# British Weddings **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [February 2, 2005, 1:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/british-weddings/287972 "2005-02-02T13:10:14Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 5
**Author:** ![CBCD](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/9fc348/32.png) [@CBCD](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CBCD)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2005, 2:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/british-weddings/287972/81 "2005-02-05T02:48:31Z")
> [@Zebra](#): > > Not being silly. > Basically every movie theatre in American has a Marquee. A large sign out front that you put the movie titles on so people can know what is playing at the theatre. > A Marquee Name is someone like Tom Cruise, Tom Hanks, or Julia Roberts. If you owned a movie theatre you would put their name on the marquee as well as their name will bring in people. > > [/NBS] > > This thread has made me two tents. Consider yourself whooshed! šŸ˜‰ ---
**Author:** ![CBCD](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/9fc348/32.png) [@CBCD](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CBCD)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2005, 2:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/british-weddings/287972/82 "2005-02-05T02:49:32Z")
> [@Rayne Man](#): > > Why is it that people with big houses find it necessary to hold the wedding reception in a marquee ? Isnā€™t there room enough in the house? They are not being slightly pretentious by any chance , and just showing off to the neighbours? Inside the house is where they stable the horses. ---
**Author:** ![CBCD](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/9fc348/32.png) [@CBCD](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CBCD)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2005, 3:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/british-weddings/287972/83 "2005-02-05T03:11:30Z")
> [@CBCD](#): > > Consider yourself whooshed! šŸ˜‰ Oh wait, maybe it was just I who was whooshed! :smack: ---
**Author:** ![Zebra](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/c0e974/32.png) [@Zebra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zebra)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2005, 5:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/british-weddings/287972/84 "2005-02-05T05:31:35Z")
> [@CBCD](#): > > Consider yourself whooshed! šŸ˜‰ On second thought, letā€™s not go to the wedding. It is a silly place. ---
**Author:** ![Rayne\_Man](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/df705f/32.png) [@Rayne\_Man](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rayne_Man)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2005, 7:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/british-weddings/287972/85 "2005-02-05T07:42:30Z")
> [@Kyla](#): > > Why not just have that stuff inside? Then you donā€™t get all muddy. This is what most people do. There normally isnā€™t room inside an ordinary house so the usual thing to do is hire a large room in a hotel or pub, the local church / village hall or a social club . The caterers and band/disco are hired and there you have the wedding reception. The small size of the average back garden ( yard ) would also rule out many people using a marquee at their own house. It just seems that marquees are used by those sort of people who want to be noticed. ---
**Author:** ![GorillaMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/50afbb/32.png) [@GorillaMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GorillaMan)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2005, 7:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/british-weddings/287972/86 "2005-02-05T07:56:20Z")
> [@Kyla](#): > > Then you donā€™t get all muddy. Marquees have full flooring, assembled in sections. ---
**Author:** ![Jennyrosity](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/2bfe46/32.png) [@Jennyrosity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jennyrosity)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2005, 10:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/british-weddings/287972/87 "2005-02-05T10:04:39Z")
Actually, I phrased that rather badly. The marriage _ceremony_ is performed elsewhere, while all the festivities afterwards are held in the tent. As **Quartz** has pointed out, the reason you donā€™t it have inside the house is because the people who live in the houses that hold these sort of events probably donā€™t want stuff which has been in their family since the Crusades getting ruined by the drunken uncles/crying girls. ---
**Author:** ![fortytwo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/f9ae1b/32.png) [@fortytwo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fortytwo)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2005, 11:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/british-weddings/287972/88 "2005-02-05T11:06:11Z")
The last wedding reception I attended I was banned from my normal role of ā€œdrunken uncle pestering all female guestsā€ This was because I had to play the role of ā€œfather of the bride giving a speech disparaging my new son-in-law and his familyā€ I enjoyed this much more than the "uncle"role, and Iā€™m sure that my subtle insults were much appreciated by those present (not in a big tent unfortunately- I know my place in society) Waking up in hospital the next morning was a bit of a downer but I heard that the in-laws were very sympathetic about my broken arm and nose. I just wanted to add though that working class folk like myself do have the opportunity to use a marquee, and my chance arose when having to attend a party during the last World Cup final the host realising that there might be a conflict of interest installed a huge TV screen showing the match. Instead of vol-au- vents we had chicken curry - a much better idea. Beer and curry are naturally meant to be taken together, itā€™s a tradition. ---
**Author:** ![CBCD](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/9fc348/32.png) [@CBCD](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CBCD)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2005, 1:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/british-weddings/287972/89 "2005-02-05T13:48:00Z")
> [@Pandora](#): > > In a semi serious responseā€¦ > The American use of ā€œMarqueeā€ originally referred to the roof often found covering the sidewalk in front of theaters. (So the audienceā€™s fancy dress clothes donā€™t get messed up by the weather or pigeons or whateverā€¦ thus preforming a similar function to the original tent of the same name) > Theater owners put signs on these marquees advertising the shows/movies or the stars thereof to attract business to their theater. And, in the normal way of slang, these marquee signs eventually came to be refereed to as marquees in their own right. Thus resulting in yet another British/American word war. Kidding aside, I learned something here. Iā€™m an American. I call that thing over the entrance to a theater a ā€˜marquee,ā€™ and I call that thing in which outdoor, summertime charity auctions and alumni dinners are held a ā€˜tent.ā€™ For those of you who are British speakers of English, what do you call the structure with the large letters on it in [this](http://www.photo.net/philg/digiphotos/200102-e10-london/palace-theater.half.jpg) photograph? It is a picture of the front of The Palace Theater in London. ---
