Weddings in England are a blend of timeless traditions, the classic elegance of the English cities and English countryside charm. From the beautiful attire inspired by the royal family to the heartfelt celebrations,  English weddings are cherished occasions filled with love and joy.

To find out more about English wedding traditions and wedding planning in England, we asked Liga Newman, who kindly shared her experience in the English wedding industry.

About the author:

Hi, my name is Liga, I moved to the UK in August 2013 to study Hospitality Management with Tourism at the University of Portsmouth. After four years of university, I graduated with first-class honours and started my journey in the wedding and events industry. I have years of experience coordinating weddings at a historic hotel at the Buckler’s Hard overlooking the Beaulieu River. Alongside my job at the hotel, my husband Nathan and I have been running a photography and videography business.

Wedding planners/wedding coordinators in England

One of the first things couples should do when planning a wedding is to contact professionals and create a reliable team that shares the same vision. But, sometimes, it is not as easy as it seems because there are several types of specialists in the wedding industry. Confusion usually arises when you have to decide – do you need to hire a wedding agency to plan your wedding; maybe an independent wedding planner will work best for you; or maybe a wedding coordinator is enough.

That’s why I would like to explain a little bit more about the difference between a wedding coordinator and a wedding planner. A wedding planner is more of a decision-maker than a wedding coordinator will be. They can help you to create a theme or feel for the day, design decor, set and manage your budget, book vendors, and help to plan the wedding. A coordinator is there to make sure the plans you made are carried out properly on the day at your chosen reception venue.

English wedding traditions and customs

I would say that usually,  English weddings are not very complicated and with a few traditions. Nowadays, a traditional English wedding would be a church ceremony or civil ceremony, followed by a drinks reception, wedding breakfast, speeches, cake cutting, first dance and dancing until midnight. When it comes to weddings, there is an extensive list of traditional customs that can be found in the UK. Most couples incorporate some of these traditions into their ceremonies, but each couple will be different.

Here are the main English wedding customs and traditions:

The white wedding dress

For the bride to wear a white wedding dress is of the traditions you can find all over the world, and England is no exception. The white dress has been a part of wedding fashion for hundreds of years and is an old favourite for many brides. The majority of brides choose their dresses at a bridal shop or bridal boutique. They would choose a dress that they like, and then it is ordered in their size. However, for those couples whose budget allows, they tend to go for handmade wedding gowns.

Grooms wear

Groomsmen traditionally wear a suit or a tuxedo that matches or complements the dress that bride is wearing.

Giving bride away

In the UK, it is traditional for the father of the bride to give his daughter away to the man she is going to marry.

Something old, new, borrowed, and blue

You have probably heard this before in American movies, but this popular wedding tradition started in the 1800s and is related to an old English rhyme that first appeared in 1871 in St James’ Magazine. It is still practised today, and it is a way to symbolise new beginnings. All these tokens are given to the couple as a reminder of the love their family and friends nurture for them.

Receiving line

This is one tradition that I believe is slowly disappearing. A receiving line is where the couple plus their parents all line up to welcome and thank their guests for coming. This either happens when their guests arrive at the wedding reception venue or as guests make their way into the wedding breakfast.

Cutting of the cake

In the UK, cutting the wedding cake is one tradition that has always been an important part of the bridal party.

First dance

Traditionally, the first dance is had by the bride and groom and is then followed by a dance with the bride and her father. This usually happens just after the cake cutting and happens at pretty much every wedding unless the couple isn't particularly keen dancers.

Bouquet toss

So this tradition would have happened as the bride and groom were leaving the venue to go on their honeymoon, and the guests would be left to party. Although, I have never experienced this. At every wedding I have been to or worked on, the couple has stayed to party with their guests, then go off on their honeymoon a day or two later, but the bouquet toss does still happen at times.

