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ISSUES: Marriage
Chapter 1: Marriage
The majority of wedding traditions are
still popular, but don’t ask the bride’s
family to pay
Whilst very few think the bride should agree to obey her husband, most people also
don’t think she should get to speak at her reception.
W
eddings are a joyous occasion, and people seem
to be particularly fond of many of their traditional
aspects. Of 12 wedding traditions surveyed by
YouGov, seven traditions were still favoured by more than
half of people. The most popular wedding traditions are
the groom having a best man (78%), the bride and groom’s
first dance (75%) and the best man’s speech (73%).
People were only in favour of dropping three wedding
traditions. The bride’s family paying for the wedding was
the most unpopular, with 76% saying it should be dropped
against 9% saying it should be preserved. Indeed, the
majority of people (56%) feel that the bride and groom
should bear the main cost of the wedding, followed by
both sets of parents (30%).
The other two wedding traditions people would like to
see dropped are the bride promising to obey her husband
(70% of all respondents, and 80% of women), and giving
out wedding favours to guests (42%).
The speeches at wedding receptions are traditionally a
male-dominated affair. The groom, best man and the
father of the bride all expected to make a speech, and
people seem to be broadly happy with this arrangement.
Six in ten (62%) believe the best man should give a speech,
as well as 51% for the groom and 48% for the father of the
bride. Despite the increasing popularity of the bride giving
a speech, though, just 16% of people think that she should.
Indeed, this view is just as widely held among women as
men. Women are actually more likely than men to want
the best man, groom and father of the bride to speak
(particularly those last two – possibly because men can
imagine themselves having to give that speech and don’t
want to), and are marginally less likely to think that the
bride should speak than men.
Common wedding dilemmas for couples…
The survey reveals attitudes on common dilemmas that
many engaged couples may face in planning their wedding.
Starting from the very earliest point in the wedding process,
the most accepted time for a couple to be together before
getting engaged is between six months and two years,
according to 57% of people. Being together for at least a
year is the most popular choice, with 27%, followed by at
least two years (18%) and at least six months (12%). Women
are slightly more likely than men to favour a longer run-up,
with 56% thinking couples should wait for at least a year,
compared to 50% of men.
In terms of picking a date, couples will be pleased to
find they are afforded plenty of flexibility, with the vast
majority (87%) of people thinking that it is acceptable to
have a wedding on a weekday.
Opinion is split on which guests should be allowed to
bring children to a wedding. Three in ten (29%) think that
only children of close friends and family should be allowed
to attend. A further 25% think that all guests should be
allowed to bring children, whilst 21% think that only
children of close family should be allowed. Only 9% of
people think that children shouldn’t be allowed at all.
Knowing whether to invite younger children can present
a more complex dilemma, with the potential for the
ceremony to be disrupted by noise. Couples should be
aware that slightly more people would prefer for children
under the age of six to be able to attend rather than be
excluded (40% vs 36%).
In terms of getting invitations sent, most people would
prefer to receive a wedding invitation by post (61%). A
further 26% don’t care one way or the other, whilst only
3% would prefer some sort of online or email invitation.
They also feel it is perfectly acceptable for the couple
to register a list of wedding presents (74%) or to ask for
money instead (59%).
…and for guests
Likewise, the survey also provides help for wedding
attendees. Should a couple send a wedding invitation with
no information or guidance on presents, the majority of
people opt to either: give money to the couple (28%), give
a gift voucher (26%) or a boxed present (21%). Similarly,
if the wedding invitation doesn’t provide information on
bringing a plus one, the majority (52%) of people believe
this means that you should not bring a guest.
10 August 2016
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