We love all of the brides and grooms that take inspiration from and are featured here on Over The Moon equally, but after writing about lots of different weddings, we found ourselves curious . . . what exactly do we Americans do differently when compared to couples in two of our other favorites locations—a.k.a. the U.K. and France? There’s a lot of crossover between us and the Brits, obviously, but we do call our bachelorette and bachelor parties by completely different names, so there are definitely some semantics and specifics that divide us. And that effortlessness the French are known for is something we aspire to whenever hosting anything!
So what brings us together? According to Lauren Crispin, of the mother-daughter team from The Mews Bridal, a boutique with locations in the U.K. and New York that specializes in Parisian wedding fashion, Chanel binds us all! . . . which, even though it’s vague, somehow makes sense. Below, she pinpoints exactly where we differ from our friends across the Atlantic when it comes to how we say “I do”:
Something English
“In England, we are quite superstitious and there is a list of things you need to help you walk down the aisle on your wedding day: Something old, something new, something borrowed, and something blue,” Crispin says. The list originates from an Old English rhyme, and their version ends with “something blue, a sixpence in your shoe,” for prosperity. “We quite often stitch a very small ribbon into our British brides dress’ to tick the something blue off of the list!” Even though us Americans have taken on the tradition, we may see it more as loose guidelines.
Practice Makes Perfect in the U.S.
“The rehearsal dinner is a tradition that typically only American brides adhere to,” Crispin says. “We really love the idea of getting your nearest and dearest together the night before the wedding. This is a tradition we hope will catch on with our brides across the pond, and, bonus, it means you can wear another outfit!”
Vive Le Fête
“With French weddings there is no curfew—you keep partying until the early hours of the morning whilst sipping copious amounts of champagne!” Crispin says. Unlike in the U.S. where the band often has to stop playing at 11:00 p.m. and silent discos are on the rise, French weddings truly go all night—and all morning. “A French wedding is the chicest affair you’ll ever be invited to,” Cripsin divulges. “Pro tip: Be sure to wear comfortable shoes, so you can dance the night away.”