You know you’re at a Texan wedding when…

You find yourself looking at a cake that is obviously made with the groom’s taste in mind and you can smell barbeque sauce. The chances are that you’re at a wedding in the Lone Star state, but what are the other signs…..?

No, we aren’t quoting that Joe Cocker song but more so giving a nod towards the Texan love of cowboy hats. In most places across America it is impolite to leave your hat on whilst inside a building, yet cowboy themed weddings are something that will never go out of fashion in Texas.

Texas is in the heart of the Wild West, so a pair of cowboy boots comes with the territory. Polished and refined, rather than scuffed and dirty; cowboy boots these days are never subjected to a horse or dirt yet they remain a popular choice of footwear. It is a common Texan tradition for the bride to wear a pair of white cowboy boots under her gown, and the groom and groomsmen to wear a pair of leather boots rather than a formal shoe.

This could be a starter, a main or even a dessert (yes, believe it or not there are recipes for desserts that include BBQ sauce).You can almost guarantee that you’ll see this sticky sweet sauce at some point in a Texan wedding.

While not every bride and groom wants a barbeque, the food is likely to be diverse in texture and taste, ranging from brisket steaks, sausages, Tex-Mex flavours and fajitas. Even formal wedding breakfasts are likely to feature huge Texas sized steaks, baked potatoes and green bean casseroles.

For many families in Texas, it is customary to hold the wedding ceremony outdoors. The Texan climate accommodates outdoor weddings, thanks to the hot and dry temperatures across the vast majority of the state. The temperate weather paired with many beautiful outdoor venues make an outside wedding ideal.

Rather than delegate wedding tasks to the bridesmaids, the bride may ask other guests to help out. These ‘helpers’ are part of what is called the House Party. Members of the house party and other guests are enlisted to help out with duties such as meeting and greeting guests, handing out programmes and serving cake at the reception.

Texas is renowned for hosting extravagant weddings and the Texan brides’ dress is no exception. However, with a big dress comes the small issue of managing it. At some point through the day the bride will need to go to the bathroom and will need her friends to help lift the swathes of material out of the way and off the floor.

The groom’s cake tradition started in Britain during the Victorian era, whereby men were considered the stronger sex and therefore had a stronger stomach to manage a richer cake. In 1890 the groom’s cake tradition was adopted in the Southern States of America and thus continued into modern day. Customarily, the groom’s cake is served with wine to the bridesmaids before the wedding ceremony. The modern day groom’s cake is usually made with a chocolate or rich fruit base and decorated to match the groom’s personality.

Texans are known for their diverse taste in music so it will come as no surprise to wedding guests to find themselves listening to everything from Hip-Hop, country or reggae. This eclectic taste in music comes from the Spanish and Mexican cultures which were intertwined with the American South-western culture, creating an assorted mixture of musical tastes.

With an average of 132 tornadoes ripping through Texas every year it will come as no surprise to hear of a tornado warning in the run up to a wedding. As a warning for couples currently planning their weddings - almost a third of these are likely to occur in May!