In the Local Tradition
"Here in the Greater Cambridge-Somerville area of Massachusetts, we have birthed a new wedding tradition-- the so-called "Wedding Mummers Play". Loosely based on the traditional Mummers Plays performed by Morris Dancers at Yuletide, the stock characters always include a Fool (usually, but not always the narrator), and a Quackish Doctor -- both characters stolen from traditional mummers plays, and of course, the bride and groom, usually played by friends who can best fake a physicial resemblence. The plot is fairly sketchy, but usually involves the usual Mummer's play death and resurrection; often it is the Bride or Groom (or both) who die, but not always. Since the tradition started among folk dancers (though since has greatly spread), many of the plays, particularly the early ones, involve references to folk dance. In-Jokes about the lives and hobbies of the Bride and Groom, or about the nature of their relationship are highly encouraged; the play is usually set while they are courting or planning their wedding. It often ends with either a blessing for the married couple, an apology for the play, a folk dance, or a combination of the above."
--Lenore Cowen, http://www.cs.tufts.edu/~cowen/Mummers/mummers.html