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The wedding

Some people play a special role as part of the wedding party. The groom's closest male friend acts as the best man and stands next to him during the ceremony. Other friends act as ushers and show guests where to sit. The bride's closest woman friend is chief bridesmaid (AmE maid of a white wedding honour), or matron of honour if she is married, and other friends and children are bridesmaids.

Many women choose to have a white wedding, so called because the bride wears a long white wedding dress, with a veil (a piece of thin white material) covering her face. Her wedding clothes should include 'something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue', to bring luck. The bridesmaids wear matching dresses specially made for the occasion and, like the bride, carry bouquets of flowers. The bridegroom, the best man and other men may wear morning dress (a long-tailed jacket, dark trousers and a top hat) or, in the US, a tuxedo (a black suit with a white shirt}. Women guests dress smartly and often wear hats.

On the wedding day the bride traditionally arrives at the church a few minutes late and enters with her father who will give her away to her husband. Some brides today find this offensive. A wedding march is played as the bride enters. Typically, the person performing the ceremony talks about the importance of marriage, and a friend of the couple may read a poem. Then the bride and groom exchange vows (promise to stay together and support each other). The groom places a wedding ring on the third finger of the bride's left hand, and sometimes the bride gives him a ring too. The couple are then declared man and wife. They sign the register (the official record of marriages) and as they leave the church guests throw rice or confetti (small pieces of coloured paper in lucky shapes, such as horseshoes and bells) over them.

The 'happy couple' and their guests then go to the bride's home or a hotel for the wedding recep­tion. This may be a formal meal or a party. The bride and groom and their parents greet the guests, who, in the US, say 'congratulations' to the groom and 'felicitations' to the bride. There are often speeches by the best man, the bride's father and the bridegroom. The bride and groom together cut a wedding cake, which usually has several tiers (layers), each covered with white icing (AmE frosting), with figures of a bride and groom on the top one. Before the newly-weds leave for their honeymoon (a holiday to celebrate their marriage) the bride throws her bouquet in the air: there is a belief that the woman who catches it will soon be married herself. The car the couple leave in has usually been decorated by their friends with the words 'just married' and with old tin cans or shoes tied to the back.

* For more information on wedding customs in English-speaking countries see Supplement 6 on wedding superstitions.