Photo (above) by Gert Huygaerts
1. Your engagement ring...
is bigger than big. The bigger the stone, the greater the love? American women attach importance to a valuable and expensive engagement ring. Preferably one with a large, sparkling diamond. An engagement ring is something to show off, that much is clear.
2. Everyone should know
Just got proposed to? Everyone can and will know. Even complete strangers. If you're standing in line at the checkout, for example, you'll get a huge ring shoved under your nose with the words “I'm engaged, can you believe this?” Even if you don't know this overjoyed woman, you congratulate her and you are, sincerely, very happy for her.
3. No wedding without cake
Weddings and cake go hand in hand in the States. A giant layer cake with glazed marzipan and sugar roses, a bride and groom figurine on top, and sickly sweet icing or frosting can be found at every American wedding.
4. Quick honeymoon
We celebrate with all our friends and family until the early hours of the morning, dancing the night away at the reception. The American bride and groom are there during the reception to welcome all the guests, perform the opening dance, throw the bridal bouquet over their shoulders, and then leave, preferably in a car with “just married” written on it, for the airport, on their honeymoon.
5. Bridesmaids in a row
Does the movie “27 Dresses” ring a bell? The leading actress in this romantic comedy was a bridesmaid no less than 27 times, but never the bride. In America, every bride has a string of bridesmaids at her side. They all wear the same dress (or at least a variation of the same dress) in the same color. During the ceremony, they stand – literally – next to the bride. The first in line is the Maid of Honor, or the witness.
6. Great responsibility
... for the Maid of Honor, the witness. Whereas in Belgium the witness is primarily there for the bride during the preparations for her wedding day, providing moral support and signing the wedding register, the American witness has a greater responsibility. In Belgium, the bride and groom take care of the preparatory work – in America, it is mainly the bride and the Maid of Honor. The Maid of Honor helps choose everything: the flowers, the dress, the cake, the invitations, and so on.
7. Something blue
We are increasingly doing the same thing: on your wedding day, fulfilling the well-known rhyme ‘something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue’ by wearing something old, something new, something borrowed, and something blue on that special day. In America, this is a ritual that no one dares to break!
8. The rehearsal
Admittedly, we are very nervous about the big day and try to imagine ourselves walking down the aisle or entering the reception hall. In America, they have a solution for this. The day before the wedding, they ‘rehearse’. The family, witnesses, bridesmaids, and groomsmen are all there, and they go through the motions in ‘normal’ clothes. No more nerves. Or at least, not quite...
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