Traditional Wedding Receptions

It used to be called a wedding breakfast because, however late in the day it was held, it was assumed that the bride would be too sick with nerves and that the bridegroom would be too sick from the stag night for either of them to have eaten beforehand.

After the wedding, usually held in a church, everybody would go to a different location for the reception. The bride and bridegroom and their families formed a 'receiving line' to greet their guests and there was a strict order for this:

• bride's mother
• groom's father
• groom's mother
• bride's father
• bride
• groom
• chief bridesmaid
• best man.

Next, the guests would be offered a drink, usually sherry, before being shown the seating plan and invited to go to their tables. The procession into the dining room was the same as the procession after the wedding ceremony:

• bride and groom
• bride's father with groom's mother
• bride's mother with groom's father
• chief bridesmaid with best man.

The seating plan, like the receiving line, was always the same. The top table faced the other tables and, from the right, the seating arrangement would be:

• groom's mother
• bride's father
• bride
• bridegroom
• bride's mother
• groom's father
• chief bridesmaid
• best man.

At the other tables, all facing the top table, the bride's family would be seated on the right and the groom's family on the left with friends towards the back. If the priest who conducted the wedding was present he would be asked to say grace before the meal. At the end, the best man, or toastmaster, would introduce the speeches in this order:

• The bride's father, with a toast to the bride and groom.
• The bridegroom, who would thank the bride's parents and all the guests for coming, toast the bridesmaids and present them with their gifts.
• The best man, who would thank the groom on behalf of the bridesmaids and read out the cards and messages.
• The cutting of the cake followed the speeches. The bride held the knife in her right hand, with the bridegroom's right hand on hers. The cake was then taken into the kitchen. Some was cut into slices for the guests to eat with their coffee and some was packed into boxes to send to the guests who couldn't come to the wedding. The top tier was saved for the christening.

If there was to be dancing, the bride and groom would lead the first dance with the best man and chief bridesmaid joining in half-way through. Finally, the bride and groom used always to leave before their guests, having first changed into their going-away outfits. Just before leaving, the bride would turn her back on the group and throw her bouquet over her shoulder. The single female who caught it would be the next bride.