In the Middle Ages, bridesmaids used to wear the same outift as the bride. This was to confuse any evil spirits who wished the bride harm. Nowadays they are more likely to be dressed in such a way as to scare any evil spirits away, after all no bride wants to be outshone on the big day.
THE RECEPTION
After the ceremony there is usally a reception at which the married couple, the couple's parents, the best man and the wedding entourage greet each of the guests. At such events it is traditional to eat and drink - a lot.
During the reception a number of speeches and/or toasts are given in honour of the couple.
Any dancing is commonly started by the bride and groom, usually termed the "Bridal Waltz", but dancing an actual waltz is comparatively rare - often the couple chooses their favourite piece of music or a song.
An arranged dance between the bride and her father is also traditional. Sometimes the groom will cut in halfway through the dance, symbolizing the bride leaving her father and joining her new husband.
Just MarriedAt some point the married couple may become the object of a charivari, a good-natured hazing of the newly-married couple. While this is most familiar in the form of tying tin cans to the bumper of the couple's car, or spraying shaving cream on the windows, some of the pranks can be far more malicious. The worst one I've ever heard of is when the bride and groom returned from honeymoon to find their front door had been bricked over.
The final tradition is the newly married couple to set off for their honeymoon.
Cutting the cake
HAVE YOUR CAKE AND EAT IT
At the wedding reception an elaborate, tiered, wedding cake is often served. Traditionally this is a fruit cake. Often there are a couple of little figures on top of the cake, normally they are a representation of the bride and groom in formal wedding attire.
It is considered lucky for the couple to cut the cake together. It symbolises them working together during their marriage. A tier is usually stored, and eaten by the couple at their first wedding anniversary, or at the christening of their first child. The cake can be frozen and if the top tier of the cake is fruitcake, it can be stored for a long time, because it's so full of sugar (and often alcohol) that it's very well preserved.
People who were invited to the wedding, but were unable to attend are often sent a piece of cake in a small box, as a memento.
One superstition is that unmarried guests should place a piece of wedding cake under their pillow, as it will increase their prospects of finding a partner. Bridesmaids who do so will supposedly dream of their future husbands, which must make Johnny Depp a potential bigamist.
BRITISH WEDDING TRADITIONS
Traditions include:-
Toast the couple The happy couple toast each other. (This has nothing to do with sliced bread.)
The first dance The newlyweds have the fiirst dance.
Cutting the cake The couple cut the cake together, this symbolizes their first meal as husband and wife (see above).
Throw the bouquet
The bride may throw her bouquet to the assembled group of all unmarried women in attendance, with folklore suggesting the person who catches it will be the next to wed.
(A fairly recent equivalent has the groom throwing the bride's garter to the assembled unmarried men; the man who catches it is supposedly the next to wed.)
Just Married It is usual for the couple to go away on holiday together. This is called the honeymoon.
Carrying the bride On arriving back home it is traditional for the husband to carry his wife into their new home. This is called carrying the bride over the threshold.
THE COST OF GETTING MARRIED IN THE UK
In 2004 the average wedding in the UK cost £16,000, and prices have risen since then, by 2012 it stood at £18,500, and according to Brides Magazine in 2015, it is a whopping £24,716! Of course there is no need to get caught up in Competitive Wedding Syndrome, none of it is actually necessary. You can simply get married and live happily ever after.
Here's a poem about getting married.