Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunter's Campfire Unexpected Wedding Traditions

Traveled several hundred miles and just got back from my niece's wedding in eastern Nebraska. She and her now husband have been living in sin for twelve years and finally tied the knot.

Outdoor wedding at a very nice farm. Dinner and dancing to follow. Looked forward to happy event.

Immediately....and I mean immediately after the "kiss the bride", the entire wedding party got into trucks and left. They were gone for about what seemed to be an hour. Turns out they all went to the bar and had drinks.

When I asked what the deal was I was told "It's a Nebraska thing." Ok. My parents came from this exact part of the state and I never heard of this tradition.

Any other wedding traditions to confuse the outsiders?

In our part of the world, part of the best man's duties is to come to the groom just before the ceremony and offer him a ride over the state line, with no questions asked.

I was best man for several weddings, and did my duty. In one instance the fellow nearly took me up on it, but decided to go through with the wedding. It took him 6 months to get out of it afterwards. The bride announced on the wedding night that she was going to remain celebate.

In another instance I heard of after the fact, the groomsmen decided to spike the groom's drinks and after he passed out, took him to the Greyhound bus station. He woke up crossing the Georgia line mid-afternoon the next day. He was hopping mad, but later decided it was for the best.

My parents talked about a 'chivaree'. Basically, practical jokes like removing or loosening the hardware on the bed, rocks in hubcaps, removing labels from canned goods. It sometimes went as far as a fake kidnapping the bride and making the anxious groom pay a ransom.

Have a cousin that did the same thing....except it was more like 15 years. Unless they converted to Christianity, which did not happen in my cousin's case, the only point I see to that is it puts the woman in a stronger position legally to loot all the guy's stuff when she gets tired of him.

I believe in the modern vernacular, such men are referred to as "simps".

In my case it was the most absurdly farcical thing ever. Plus it made me miss a Saturday of college football.

Running off to the bar between the ceremony and reception is a thing here in WI too.

I read about a great chivaree. It was a middle aged farmer who married a younger woman. He knew his family had a wild chivaree planned. When he and his bride got to his house, they immediately slipped out the back door and went into a corn field. They walked 100 yds into the field to where he'd cut down the corn, spread out a carpet, and hauled in a bed and a cooler of drinks. They honeymooned in the corn field while the family whooped it up around an empty house.

At my brother's wedding reception, I was "decorating" his car. I had help from some junior high and elementary school guests. Cops rolled up on us and my accomplices abandoned me and fled. I was standing there with rolls of toilet paper, cans, and string. Officer just waved as he went on his way.

In rural NE PA, It was called a “horning”. Honey moon night, ( 2-3am) Neighbors would surround the house where the newly weds were staying. Start blowing horns, banging pots and pans, noise making in general. Expectation was for newlyweds to invite neighbors in to continue the post reception party.

Only lived there 4 years. So never got to participate in a “horning”. But sounded like was a good time for all involved.

I have this tradition that involves me telling people to go fugk themselves when they invite me to a wedding.

You forgot the LOL.

Weddings and the craziness it infests upon families and friends is precisely why we eloped in Las Vegas 30 years ago.

LOL

Wife told me the other day about some cousin on her side getting married in December.

What kinda self absorbed dick head gets married in December?

How can you tell if it’s a formal Polish Wedding? They wear white bowling shirts.

Why do they put a pound of rotten meat on the altar at a Polish Wedding? To keep the flies off the bride.

How can you identify the Bride at a Polish wedding? She’s the one with the braided armpits.

Indeed. One of the main reasons we eloped was we were tired of getting invitations from people we barely knew and felt pressured to send them "a little something". By eloping people did whatever they wanted.

We've had numerous people tell us they wished they had eloped and saved themselves money, time, and emotional stress. It's not for everyone, but it was for us. No regrets.

Sounds like a different name for a chivaree

I can do you one better…

Have a kid without ever telling your family that you’re having a kid.

LOL

That a good tradition. I get the mail, throw away all invitations that come to my house.

I have an older uncle that avoids everything that involves other people, esp weddings. When my mom got married an few years ago for the 4th time, he was invited.

He declined and said he'd catch the next wedding instead.

Perhaps the stupidest wedding tradition is spending scads of money on a "Barbie princess" wedding that could be put to much better use by the couple.