Nowadays, weddings made in a certain theme are increasingly becoming popular, and a celebration made in the traditions of a beloved country is especially loved by young people. Lovers always dream that their wedding will be original and be able to reflect the essence and style of their life, their interests, and character.
If you are close in spirit to the classic noble features of England, its grace, restraint, then a celebration in the English style will easily suit you.
England is rich in its centuries-old traditions, some of which were even able to come to Russia and other countries. What rules must be followed to ensure that the wedding matches the English theme.
How to organize a wedding in English style
At first glance, the newlyweds will think that organizing a wedding in a certain style is expensive and time-consuming. You have to choose the necessary decor, buy it and use it correctly, without going beyond the theme. It's not that difficult! The issue of cost depends on the desires and capabilities of the newlyweds. You can refuse the services of a decorator, because many details of the wedding decoration can be done with your own hands - this will significantly reduce the cost of preparing for a celebration in the English style. However, if you plan to celebrate your wedding in style, you will still have to spend money.
If the newlyweds have definitely decided to hold a celebration in the English style, then for inspiration it is worth searching the Internet for thematic photos of similar ceremonies and pictures related to England. This will help you feel the right emotions, which will later help create the overall wedding ambiance. Remember that you cannot treat the design of an English wedding with disdain: if you decide to follow this style, then the entire celebration should be imbued with it - costumes, accessories, cake, invitations, place cards or even cars.
Stewart Parvin
Stuart Parvin studied fashion at Edinburgh College of Art. He worked with the famous couturier Donald Campbell. In 1995, he opened his own boutique and created the Stewart Parvin brand.
Stewart's motto is elegance and sophistication. He quickly gained popularity in royal circles and became a favorite of Elizabeth II. Her Majesty awarded the designer an order as a sign of her high appreciation.
When the British royal family decided to celebrate the wedding of Princess Anne's daughter Zara Phillips, it was no surprise that Stuart Parvin made her dress.
Image of the bride and groom
When choosing a dress for the bride, it is important to observe the inherent British restraint and elegance. A wedding in the English style involves a classic long snow-white dress on the newlywed, but the use of other colors to create a wedding dress is not allowed. We must not forget that the English mentality is characterized by restraint, a lack of frills or glamor, but the overall appearance of the newlywed should be luxurious and somewhat prim.
The indispensable wedding attributes of an English newlywed will be classic high-heeled shoes, a long white veil, and a pink bouquet. For the wedding ceremony, the bride traditionally puts two blue garters on her stockings, and the young woman supposedly accidentally loses one of them on the way to the registry office, and single friends of the newlyweds pick it up and walk with the find around the wedding venue with jokes and jokes. It is believed that this English custom guarantees a young family healthy offspring.
Another timeless English wedding tradition is to take something old, new, borrowed or blue and put 6p in a shoe. Before the ceremony, the bride can take her mother’s old necklace, put on a blue garter, or borrow a hairpin from her sister. The young woman's wedding dress will be new. And don't forget sixpence. Modern brides still wear decorative horseshoes on their wrists on their wedding day.
The groom's traditional wedding attire is a suit or trousers with a shirt and vest, and at an English wedding, rolled up sleeves of the shirt are allowed. The style of the celebration requires the groom to wear white clothes. The entire suit or individual details, for example, a bow tie, top hat, tie, or scarf, can be white. Jewelry for the groom will include items with traditional English symbols - cufflinks with an engraved flag, a bow tie or socks decorated with national colors, etc.
Ian Stuart
Jan Stewart is one of the most sought after in the world of wedding fashion.
He studied design at the University of London. He completed an internship at Bellville Sassoon, one of the most famous English fashion houses, which sews evening dresses for members of the royal family.
He holds the most prestigious titles and awards, including "Britain's Best Bridal Fashion Designer" and several American Design Excellence in the Bridal Industry awards.
His works are often equated to works of art. Jan is a big fan of fashion history and theater, which is reflected in his vision.
Dress code for bridesmaids and guests
According to English canons, there must be at least six bridesmaids. They traditionally wear outfits of the same style, which the newlywed chooses. But only one friend is always chosen, and he is responsible for keeping the wedding rings until the newlyweds exchange them. He must also look after all the bridesmaids during the wedding banquet. His outfit often looks like a classic dark three-piece suit, but the British often make the best man's suit in the same color as the bridesmaids' attire.
Guests can come to the celebration in evening dresses and classic suits. You should not choose bulky jewelry or colorful accessories for an English wedding - stick to a restrained style. According to tradition, the heads of ladies invited to a wedding should be covered with some kind of headdress; modern women prefer flirty hats or light shawls. But bridesmaids do not have to cover their heads.
What came from England
Some things related to the wedding ceremony are so ingrained in the culture of Russian weddings that it never occurred to us that these traditions came from prim England.
- For example, this rule includes the use of a snow-white wedding dress, this is an innovation of Queen Victoria.
- The honeymoon, which we all love, can be considered an English tradition.
- The traditional celebration of bachelor and bachelorette parties came from England.
To hold such a celebration, it is not necessary to strictly follow all the rules, but some points should still be observed so that the wedding design is as close as possible to the wedding style.
