When people fall in love and stay in love, they eventually decide that it’s a good idea to get married.
This couple is going to get married.
bride
The woman who gets married is called a "bride."
The bride often wears a wedding gown or a wedding dress.
groom
The man who gets married is called a "groom."
The groom often wears a tuxedo or a suit.
the maid of honor
The maid of honor is a woman selected by the bride to assist in the wedding ceremony and help the bride.
the best man
The best man is a man selected by the groom to assist in the wedding ceremony and help the groom.
bridesmaids
The women who stand up in support of the bride are the bridesmaids
Bridesmaids wear matching dresses, but their dresses look different from the wedding gown worn by the bride. The bride wears white while the bridesmaids wear something other than white.
groomsmen
The men who stand up at a wedding in support of the groom are the groomsmen.
tuxedo
The groom, the best man, and the other men standing up at the wedding (the groomsmen) wear a tuxedo.
wedding party
The wedding party consists of the bride, the groom, the bridesmaids and the groomsmen.
wedding band / ring
A wedding ring or wedding band is placed on the finger of the bride and the groom.
Click on the picture to listen to me talk about how people are normally positioned during a wedding.
click the pic
Many people get married inside a church.
It’s also very common to get married outside of a church, in a public building or outside in the fresh air.
cold feet
Before the wedding ceremony begins, sometimes the bride or the groom begins to have second thoughts about getting married.
In this case, we say the person has "cold feet."
It looks like he’s starting to get cold fet.
After the wedding:
reception
A reception is a party that follows the wedding.
champagne
Champagne is served at the reception. A toast is made to the future happiness of the newlywed couple. A toast is a short speech.
wedding cake
A wedding cake is served during the reception.
dancing
There’s often a lot of dancing during the reception. The bride and the groom dance together, and the wedding guests also dance.
wedding bouquet
It’s a tradition for the the bride to throw a bouquet over her shoulder towards unmarried women. Whoever catches the bouquet increases her chances of being the next woman to get married.
just married
When the groom and the bride leave the wedding ceremony, they drive off together as a "just married" couple.
Newlywed(s)
People who have just married are referred to as "newlyweds."
