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.

I did.

My parents got married in a chapel on a naval base 3 weeks after Pearl Harbor. The only family who could get there were Mom's mother and aunt. It stuck, though. When Dad died at 92, they had in well over 60 years.

I thought everyone did that. Here though, the bridesmaids "steal" the groom and the groomsmen "steal" the bride and go bar hopping at different (separate) bars for about an hour.

Yep. Work friend 10 years ago from West Chester County NY. Apparently where some of the uppity people live. Involved with Broadway and media companies in addition to IT stuff. Daughter’s wedding, done right, was going to cost north of $75 Large. Families got together. Said “Screw it”. Had a small wedding and gave money to newly weds for down payment on their first home.

While everyone invited to the reception stands around wondering "Whatinhell am I doing here?"

My family tradition is to run into some family at the grocery store and invite them to a wedding. Several months ago saw my brother grocery shopping.
He asked me to his son's wedding. It's June. I have no idea what day. I'm not going to call and ask since I haven't heard from my nephew forever. Never a call or visit. I picked out a couple of good gifts, but hey. No formal invite or even a card...... what's an uncle supposed to do?

Back in the day, on my mother's side of the family, they would kidnap the groom, after the wedding and lock him up in jail. Many a bride spent her wedding night alone, or at least without her husband.

We live about 100 miles from my grandparents and when my mom's baby sister got married, Mom told everyone that we were headed home after the ceremony. When we loaded up in the car, Mom's baby sister and husband slipped into the car with us. Mom drove right past her uncles, who were posted at the end of the 1/4 mile driveway, and slipped my aunt and uncle away.

around here the tradition is to get schit faced drunk and fist fight close relatives followed up by prodigious puking.

You must have been at the same wedding. Sorry I didn't recognize you. This is precisely what happened.

Lots and lots of really dumb-assed "traditions" designed to spoil the day for everyone but the asswipes perpetrating them.

In my kingdom my favorite wedding tradition is prima nocta.

Was at a wedding in WVa. 2nd cousin was in the Navy, brought home a Portuguese chick. Her family came for the nuptials. Not sure if it’s a “tradition” but the story ends with him having words with her family, a handgun discharged in the living room of the house the “reception” was held at and the groom spending his wedding night sobering up in jail. Portuguese were wheels up the next day as fast as they could get to an airport.

We cut the wheels and tongue off your new trailer.

Around here they live them underneath it just in case.

Now that sounds like a party Beaver would want to be at...Who wants to do body shots of tequila off the bride ?

LOL

🦫

Harder for the Repo man when the wheels and tongue are off💡

Portuguese snowblowers

The only reason brides are smiling is cause they know they have given their last BJ.

Yep. Pretty much the M.O. here. Mothers in law and such can get a bit uppity about newlyweds actually having fun after the ceremony. We ran to the bar anyway.

I have a wedding to attend this weekend. I like the bride and groom but the whole deal is silly. People traveling in some cases thousands of miles to come sweat their collective asses off at an outdoor wedding in east TX. Thousands of dollars spent on clothes and shoes that’ll never be worn again plus all the other foofoora that goes along with it.

I like my grandparents’ style, they got married on a Sunday afternoon in the spring in the preacher’s yard with only my Grandad’s dad as the witness. Paid the preacher $5 and charged headlong into life together. Been 69 years this past month.

No. They all "visit" and catch up with old friends and family. It's not that big of a deal. It gives people a chance to show up from where ever the wedding was held. Then when the wedding party walks in, everyone joins in the celebration.

If you feel the wedding party is disrespecting you just because you "bothered" to show up, you should have never attended the wedding in the first place.

Sheesh


Hold into the ham buns!

My feelings exactly.

This sounds like stupid chit.

Show up or don't.

Where I'm from the chivaree was a surprise housewarming if it was decided that the couple was taking too long to have one.

Seems to be a "thing" in Iowa and Missouri too. Wedding party leaves for an hour or more, goes bar hopping or just go drinking somewhere and than come back.
Not sure when this started, but I'm not a big fan when your standing around at the reception hall and there is not wedding party.

Wife’s hillbilly cousin got married to some ‘far extinguisher’ inspection boy whatever

In a hoe down events barn.

I guess that’s the new tradition. Bunch of no-goin-to-church mfkers get married in an ‘events pavillion’ nowadays on some yuppie’s wedding planner farm.

I know my church won’t let your heathen asses get married there if’n you ain’t a member. So that’s that. A lot of Baptist churches are like that around here.

It rained lol

So the ridin six white horses hokey BS had to be cancelled and the 60s convertible corvette you take pics in too was cancelled.


Now...there was a rented big tiddy bar tender gal, ‘open bar’ wasnt her money or liquor so she was fixin some damn good drinks. 😃👍

Another good party, if they were passing out roofies and Adderall to the guests.

🦫

My parents got married in a similar fashion in the 1950's. They went to the preacher's house to tie the knot, then had a get together with local family at my Grandfather's house. They were married over 50 years until Dad died.

Average people back in the day had neither the money nor the audacity to throw weddings like they do now.

Today’s IDIOTS do weird stuff!!

Yep

^^ This ^^ .

Increasing rare, just staying married.

Big weddings don't last.