Hi,
We will be marrying in the UK; both of us are British and we'll be following standard British wedding conventions. The ceremony, speeches and other conventions will all be broadly in line with standard British weddings; there won't be anything that a British guest would find unusual.
Guests will be coming from all over the country and further afield and we will be providing rooms for the majority of those who are travelling. Some American family friends will also be coming; they are on holiday in the UK at the time and happily our wedding date coincides with their visit. We're not particularly close but it will be good to see them after many years.
They are not hugely well travelled outside of the USA and this will- as far as I know- be the first wedding they've ever attended outside their own country. Reading these forums, it's surprising (and interesting) to see how different American customs are to ours. There are so many things which would be unusual or unheard of here (bridal showers, wedding rehearsals and rehearsal dinners, the short duration of the average ceremony/reception) and things which are normal here which apparently go against American customs (cash bars, separate invites for the ceremony and wedding breakfast vs the evening reception/buffet).
I want them to feel comfortable and have a good time, but am wondering if I should advise them in advance what to expect, and if so how to do this in a tactful way. Things concerning me are the lack of a rehearsal/rehearsal dinner (which doesn't exist here)- will they likely be expecting us to host a meal the night before? Also, we'll be providing a welcome drink, half a bottle of wine with dinner per guest and a drink to toast with, after which they will need to purchase their own drinks from the bar ('open bars' are practically unknown here). Will they need forewarning of this, and if so, how best to let them know tactfully? Also, our ceremony will be at 1pm, with the reception ending somewhere around 1 or 2am; fairly standard here but by my understanding far longer than most American weddings. These are the main unfamiliar customs I'm worried they might need forewarning about.
Am I overthinking this; can I reasonably expect them to understand and accept that they are in a different country with different customs and to go with the flow, or are these big enough issues for someone only familiar with American ceremonies that some degree of advanced notice would be needed, or at least appreciated? If that's the case, how best to inform them in a non-patronising way?
Thanks for any input
Eilidh
