Family Traditions - The PASH Wedding Forums and Message Boards

AngelRoseFyre · #1 11-13-2006, 05:23 PM

We have a tradition in my family that the morning after the wedding the families goes to the brides parents house and we all hang out while the couple opens their gifts. Ususall the brides mother will make a nice breakfast for everyone or everyone eats left over wedding cake.

Ian looked at me like I was cazy when I told him about this, he said he had never heard of that before, and most people have a brunch for everyone invited to the wedding the next morning (which I have heard of as well).

Has anyone else ever heard of a 'morning after the wedding' tradition similar to ours, or did my family just make up a weird tradition way back when?

**Ian also thinks it is strange to have the rehersal dinner the night before the wedding, am I missing something here and am I behind the times or something?**

justnmary · #2 11-13-2006, 05:33 PM

We had a rehearsal, plus dinner the night before and the day after we had lunch in the park with left over wedding cake and opened the gifts under an awning at the park. It was fun.

munchkin · #3 11-13-2006, 06:32 PM

No, I've never heard of someone doing what your family does, but that doesn't mean it's weird or wrong, I've just never seen it.
Most people have their rehearsal dinner two days before their wedding so that the day before everyone can just chill out. We're planning ours for the Thursday, and getting married on the Saturday, for the same reason. Also, it gives people who came in from out of town an extra day to visit with everyone, since visiting at the wedding and rehearsal dinner isn't as easy since there are a ton of people.

Sh@ks18 · #4 11-13-2006, 06:38 PM

My friends family did that for her wedding, but they met up at the grooms parents house because thats where they moved in to.

For my brother, we had the rehearsal the Thursday before the wedding, which was on Sunday. That gave us time to run errands and do last minute stuff on Friday and Saturday.

We didnt do anything the day after the wedding because I dropped them off at the airport at 5am the next morning so getting together was not an option, but im sure we wouldve gotten together too if we could have.

NovemberGal · #5 11-13-2006, 06:57 PM

I've never heard of a morning after tradition like that either--but then, I'd never heard of opening wedding gifts in front of anyone or displaying them in anyway either. It may well be a regional thing. My in laws did host a brunch the next day, primarily because our wedding sort of served as a reunion for hubby's very large, close knit family. They invited my parents as well, who had intended to have a breakfast for my side, but then not many of my relatives came to the wedding, so that didn't happen. My husband and I did not go to the brunch.

We did have a rehearsal dinner the night before the wedding. The Thursday before the wedding was Thanksgiving, so that wouldn't have worked too well.

justnmary · #6 11-13-2006, 07:03 PM

I believe it's a regional thing. I don't know anyone that doesn't do a rehearsal the night before and not a gift open the day after unless they are leaving for a honeymoon. So yea, my vote is that it's a regional thing.

MyManandMe1007 · #7 11-13-2006, 09:03 PM

My cousin did what your family does after her wedding. But, her wedding was the day before Mother's Day and I think my aunt did it more for a Mother's Day brunch thing rather than a wedding thing.

As for a rehersal dinner...I always thought you had a rehersal and then dinner. At least that's how we've done it with wedding in our family.

AngelRoseFyre · #8 11-13-2006, 09:05 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MyManandMe1007

As for a rehersal dinner...I always thought you had a rehersal and then dinner. At least that's how we've done it with wedding in our family.

Thats what I thought too. And you have the rehersal the day before so it is still fresh in everyones mind.

labeadel · #9 11-13-2006, 10:58 PM

We had our rehearsal and RD the night before, and that's how it was done for every wedding I've been involved in. I've never done it 2 days before. And I don't know of it being a regional thing, b/c these are weddings from the midwest and the west coast.

As for the morning after gift opening, I've heard of this being done many ways, so no, you guys aren't weird. However you want to do it... We didn't do one at all as we left very early the next morning for our honeymoon.

ljeagle · #10 11-14-2006, 12:12 AM

I had never heard of the rehearsal dinner being on any other day but the day b-4. But every one is different. I had never heard about the family gift opening until I can to this site. Around here it is always done in private so that one gift won't look better then another.

Leslee&Jake · #11 11-14-2006, 12:18 AM

I was under the impression that the rehersal is always the day before. I have never been to it any other way. For the gift opening, we usually just have breakfast with the whole family and dont really open the gifts then

AngelRoseFyre · #12 11-14-2006, 01:27 AM

I am a little worried about one gift looking better than another as well. But I guess with just close immediate family, and a few cousins and my aunt, who we are very close to as well, and probobly the bridal party there, it may not be as big of a deal. I will of course leave it optional for everyone invited to the breakfast, if they don't feel comfortable there, then no pressure of course.

As for the honey moon we are not leaving until Monday, the wedding is on Saturday. I wanted a day to chill out and hang out with ace between the wedding and leaving for the honeymoon.