**Author:** ![GorillaMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/50afbb/32.png) [@GorillaMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GorillaMan)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2005, 2:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/british-weddings/287972/90 "2005-02-05T14:07:32Z")
> [@CBCD](#): > > For those of you who are British speakers of English, what do you call the structure with the large letters on it in [this](http://www.photo.net/philg/digiphotos/200102-e10-london/palace-theater.half.jpg) photograph? It is a picture of the front of The Palace Theater in London. An awning. ---
**Author:** ![Rayne\_Man](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/df705f/32.png) [@Rayne\_Man](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rayne_Man)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2005, 2:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/british-weddings/287972/91 "2005-02-05T14:21:12Z")
Or a canopy ( as opposed to a canapƩ which is eaten at British weddings ) ---
**Author:** ![GorillaMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/50afbb/32.png) [@GorillaMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GorillaMan)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2005, 6:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/british-weddings/287972/92 "2005-02-05T18:28:38Z")
> [@Rayne Man](#): > > Or a canopy Hmmmā€¦Iā€™d probably think of a canopy as something free-standing, rather than attached to a building. Different strokesā€¦ ---
**Author:** ![Rayne\_Man](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/df705f/32.png) [@Rayne\_Man](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rayne_Man)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2005, 8:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/british-weddings/287972/93 "2005-02-05T20:07:10Z")
> [@GorillaMan](#): > > Hmmmā€¦Iā€™d probably think of a canopy as something free-standing, rather than attached to a building. Different strokesā€¦ Are you trying to spoil ( my rather weak ) joke ? šŸ™‚ ---
**Author:** ![Cunctator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/43a26b/32.png) [@Cunctator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cunctator)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2005, 10:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/british-weddings/287972/94 "2005-02-05T22:52:42Z")
> [@CBCD](#): > > For those of you who are British speakers of English, what do you call the structure with the large letters on it in [this](http://www.photo.net/philg/digiphotos/200102-e10-london/palace-theater.half.jpg) photograph? It is a picture of the front of The Palace Theater in London. Iā€™d simply call it a sign. ---
**Author:** ![CBCD](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/9fc348/32.png) [@CBCD](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CBCD)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2005, 11:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/british-weddings/287972/95 "2005-02-05T23:54:23Z")
> [@Cunctator](#): > > Iā€™d simply call it a sign. Thatā€™s why we Americans think you Brits are so fetch! ---
**Author:** ![confessorknight](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e9a140/32.png) [@confessorknight](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/confessorknight)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2005, 3:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/british-weddings/287972/96 "2005-02-06T03:39:02Z")
ā€œSo fetchā€?? I donā€™t get it (meaning in context). Care to explain? ---
**Author:** ![Cunctator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/43a26b/32.png) [@Cunctator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cunctator)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2005, 5:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/british-weddings/287972/97 "2005-02-06T05:06:12Z")
> [@CBCD](#): > > Thatā€™s why we Americans think you Brits are so fetch! Iā€™m not British. And, like **confessorknight** , I donā€™t know what \*fetch \* means either. ---
**Author:** ![Bambi\_Hassenpfeffer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Bambi\_Hassenpfeffer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bambi_Hassenpfeffer)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2005, 5:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/british-weddings/287972/98 "2005-02-06T05:14:38Z")
> [@GorillaMan](#): > > An awning. American awnings: [Awning.](http://members.shaw.ca/d.and.j/evc/images/awning.jpg) [Awning.](http://www.mlhcompany.com/images/Awning%20on%20restaurant%20in%20New%20Hope.jpg) We usually use awning to describe a fabric covering on a frame of some kind that extends from building to provide shade (like the first two above), or a small metal shade that covers individual windows, like [this](http://www.kibbleproducts.com/photos/awning_sample.jpg). ---
**Author:** ![GorillaMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/50afbb/32.png) [@GorillaMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GorillaMan)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2005, 7:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/british-weddings/287972/99 "2005-02-06T07:57:12Z")
> [@Bambi Hassenpfeffer](#): > > American awnings: [Awning.](http://members.shaw.ca/d.and.j/evc/images/awning.jpg) [Awning.](http://www.mlhcompany.com/images/Awning%20on%20restaurant%20in%20New%20Hope.jpg) We usually use awning to describe a fabric covering on a frame of some kind that extends from building to provide shade (like the first two above), or a small metal shade that covers individual windows, like [this](http://www.kibbleproducts.com/photos/awning_sample.jpg). Maybe itā€™s not clear from **CBCD** ā€™s picture, but thatā€™s pretty much whatā€™s outside the Palace Theatre - albeit on a more substantial basis! ---
**Author:** ![Nava](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/da6949/32.png) [@Nava](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nava)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2005, 8:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/british-weddings/287972/100 "2005-02-06T08:08:26Z")
> [@Shutterbug](#): > > Is the Birdie Song similiar to the Chicken Dance? No, the Birdie Song is about 20 years older than the Ketchup Song (official name of the Chicken Dance). [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/british-weddings/287972.md?page=4) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/british-weddings/287972.md?page=6)