To hate that American wedding custom of

[greensmoothiegoddess]

splatting wedding cake on the face of your loved one. FFS. Why? Just why? Can anyone shed light on this weird tradition? I am just watching Four Weddings US and the groom has just smudged the whole plate on her face. Yes she looked mad but recovered well.

Never seen the cake smashing. I can't imagine anyone trying that on a Latina bride and her dress and makeup and expect to keep his balls.

Expatinscotland, I imagine the same would occur with a Jewish Bride..and her mother!

In American films, cakes are always extremely soft, with a thick covering like marshmallow, and are often grabbed by the handful. Aren't they made from packet mixes? You couldn't do that with a traditional British rich fruit cake covered with royal icing.

I did not smash cake at my wedding, I made my husband promise to do it nicely, but he is British and that really would have been damned un-English of him. I have been to weddings where they do the cake smash thing, it's meant to be silly. They do the garter thing as weel, and then you toss the garter. It's meant to be good luck to the man who catches it, just like throwing the bouquet is meant to be good luck for the lady who catches it.

Golden Corral gives me a belly ache. It's one of the cheaper buffet places. My family does buffets for all our family get togethers. Buffets are very big in my family.

You could have knocked the groom out with the icing on my wedding cake.

Yep, have been witness to both the cake splatting and garter removing thing at a very redneck wedding: just bleurgh to both. AND as one of the bridesmaids I had to redo her entire make up after that. Why, oh why?

American wedding cake is like a sponge cake, covered in buttercream frosting and fondant.

I know! I have thought this many times. SO horrible! Also the garter thing...ugh! But then I am easily embarrassed by things like that so it might be just me!

I love the look of cocktail hour. It's never shit triangular sandwiches and mushroom vol au vents either. Lovely shrimp in creamy sauces, huge hunks of meat and don't get me started on the delicious looking drinks. I've seen a few weddings this week where they have a dessert station after the meal too. One woman had 15 types of cupcake

I don't think they do subsidise them either, it's silly amounts that they pay out for a wedding but I suppose they volunteer to be on the show knowing they're having a huge extravagant wedding so it's a biased cross section.

I'm Scottish and I've been to many Scottish weddings and I've never seen any groom remove a brides garter from her leg. I assumed it was an American custom as I've only seen it happen in American films or on four weddings US. I'm also amazed at how they have a cocktail hour then a have a sit down meal, I'd be stuffed.

TooTaboo that is definitely not a Scottish thing. I have been to many weddings in my time and have never seen that or even heard it suggested.

I am an American of a certain age and have been to quite a few weddings in my lifetime. I have only seen the cake smashing thing a couple of times, and it did not strike me as funny, just messy and borderline abusive.

The garter thing actually harkens back to the days when brides and grooms were bedded by the whole assembly of guests and the bride removed her garters, which were ribbons tied around her stockings,and threw them to the guests. Unfortunately, the teeth removal approach seems to be growing in popularity in the US.

I do not watch those wedding shows on TV, but the kind of over the top food service described is not what I am used to. In fact, some weddings might have only finger food, rather than a full meal. But I am in the South where too much extravagance is still somewhat frowned upon.

It's a sponge cake with buttercream icing and sometimes a jam layer.

American weddings don't have two-tiered, 'evening do's so often the wedding will take place and then the cocktail hour is to tide people over until the dinner. If you're invited, you are expected to go to the whole thing.

So the cocktail hour happens whilst the couple gets photos done and all that stuff and then you go into the reception for the meal and then the dance.

Or, for those who have smaller budget or are religious, there is wedding and then cake and punch (no alcohol) reception in the church hall and then you go home.

But if you are invited you are invited to all of it.

They can be VERY flexible, too, because in most states you can marry just about anywhere.

I attended a fab wedding on top of a mountain (that was road accessible for older people) followed by a BBQ where the bridge and groom laid on meat and drink and everyone brought a dish, and mates with a band played, and then a campout.

Ah so my bride was just trying to get her own way by playing the "tradition" card, sounds about right!

Yes, of course. All Americans do this at weddings. Every last one of them. Perhaps they drag out a gun at some point, or pledge allegiance to the flag during the ceremony too...? dripping sarcasm

I'm always amazed at how much I've learned about the customs and ideals of my home country on MN.

I do like the tradition of bridesmaids walking down the aisle before the bride. Someone told me that was American tradition is that true?
I did that at my wedding so that everyone could admire the bridesmaids and then be stunned at my beauty

Yes, lollilou, in the US the tradition is for the bridesmaids to walk before the bride.

Yes, they walk before the bride.

at Lollilou..unfortunately my friends are all much better looking, perhaps I should have gone first in all my over made up shimmering goodness?

The presence or absence of alcohol can be a divisive issue at some American weddings. I recently went to a wedding where the groom's family and close friends were very religious teetotalers. The reception was officially "dry" but the bride's uncles and brothers had organized a discreet, but very well-stocked bar in a remote part of the reception venue. It was almost like two separate receptions.

What about the wedding custom that I have witnessed so often at British weddings, the one where the bride and groom feed a each other a slice of cake and do it a bit forcefully while smearing icing everywhere for the hilarity of it all. Fucking gross. Is an old goat