Real English American wedding
English and American weddings are so different and it was so lovely to photograph all those different wedding traditions. I find it quite surprising but both nations celebrate a wedding day a bit differently. Every new experience like this makes our wedding photography job even more interesting.
English American wedding – the vows
Compared to the American weddings, British couples rarely write their own vows. The reason? Church of England uses the same script for every wedding. Our couple took a different approach – they chose a celebrant – and photographing those moments was truly magical.
Wedding toasts – such a pleasure to photograph!
At British weddings toasts are more like roasts and American weddings are a bit more sentimental, so when the American guests heard the toasts and the speeches at this wedding, they looked rather surprised. Obviously photographing those moments was such a great experience!
English American wedding – the speeches
British weddings traditionally only have three sets of speeches. When our American groom found out about the fact that he has to say something, he said to his bride – okay, but in this case you’ll have to say something too. The speeches at this wedding were THE MOST AMAZING ones we have ever heard and photographed!
Dress code
We love photographing wedding guests! This might come as a surprise to an American guest but almost every wedding outfit in the UK has a fancy hat or fascinator. Other than that, British weddings tend to have more casual dress codes than the American ones.
Day and evening guests at British weddings
Well, this didn’t happen at this English American wedding, just imagine living in America and only being invited to the evening party in the UK? But yes, that is true – English weddings have two categories of guests – day and evening guests. Very often the couple asks their day guests not to share the photographs on social media because they want to keep their looks as a surprise for their evening guests.
Open Bar at British weddings?
No way. We have photographed over 300 weddings so far and the open bar happened only a few times. This English American wedding was one of the very few exceptions. Generally it is more acceptable to have a cash bar in the UK than it is in the US.
British weddings are shorter
In America wedding days turn into wedding weekends whereas in the UK they often finish around midnight. I must admit that, as a wedding photographer, I quite like this approach because I know that in many different countries photographers have to keep documenting the guests until the morning hours. An unless you have a fancy swimming pool, there is not many photo opportunities that can happen after midnight.
Planning your own English American wedding?
We have photographed quite a few international weddings and always find them fascinating. Get in touch with us, let’s have a chat – who knows, maybe you’ll like our approach to wedding photography? Here’s another English American wedding and at this one I’ve learned that American brides, in addition to throwing bouquets, also tend to throw garters which is very rare at English weddings.
