Question for Texans: House Party??

rutgersmamma · 05-10-2008, 04:46 PM

Just wondering if some of you Texans can elighten those of us who are less fortunate!
What IS a 'Texas House Party'? Jenna Bush is supposedly following that Texas tradition and isn't calling her 14-member bridal party 'bridesmaids'. What's that all about?? Do they walk down the aisle as do typical bridesmaids? Do they have a different role? Guess Jenna's twin, Barbara is her maid of honor and the others are members of the 'house party'? Is this really commonplace in the 'Great State of TEXAS"?

momof3sons · 05-10-2008, 04:59 PM

Good question rutgersmamma, I heard that term mentioned on the Today show this morning and was wondering, "what the heck does that mean?" Where are all our Texas residents? Still trying to scrounge invitations to the Crawford Ranch?

Youdon'tsay · 05-10-2008, 05:06 PM

I've been in one house party, but I must admit I hadn't heard the term until I was asked, at the tender age of 19.

My understanding is it's your close friends who you want to have a role but don't/can't, for whatever reason, want to make bridesmaids. Often it's reflective of the size of the wedding. The wedding for which I was in the house party was small with just the bride's sister as maid of honor. Those of us in the house party did things like serve the punch (my role), cut the cake, etc. I got the impression it was a Presbyterian thing.

But I found a link to a site that describes it in more detail: The House Party: Roles and Responsibilities

blackeyedsusan · 05-10-2008, 05:09 PM

I have never heard of such a thing.

mathmom · 05-10-2008, 05:19 PM

Apparently I had a house party and didn't even know it! I just had a matron of honor and no bridesmaids, but all my housemates had roles in the wedding - either as ushers and one played the wedding music.

Youdon'tsay · 05-10-2008, 05:25 PM

Maybe it's just a Texas term. While Googling, I found the page of a couple who went to Texas A&M, and they list members of her house party;

Your Wedding Webpage - The Knot

Lafalum84 · 05-10-2008, 08:21 PM

I was in a wedding in Texas, the bride had bridesmaids but I never heard mention of a "house party." Of course, that was 20+ years ago....

teriwtt · 05-10-2008, 08:45 PM

I was part of a couple of house parties, way back when my college friends were getting married.

fireflyscout · 05-10-2008, 09:42 PM

I served in more house parties than I really cared to. Would have much preferred just being a guest instead of having sticky fingers from serving punch or doing some other "busy work".

aibarr · 05-10-2008, 11:55 PM

A few weddings I've seen have had house parties. They've also had grooms' cakes (baffled my Wisconsinite DH when I asked him if he wanted a grooms' cake), which is a more popular southern thing.

I dunno, I had bridesmaids and my husband had groomsmen in my recent Texas wedding. *shrug*... I wouldn't call it Texas tradition, but I would classify it as a Texas "thing".

Then again, Jenna's always been a little off kilter. In seventh grade history, she used to chew on fluorescent pens until they exploded, then she'd giggle quietly and drool ink until our teacher made her go to the bathroom and clean up.

I didn't vote for him.

ldmom06 · 05-11-2008, 01:31 AM

Had bridesmaids (7 of them because dh wouldn't stop asking frat brothers to be groomsmen) and also had the house party. In our area, it's tradition that friends of the bride's mother serve as members of the house party. I always assumed it was not necessarily a Texas thing, but a small town tradition where weddings are 'weddingplanner-free' and the extra hands are needed. Maybe not?

Re: Jenna. Have to say, after tales of her wild sorority days at Texas, she has turned out to be a very nice young woman. Seriously, what does the world need more...another i-banker? or teacher like Jenna? Gotta give props to those willing to take the pay cut and teach.

cathymee · 05-11-2008, 09:09 AM

I'd never seen the mother of the bride friends serving the wedding party tradition until my SIL in Minnesota's S got married. Bride was an orphan so SIL acted as mother of the bride as well.SIL's friends has various important "positions" in both the church service and reception.This is in a semi rural area of Minnesota.

Karen Colleges · 05-11-2008, 09:21 AM

aibarr- thanks for sharing the bit about flourescent pens. I've never seen anyone drooling flourescent ink, and never heard of a Texas House Party. Learn something new everyday

Youdon'tsay · 05-11-2008, 11:20 AM

Just pointing out that house parties would be a Texas "thang."

ldmom06 · 05-11-2008, 01:15 PM

Interesting cathymee....was your SIL's family Lutheran? Maybe this tradition of mother's friends serving as members of the house party is actually a small-town Lutheran thing? (We ARE famous for our 'Church Ladies' and potluck dinnners. Maybe this is a natural extension of that...lol!)

Just wondered since they keep a lot of Lutherans in Minnesota.