Weddingbee

I also grew up in the South, but now live in CA… my first friend to get married’s mother is also from the South so we both knew about all these traditions and got a kick out it when ppl had no clue.
At her wedding they had a grooms cake and everyone kept asking, “Why are there too cakes?” “What’s with the cake shaped like a Beaver?” (They met @ Oregon State, and their mascot is a Beaver). I just refernced the Armadillo from Steel Magnolias and the got it

I’m from Austin, so yeah I thought Bridal Portraits were pretty normal. I don’t plan on doing them, but my friend and cousin both did them. I always looked at it as a way to put your trials (make-up, hair, etc) to good use and maybe make sure it all photographs well. I don’t know what my friend did with hers, but my cousin had hers on display at the reception.

I’m a southern bride and my FI’s family is from the north. I had to explain to them our southern traditions. You mentioned most of them (groom’s cake, newspaper announcement, bridal portrait). But the one that they couldn’t get their heads around was the bridesmaids’ luncheon, and in particular, the bridesmaids’ cake with the little charms in it.

Bless their hearts, they can’t help that they aren’t southern!

Even though here in Boston people don’t really think of doing bridal portraits, I love to do them!

Okay, now that I understand the how’s and why’s - I vote for your hair down for the bridal portraits and hair up for the wedding. The bridal brunch/luncheon is something I have hosted for a friend and my mother keeps asking for my wedding - and we are from the Midwest originally. I like the idea of the brideal luncheon, but that is just one more thing to do the day of the wedding, so I’ve kindly asked my mom if we could skip that tradition and have a brunch buffet in the suite where we are getting our hair and make-up done. I’m not sure where the bridal luncheon tradition came from, and I love the idea, but it is hard in what is already a very busy day.

I’m not sure if it is becuse I am LDS or from the Northwest, but everyone I know gets their bridals done. Groomals are becoming more popular now as well, with the bride and groom taking photos together in advance of the wedding so it doesn’t have to get squeezed into the wedding day.

I live in the South too, so I understand about the sweat! I swear by the time I leave my truck and make it to whatever building I’m going to, I’ve already sweated a gallon! There is this stuff called oil mattifier from Mary Kay that keeps your makeup from melting off… I used it on my wedding day and my face stayed on- tears and sweat and cake and all!

I’m in Oregon. I had never heard of bridal portraits until I started wedding planning. We don’t typically have grooms cakes, although I’m familiar with them.

But we definitely put our announcements in the paper!! I thought everyone did that! Maybe not in big cities? I had my engagement in my small hometown paper, but not in Portland where I currently live.

Hehe, this reminds me of a conversation I had with a guy in college who was originally from Seattle but had spent a semester in the South (I can’t remember where - maybe Georgia?). He said that he preferred Southern girls to NW girls “because they take better care of themselves.” He sheepishly realized that it was technically an insult to me, but I pointed to my rain-frizzled hair, blue jeans, and fleece jacket and said “I understand.”

I’ve heard about the cookie table tradition in NE Ohio and Western PA. We are having our baker provide a variety of Polish and Italian cookies/pastries as well as the cake for our reception. We aren’t having favors so I may provide glassine bags for the guests to take home with them. We ahve tried to incorporate traditions that tie us to our families heritage/ancestry.

I’m from the northeast and we put wedding announcements in the paper- I thought this was something people did in all parts of the US. I’m not sure, but I think people here do have bridesmaid luncheons too….