August is over!

As my best friend Jessica says – time to start the year. Has anyone else never gotten over the idea that you’re still in school and September brings a new year?

A lot has happened in the last couple of weeks. Here’s a break down in the next couple of entries.  I will break them up one by one so as not to exhaust you.

English Wedding #3 (or #2 if you count the ones I’ve actually been to for the actual wedding)

Location: Frome, England (just outside of Bath) in a 13th Century Church called Orchardleigh

It poured it down. For most of the day.  Until the wedding ceremony was over.   Then gorgeous cumulus clouds took over, and made for the perfect day for taking photographs. Not too sunny, not too dark.

A wasp stung the back of my neck. It hurt, but did not swell. Phew.

Free champagne. Free alcohol for that matter!

What English weddings have that American weddings don’t:

1. No free alcohol normally (I know, I was a bit shocked myself when I found out, but this wedding was different since they were able to get a better rate by holding it on a Monday.)
2. Older women wear hats, younger women don’t tend to.
3. Really really old churches, and the option to host your reception in a castle.
4. Oh, and did I mention that we slept in a castle that night as well?
5. Castle, castle, castle
6. Bets on how long the best man speech will run (seriously, every table puts in money for a guess at the time it will take him to finish. I guessed 17 min 36 seconds, and I lost. I think it was only 8 minutes long)
7. Women don’t tend to give any speeches what so ever – Groom, Best Man and Father of the Bride
8. I have yet to see a bouquet thrown or a garter being worn…(I think this happens, but I haven’t seen it)
9. The groom has a best man, but the bride doesn’t get a maid of honor usually (she must be married if she does)
10. I have yet to hear the hokey pokey, the YMCA or the chicken dance (Thank God!)
11. Oh, and a lot of times the space is limited, so it isn’t considered rude to not invite the girlfriend to the actual wedding if the couple have never met her. She can come later to the reception after dinner and the service. This one was hard for me to swallow…but I’m not bitter.  Nope, definitely not bitter. Why would I be bitter?

All in all, it was a fantastic wedding, and 4AM saw us to bed.

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