Vocabulary: Wedding

The 9th September 2009 (999) was a special day for marriage.

Were you married on this day?

Have you ever attended a wedding? I guess the answer is yes.

Have you ever wondered what you called the people and things in a wedding? Maybe not.

Let's look into the topic together.

First of all, the names of the participants in English:

1. Bride
2. Bridegroom / Groom
3. Bridesmaids
4. Groomsmen (US) / Usher(UK)
5. Flower girls
6. Page boys and ringbearers
7. Officiant / Celebrant

Explanations as follows:

1. A bride is a female who is getting married. In a white wedding, she usually wears a white wedding gown(wedding dress), a veil (a piece of see-through cloth attached to the top of the head) and carries a flower bouquet. In some weddings, an heirloom (A valued possession that has been passed down through the generations.) might be carried by the bride.
2. A bridegroom is a male who is getting married. In the US, the groom usually wears a dark-coloured suit in the day or tuxedo in the evening during the wedding ceremony. He will sign a marriage certificate or a marriage licence with the bride.
3. Bridesmaids are often the close friends or relatives of the bride. The chef bridesmaid is called the maid of honor if she is not married, or the matron of honor if she is married. Bridesmaids are typically the wedding-event planners, such as the wedding reception and the bridal shower (gift-giving party)/ bachelorette party/hen party/hen night (girls' night out).
4. Groomsmen may help in organising the wedding ceremony, but a bachelor party / Stag Night / Buck's Night is prefered, as the expense is usually paid by the groom-to-be. The chef of the groomsmen is called the Best Man.
5. A Flower girl typically walks in front of the bride during an entrance processional and she may spread flower petals on the floor before the bride or carries a bouquet.
6. A Page boy or a ringbearer is the male version of the flower girl, except that he carries a large white satin pillow with the rings lying on it.
7. An Officiant / A Celebrant is a person who officiates the ceremony.

After the wedding, a wedding breakfast in England or New Zealand for the bride and bridegroom at the wedding reception sums up the event.

According to an article on Wikipedia, the bride is not the only person to throw an object (a bouquet to the single women) but the groom also. After the bride has thrown the bouquet, the groom will remove a spare garter from the bride's right leg just above the knee while she sits in a chair (traditionally with his teeth but with his hands in modern days), and then throw it to the single male guests. Quoting from the original source, "Those that catch either item are said to be the next to marry. In some instances, it is said that they will marry each other."

Sounds a bit too juicy.

Resources:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bridegroom#Bride

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Veil#Wedding_veils

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flower_bouquet

http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/heirloom

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tuxedo

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marriage_certificate

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marriage_license

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bridegroom#Bridesmaids

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maids_of_Honour

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Matron_of_honor#Matron_of_Honor

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wedding_reception

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bridal_shower

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bachelorette_party

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bachelor_party

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bridegroom#Best_man

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bridegroom#Flower_girls

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bridegroom#Page_boys_and_ringbearers

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bridegroom#Officiant.2FCelebrant

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wedding_breakfast

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Garter_belt#Garters_in_fashion

http://www.wedalert.com/content/articles/tale_tossing_of_the_garter.asp