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Wedding decoration in English style
Newlyweds should decide what style they want to have their wedding in - a chic Victorian or a more democratic cottage style. If the bride and groom are favorable to the first option, then you need to take a closer look at the corresponding pieces of furniture and decorations made of wrought iron. Lovers of a simplified style should opt for wooden benches and simple white arches decorated with flowers. Newlyweds are recommended to adhere to the traditional British wedding colors and use blue, white and red tones for the decoration of the celebration.
An English style wedding involves decorating the path to the altar with flower petals or baskets of fresh rose buds. A wedding car decorated not with a doll, but with a couple of Teddy bears famous in England, will look unusual. To add some color to the celebration, you need to find wooden carts or wheelbarrows, paint them with light paint and fill them with flower pots - this will create a cozy, warm atmosphere at the holiday.
Wedding outfits
As mentioned earlier, the English style is very conservative. Therefore, you can usually see the bride wearing a white long dress, medium-sized heels and a bouquet in her hands (yes, in England they also throw it to her friends).
There are interesting nuances! For example, in a bride's outfit, the garters on the stockings should be blue (this is the custom), and it is also customary to wear something new, old, and borrowed from a friend (these are the oddities of the English style, and you have to borrow from a married friend).
The bride loses one of the garters, as if by accident. According to tradition, it should be picked up by bachelors attending weddings and carried around the wedding venue. This custom supposedly guarantees the health of the family and future children.
The groom, according to tradition, can appear in a white suit with a white vest, but a black suit will not be a gross violation, as long as everything looks conservative. If we follow English traditions in everything, then the groom should think about a top hat.
In accordance with the English style, it is advisable for the bride's friends to be dressed alike. The groom's best man must keep the rings with him until the ceremony.
Invitations and cards for guests
The next step is to create invitation cards. With their help, newlyweds can hint to guests about the style of the planned celebration. It is necessary that the English theme is clearly visible in the design of the invitations. Wedding cards should be decorated with national symbols; perhaps the bride and groom will decide to depict the famous Tower, Big Ben or a portrait of Shakespeare. Don't forget to indicate the place, date and time of the celebration in your postcards.
Banquet hall decor
When decorating a wedding banquet, it is important to observe a sense of proportion, the sophisticated style inherent in the British. Leave traditional balloons, ribbons, and bows aside - instead, the newlyweds should decorate the venue with fresh flowers. At an English wedding you need to use vintage dishes, tablecloths, and cutlery. Long white candles in antique candlesticks will be a wonderful addition to the created color of the celebration.
An English-style wedding traditionally takes place outdoors - in country cottages, rented old estates or other picturesque places. The atmosphere of sophisticated England should be felt at the celebration. This will be facilitated by decorative elements selected by the newlyweds: books, red bonbonnieres, replicas of telephone booths or buses for which Great Britain is famous.
An important detail of an English-style celebration will be table decorations. The bride and groom should take care of creating or purchasing suitable flower arrangements. Newlyweds can opt for round cacti decorated with fresh flower buds, or make compact “baths” in which small candles will float. If the newlyweds have the opportunity, they can collect wildflowers and put them beautifully in baskets.
The bride's bouquet
The bride's bouquet should be in English style. White or red roses are a classic option. You can choose other flowers - lilies, callas or orchids, but roses in England symbolize love, so it’s better to stick to them. Do not burden the bouquet with many decorative elements; the composition should turn out elegant, delicate, and restrained. Interestingly, it is not customary for the British to throw a bouquet at the end of a formal banquet; instead, the bride's brother throws his shoes. The girl who catches the shoe will soon find her soul mate and get married.
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.
Treats and traditional English tea
An English wedding is not held without a tea party, which includes such traditional desserts as:
- Date pudding with caramel sauce.
- Eton strawberry dessert with cream and meringue pieces.
- Charlotte.
- Syllabab (fruit puree with white wine and cream).
- Victorian cake (sponge cakes layered with jam or fresh berries), which is served instead of the usual wedding cake.
In addition to various fruit desserts, it is customary to serve duck, puddings, casseroles, all kinds of sauces, and fried pork at the wedding table. However, the main dish of an English-style festive banquet will be lamb fillet baked with vegetables. Newlyweds should stock up on a sufficient amount of alcoholic drinks - champagne, red and white wine.
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A wedding celebration in the English style gives the future bride and groom the freedom to show their originality by organizing an unforgettable event for all guests. Newlyweds have the opportunity to experience a completely different culture from the inside, to get used to the image of true Englishmen. If the bride and groom have always liked adherence to traditions and canons, family values, a sense of tact and classics in any form, then a wedding in the English style suits them best.
Wedding photo shoot in English style
The conclusion of the wedding celebration should be a stylish photo shoot. Perhaps the newlyweds decide to go to London for this purpose, where they will hold their personal photo shoot against the backdrop of famous English architecture, or they will select the necessary decorations and stay in their hometown. Whatever decision the bride and groom make, the wedding photos will look like frames from a romantic film, and the album will become a family treasure. Then you will proudly show the pictures to your children and guests.
