In some parts of the southern states, it is not uncommon for the father of the bride to escort the groom, not leading him, but following him ... with a shotgun.
Well, here we go! Another different (and nice :lol: ) habbit from another region! The more local customs we collect, the better :lol: :lol: :lol: Oh, just btw: is it typical that the groom has to be "escorted" using the rifle? I mean what is the reason? Cultural, traditional or you do not have pretty girls :twisted: down there :lol: ?
Exactly - "shotgun wedding" is a humorous (well, maybe not so humorous) phrase describing a forced wedding where the bride-to-be is pregnant and the husband-to-be is unwilling to marry.
Hey, guys, I know, what "shotgun wedding" is - my post Iwas just teasing :wink:. :wink: . Could it be Czech humor, maybe?
Knew you were kidding (saw the smileys) - just explaining for some of our Czech friends (and others on the forum) who may not have heard the term. Anyway, a lot of Southern girls are pretty and a lot of them are... not :roll:
Just to let you guys know, Sova was joking. There are no wedding ceremonies with papa escorting the groom with a shotgun. That kind of scene you see in the comic strips or old black and white tv comedies. Sounds like something you'd see on the 'Beverly Hillbillies'. Though I'm sure in times past the poor fella was told, 'marry my daughter or else!'....this part understood...(something bad will happen)
David, of course you are right - we really don't need to be perpetuating any old, untrue stereotypes about the South - but it is fun to talk about such silliness
Hi gang, New to the Board here. I just married a lovely Czech woman in Ostrava on 1 March. I asked her father permission to marry her...quite old fashioned I think. Some of the traditions caught me off guard...how typical are these traditions and what is the meaning behind some of them. The witnesses (best man and bride's maid) stood behind us rather than beside us...they both held flowers...upside down. We had cake rolls made that were sent home with family members and some of the guests... Most curious about this one... We were met at the door of the reception hall by a waiter who handed my wife a plate, and me a dust pan. She broke the plate, I had to sweep it up. I asked her to help, instead she kicked the dust pan knocking what I'd swept up into the floor again...I again asked her for help and after a moment she "relented". A bib was tied around us as we fed one another soup. Her friends were going to "kidnap" her at some point during the reception with me hunting them down and paying their bar bill as my bride's price. No one was sober enough to drive except my bride and I so it didn't happen. All in all it was great fun.
Yerusalim, WELCOME to Czech customs !!! Well, I thought your love should have warned you (at least I warned my husband a bit) before the ceremony because I knew our wedding would be different from the US habits. Well, our wedding was conducted by my friends in Russian style (quite interesting - a Czech girl marrying American in Prague in Russian style). Once (provided I will have a glass of good wine available - in other words I will have enough courage 8) ) I will write more about this event. Anyhow, my replies: Yes, the witnesses are supposed to stay behind you during the ceremony. I do not know about the way the hold the flowers but I believe it is up to the witness-girl. It would be considered absolutely inproper if they were next to the bride and groom. Yes, everybody who attends the reception, gets "vysluzka", e.g. some food take out home. It is considered well-mannered. Breaking the plate is considered "a training" for the newlyweds. I am from Prague so I do not know traditions in north east Moravia; in Prague somebody breaks the plate and the newlyweds are supposed to clean up the mess together (= e.g. from now on to stick together as a couple). But this custom may vary so your wife might have expected you to clean the mess yourself because of the local custom. I do not know. In every aspect I believe she should have warned you though ... honestly. Eating the soup is similar to feeding each other with the cake. Czech people do not care for the cake that much; the most important part is the soup (the really funny part comes when they give you a small tiny spoon or a spoon with holes - and you are supposed to feed your partner). Kidnapping the bride is a must in Czech reception. And yes, the bride is driven to some bar where everybody drinks etc. So the sooner the groom finds his wife the better for him (the smaller the bill is because they did not manage to drink and eat that much). Once I attended the reception where the groom could not find his wife for 4 hours - when he saw the bill, he almost had a heart attack :wink: But I am glad you had fun; to my honest believe I think that Czech people can have a lots of fun together :twisted: :twisted: :twisted: Shooot - no wine available here. OK, I will write about my wedding day some another time. Because this one was much wilder, trust me. From this comes my advice: NEVER drink with Russians :wink: and just talking about that one requires a lots of courage ... :twisted:
My husband's brother and his friends kidnapped me. They were suppose to stay in the small village of Hluboka so he could find me quickly as I didn't want to miss my reception. They took me to a bar in Česky Budejovice that didn't exist when my husband lived there. The bar was above a closed store so my husband would never find it. About 3 or 4 hours later, my husband's cousin called him and snuck me out of the bar to the street where I met my husband. So my husband never had to pay the bill. :twisted: When we got back to the reception in Hluboka, almost everyone had left and I missed all the fun. I was NOT happy at all. :x
Usually, yes. But I know some examples when husband took her wife's name, or the both use both surnames. But I guess this is same in all EU, Czechia is no exception.
