Everything should be elegant and match the style and tone of the evening. Pastel colors are preferred, but a combination of more than several at once is excluded. The traditional way to decorate a wedding space for Americans is to use fresh flowers and install flower arches. A very bright and spectacular American tradition is when children scatter rose petals, covering the path in front of the bride as she walks down the altar.
American style wedding photo shoot
American and Russian weddings have one common tradition - a photo session of the newlyweds with their guests. It also requires certain preparation, for example, it is worth thinking through several scenes and preparing props, purchasing bright signs with inscriptions against which guests will be photographed.
Very often, American newlyweds order a banner with their names and the date of the ceremony written on it. It is proposed to take pictures against its background for the guests so that they do not get bored while the newlyweds take pictures together.
American wedding: script
If we are talking about an American-style wedding scenario, we should forget some native Russian rituals, for example, bride price or shouts of “Bitter”. The host organizes the course of the event at a calm, gentle pace, avoiding vulgar competitions and toasts. As noted above, in America, marriage registration is carried out separately from the holiday, so you should agree in advance and divide the trip to the registry office and the celebration itself over several days.
Entertainment at an American wedding
It wouldn’t be a bad idea to spice up your American-style wedding by inviting musicians. Live music makes the holiday atmosphere more romantic, sophisticated and bright.
In America, newlyweds always dance the first dance. This is an unshakable tradition, passed on from the generation of old people to the generation of young people who bind themselves with sacred bonds. Afterwards, arrange a dance between the bride and her father, and only after these rituals are completed, guests can support the newlyweds and go out onto the dance floor.
When organizing a wedding in an American or any other style, it is important to remember that moderation and a sense of taste are good in everything. If you follow these principles, the celebration will be successful, sophisticated and touching. It will be remembered by you and your guests for many years and will evoke only pleasant memories and warm emotions.
Wedding dinner
Guests go for a cocktail to the place where there will be a gala dinner afterwards. The newlyweds receive gifts from the guests. It is customary to give money and various expensive things. The role of the bride’s “purse” is played by a white handbag with a drawstring. And large gifts are taken to a special room, where the person responsible for this arranges them. Another important point: when the newlyweds arrive from a walk, the guests greet them, standing in the form of a “stream”. The bride and groom pass through it.
The best man makes the first toast. When everyone has had enough to drink, it's time to throw in the pretty lace garter. This is why the bride puts it on her leg in preparation for the celebration. She throws the garter back, turning away from her unmarried friends. They must catch her. Whoever catches it will be the first to get married. Unlike a Russian wedding, at an American wedding the groom also throws a garter to his friends. Garters are placed on the right leg, above the knee. Sometimes there may be two garters - this is a tradition for North American brides.
Towards the end of the dinner, the young people, holding one knife together, begin to cut the cake. The bride should take a piece of cake and smear it on her new husband. Afterwards, a photo session is held with the guests, and the heroes of the occasion leave for their honeymoon or go to a hotel for the night. In general, it is customary to spend the first wedding night at home. At the same time, it is necessary to leave the guests unnoticed so that the guests cannot interfere with this.
Arranging an American wedding in Russia today is easier than ever. You just need to inform the organizers of the celebration that you need to hold the event in this style. Warn your guests about such a wedding so that they have the opportunity to prepare for it. The young people themselves and their loved ones need to think through such a ceremony in advance in order to take into account all the nuances of its implementation.
The beginning of the wedding: meeting of the newlyweds
The wedding, as a rule, begins upon the arrival of the newlyweds. The groom waits for the bride at the “altar” - the wedding arch, where the host stands ready to conduct the ceremony. Since the wedding is without a price, guests see the future spouse for the first time when she, arm in arm with her father or brother, heads towards the hero of the occasion along the carpet. Live music is playing, the children are in front of the bride, the bridesmaids are behind, then the bride and groom exchange rings.
When the ceremony ends, the newlyweds go to a photo shoot, and guests are invited to drink cocktails in a special place where they wait for the spouses.
What you need to know
Before organizing such an event, it is necessary to study the traditions of American wedding behavior.
Where to spend it? In America, usually, the location of the ceremony depends on what time of year it is outside. An American-style wedding also depends on this; the design will differ significantly depending on the date of the celebration.
If it is a warm period, then an outdoor celebration is held - chairs are placed there for guests so that they have a place to sit comfortably. They also put in a decorated arch and a desk for the registrar. First, the groom and then the bride, arm in arm with their father, will walk along a specially laid carpet. But in the cold months, weddings are held in large restaurants and even hotels.
Postcards. Invitations to an American-style wedding need to be sent out in advance, since usually the ceremony takes place outside the city and people need to understand where and how to get there. Therefore, invitations to an American-style wedding are a very important detail of the celebration and you need to pay a lot of attention to it.
To hold a ceremony in the American style, you need to decorate the cars, like ours, with flowers and ribbons, you can also hang large rings.
Attention! Do you want your celebration to look like a chic and expensive film? See how to decorate a wedding in Hollywood style or in the theme of certain films.
Cortege. The American wedding procession has one distinctive feature. Passers-by find out that these cars are carrying newlyweds for one reason, namely the rumble of cans - they are tied to the cars at the back, and they also attach a sign that says “Wedding”.
Wedding rings. Here only your fantasies and wishes, since there are no special rules for choosing such products. There is one good American sign - the bride should buy the wedding ring for the groom.
Banqueting hall. This is where serious work and thoroughness in every detail is needed. Future spouses should come up with interesting and elegant decorations that could provide a fun and festive atmosphere. The main assistant that helps create such a mood is the flowers that decorate the entire banquet hall.
Remember that for the American wedding style, no more than 3 calm shades are used, or 2 shades, one of which is contrasting, and the second is soft, pastel.
To decorate a wedding hall, Americans use only fresh flowers, and it doesn’t matter whether they are elegant roses or lush peonies, delicate violets or exquisite lilies. It is important here that the flowers decorating the banquet also make up the bride’s bouquet. Literally everything should be decorated with them, like the banquet hall itself, the arch, and the reception desk.
Images of the bride, groom, bridesmaids
An American-style wedding is characterized by the usual, traditional outfits of the newlyweds: a white dress for the bride and a classic, formal suit for the groom. Brides prefer custom-made dresses that perfectly highlight all the advantages of the figure and are unique and individual.
All bridesmaids should wear the same outfits, or at least outfits made in the same style and color scheme.