Carrying the bride over the threshold

Carrying the bride over the threshold in the UK started to protect the bride from evil spirits and prevent her from stumbling in her dress. It is a tradition that the groom carries his bride over the threshold of their new home, which symbolises entering a new life together.

English wedding ceremony and reception

There are a few options for the ceremony here in the UK. Couples can either have a civil ceremony which would be an official ceremony run by the registry office at the chosen venue, a blessing run by a celebrant or a friend, or a religious ceremony at a church.

Civil ceremonies are more popular than religious ones here in the UK. These can be either held at the town hall or a chosen venue. However, for the registrars to marry you at the chosen venue, your chosen ceremony room needs to have a wedding license. The civil ceremony normally takes up to 30 minutes, it is traditionally run by two registrars, and you are required to have two witnesses.

Church ceremony – A religious marriage ceremony can take place in a religious building which has been registered for worship and solemnisation of marriages. Church ceremony normally takes up to an hour, it includes hymns, bible readings and blessings. Depending on where you are in the UK and what kind of church you want to marry in will impact what you need to do. You don’t have to be religious to have a Church of England wedding, anyone is welcome to have a Church of England wedding, regardless of their beliefs, as the vicars understand that ‘spiritual beliefs are complex and varied’. Many couples dream of a church wedding somewhere they have a real connection to; that could be a local church close to where they grew up or went to school, or somewhere that their parents and grandparents married. One of the couples who we photographed got married at a church where their parents and grandparents were married; this was a very special place for them.

Blessing – It is not a legal ceremony, meaning that you won't be legally married. However, it allows you to create a ceremony that is tailored to you and is personal to you. You could either book a celebrant or you can ask your family or a friend. If your chosen venue does not have a license, this is a perfect option. Couples that choose to have a blessing normally have a civil ceremony at a registry office before the wedding day.

Wedding planning in England

Once couples have chosen their wedding venue next important step will be to choose wedding suppliers. I always recommend my couples to take their time talking to suppliers to find the right ones for them as they will shape the overall theme, style and cost of the wedding. Wedding venues may already have a list of recommended suppliers which is a great place to start. Same to the wedding venue, your suppliers will have different styles, especially photographers. The process of choosing your suppliers will be similar everywhere in the world, you might use social media, word of mouth, or recommendations by the venue to choose your suppliers.

Running of the day – from breakfast till midnight

Order of the day, I would say, is very similar all over the world. Traditional wedding day in England starts with a busy morning of the bridal party and groomsmen getting ready separately whilst the venue is busy decorating. After the ceremony, guests enjoy drinks and canapes. During this period couples often have their confetti photos taken, all formal photographs and group photos. Following the drink reception, guests will be called in for wedding breakfast. Wedding breakfast stems from an old tradition from the 19th century where couples used to get married a lot earlier in the morning. Part of this tradition meant that nobody ate breakfast before the wedding, so a little breakfast meal was held after. This tradition is still carried on today, referring to it as the wedding breakfast even though you may have already had your breakfast beforehand.

Either before or after the meal, speeches will be held. Some couples prefer to have speeches before the meal, this way, if they are nervous, they can get that out of the way and then enjoy the meal. The wedding toast is a tradition in the UK, where friends and family will raise their glasses at the newlyweds. Traditionally the father of the bride will do the first speech, followed by the groom and best man.

After the wedding breakfast, guests will enjoy more drinks until the evening reception can begin. The venue might use this time to turn around the reception room for the evening, bride and groom can freshen up or capture some more photos with the photographer, like those sunset photos!

Once the dance floor is set the evening reception can begin. Often couples have more guests arriving for the evening reception. They start the reception with the cake cutting followed by the first dance and dance away until midnight. In England, most evening receptions will finish at midnight due to venue restrictions. There will be venues that will allow a 1 am or 2 am finish, but the majority of weddings will finish at midnight.

Author: Liga Newman

https://www.instagram.com/liganewman/

https://www.instagram.com/newmanphotographic/

https://www.newmanphotographic.com/