Weddings - SA vs USA

So it has been a busy couple of weeks over here with wedding season. As many of you know I am mildly obsessed with weddings and all things involved in any opportunity to get all dressed up and celebrate in style.

So I have recently been to a couple of weddings and all the other fun occasions involved in the leading up to weddings and I thought I'd share because there are a few differences between what we do back home and what they do over here.

Firstly, we all do the pre-wedding celebrations but the people of the South over here really know how to make the wedding couple feel special - and decorate three houses at the same time. Now I know at home we do hen parties but over here it's lingerie parties, bridal teas, pampered chef parties, tool parties for the boys and so much more. All of these things (whilst putting a strain on all the guests wallets) give the lucky couple a chance to build a full house full of lovely stuff.

Now for the actual wedding celebrations. There's not too much difference here, you know the whole concept is the same. In terms of the ceremony, in America they put a lot more emphasis and focus on the parents which I find really nice. There are some really sweet traditions which I've seen like the sand ceremony which symbolizes the coming together of two families.

Now to the fun part - the reception. Now this is where I've seen the most differences. Now I'm not saying that either one is better, I guess its just a matter of personal taste and where you want to put your focus and of course money.

So firstly, at any South African wedding there are a few close family friends that are never left off the guest list - those are of course Mr Jack Daniels, Mr Smirnoff and lovely Aunt Bubbles. So far on this side of the world I've only seen Bubbles make one appearance and I seemed to be the only person who embraced her.

Another difference is that we seem to place a lot of emphasis on the celebration and the traditions like cutting of the cake and the first dance. South African wedding celebrations are all about good food, good wine and great company. Over here the company is probably the biggest thing which is never a bad thing. Also in SA we focus a lot on decor and service, paying maybe too much attention to the small things in order to portray the perfect look and image and to make sure that every wedding is better than the last persons.

Maybe in SA it is more of an industry and over here its really each to their own. Over here the families put in a lot of the work decorating and cooking and making center pieces. In SA there would be a lot of people out of business if we had to do things that way.

So again I"m not saying that one is better than the other but there is definitely a few differences. So bottom line being that for my day I hope to take a little from each side and make something fantastic! And don't worry Uncle Jack, Mr Smirnoff and Auntie Bubbles - you will definitely be receiving an invitation.