AN AMERICAN set to be wed to her British beau has cast light on the intriguing differences between the two countries where nuptials are concerned.
Mariel Loveland took to social media to discuss her thoughts on the culture clash between a supposedly typical British wedding and a wedding in the United States of America.
The singer, who lives in London but grew up in New Jersey, admitted that there had been some tension over aspects of the wedding between the pair.
The American told viewers of the differences with guestlists, food and even the aspect of who pays for drinks.
Her video begins with Mariel sat facing the camera dressed in an orange strapped crop top, saying: “I’m getting married in a month and I’m marrying a British guy.
“I had no idea how different British weddings are from American [weddings].”
She then begins her list by saying: “So, here are the biggest differences. One, a British wedding is like two separate parties.”
“You invite your closest friends and family to something called a wedding breakfast – an early-ish dinner. You just sit and have your fancy dinner.
“After that, you have a second guest list, which would include people you’re less close to – like your distant cousin, your colleague, your parents’ friends.
“They come to the evening reception and that’s when the DJ starts playing hits. Everyone starts drinking the hard stuff and things get lit.
She then compares this to a US wedding by saying: “In an American wedding, you could not invite someone to just half the wedding.
“I don’t know what would happen if you tried but we serve dinner at the same time that the party is happening.
“So, you can have the joy of getting club [music] blasted at you while you eat your overcooked chicken – I’m not really a fan.”
She moves on to talk about bars at weddings, adding: “In the UK, a cash bar is normal. Our caterers didn’t even offer an open bar package, it just didn’t exist.
“I know that’s common in the middle of the United States but where I’m from in the New York City area, cash bars are almost unheard of.”
She adds: “Here, it’s more common to get around it by not hiring a bar or bartenders, buying bulk alcohol like Bottle King and people mix their drinks like you would at a normal party.
“[In America] people would riot if they showed up and had to pay for their drinks.”
She jokes: “I guess I’m just jealous that British people get to do that and their friends and family don’t talk trash about it.”
She moves on to speak about the next point on her list – cocktail hour and food being served alongside it.
Mariel says: “I think this is specific to the New York City area. The cocktail hour at the weddings I’ve been to have had an absurd amount of food. It’s basically like dinner number one.
“At the same time, people are drinking mass amounts of hard alcohol. At a British wedding, you have welcome drinks and a normal amount of food.
Mariel took to social media to share the video on Thursday with the caption: “I had no idea how different weddings are in the UK compared to the US, until I decided to marry a British guy.
“Gotta say, tons of traditions I love.”
The video received over 14,400 likes and more than 1,200 comments from baffled viewers who shared their thoughts on the cultural differences.
One person wrote: “I’m English and at my brother’s wedding for the welcome drinks, I had a glass of aperol spritz and three double gins. We were all drunk during the ceremony.”
Another said: “The concept of a rehearsal the day before baffles me, like what do you need to rehearse? Now you’ve walked down the aisle twice, makes it less exciting.”
A third commented: “At a Scottish wedding, you have to include a ceilidh at the reception. Fun, mental, slightly dangerous dancing fuelled by booze.”
A fourth added: “Wait, what? So, in America, your guests are getting a free meal, they get free drinks as well? That’s insane.”
A fifth wrote: “An open bar here in Scotland would literally bankrupt you.”
A final commenter said: “And I’ve seen US grooms in baseball caps and jeans. Which, as a Scot, blows my mind.”