My mom and I are also thining of going out and buying Ace some presents to open while we are opening ours. Since he is so young, and we are putting a big emphesis on including him in the wedding, we don't think he would quite understand why we get gifts and he doesn't, beside it will entertain him while we are opening and socializing, and give him something new to play with while we are on the honeymoon.

sparklesweetie · #13 11-14-2006, 02:33 AM

DH had never heard of having a RD either. However, we didn't have a rehearsal, just dinner the night before. We left on the next day for our honeymoon as well, so we didn't do presents or anything the day after. I don't think I would anyhow, as I wouldn't like everyone staring at us to see what we've got, and then you have to put on a face....etc., etc.

We did open presents when we got home (weren't going to, but opened up the cards and that led to presents, lol) and it was nice that we didn't have to pretend when we opened up something and was like WTH?

But it's all good, no matter how you choose to do it.

OH!-my mom's side of the family were all shocked when they found out that we were not opening the presents at the reception. But I guess to them, that's what they did back then.

DragonYoga · #14 11-14-2006, 02:32 PM

I don't think we will be opening gifts at the reception either, we'll most likely truck 'em to the house and open them in private.

The wedding I was a MoH in, they opened theirs at the reception, and it had to be the most boring part of the reception...!

They left for their honeymoon the next day, so I can understand why they would right then and there, but augh! Not for me. Dancing, eating, chatting, and more dancing is all that's going to go on there!

DF's family tradition: Dollar dances. That's gonna be FUN!

Yelycrazygirl · #15 11-14-2006, 02:51 PM

In PR we don’t do dinner, we do a rehearsal, you know so everybody knows what they are supposed to do, but no dinner. The rehearsal doesn’t have to be the day before, can be schedule whenever, so that’s not a tradition back home. Also the gift opening, that doesn’t happen either because is custom in PR to give money as a gift … So all this rehearsal dinner thing and gift opening is totally new for me. Right now, we are not having a dinner; we are going to do a rehearsal… So Rachael, everybody is different and do whatever is more comfortable for you and your fiancée.

michandmitch · #16 11-14-2006, 06:51 PM

I thought everybody had the rehersal and rehersal dinner the day before the wedding. I guess that shows just how much I don't know!!

I don't think there is anything wrong or strange with your family's traditions, even if nobody else had ever done anything similar. That's the thing about family traditions; they are unique to the family. I say do whatever feels right!

Emily · #17 11-15-2006, 05:04 PM

We are having a rehersal dinner the night before with the bridal party and we are also have a brunch the next day from 11am - 3pm, if we get any gifts we will open these then (we have asked for gift vouchers so arent expecting any gifts)
The brunch is for all the people who were at the wedding and also some extras that we werent able to invite to the wedding!

Alot of people in NZ do the brunch the next day thing!

AngelRoseFyre · #18 11-15-2006, 05:07 PM

What are gift vouchers? I haven't really heard of that here, is it common in England?

feb-bride · #19 11-15-2006, 05:09 PM

We had our RD two nights before the wedding, but that was only because our chapel would not allow us to have a rehearsal on a Friday night (we got married on a Saturday). Since our rehearsal was on a Thursday, we went ahead and had the RD right afterward. Other than my rehearsal, every single RD I've ever been part of has been the night before the wedding.

I've never heard of everyone going to the bride's mom's house the morning after the wedding, but that doesn't make your family weird for doing so.

Emily · #20 11-15-2006, 05:12 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by AngelRoseFyre

What are gift vouchers? I haven't really heard of that here, is it common in England?

Ummm a gift voucher is like I think what you guys call a gift card - i.e. they give us a certain amount to spend at a certain store! In NZ its not offensive to ask for Gift Vouchers or Money we are getting a combination of both!! Also our gift vouchers will be held at the store (we have nominated one certain store) until we return to NZ 2 years later so we can spend them then!

Kim&Bob2004 · #21 11-15-2006, 10:39 PM

I have heard of a breakfast the day after the wedding where guest are also invited, though I have never been to one.

As far as rehearsals and dinners. We did our the evening before the wedding. Though my brother and his wife did theirs like mid week or something.....

ohiobride · #22 11-15-2006, 11:29 PM

After DD's wedding, we had a very informal get-together at the groom's parents' home and had leftover wedding cake and watched the happy couple open gifts. It was fun, and I plan to do something like this for my own wedding.

birdie · #23 11-16-2006, 04:14 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ohiobride

After DD's wedding, we had a very informal get-together at the groom's parents' home and had leftover wedding cake and watched the happy couple open gifts. It was fun, and I plan to do something like this for my own wedding.

I think this sounds fun! Maybe we'll do it for our wedding depending on honeymoon stuff.