United States wedding traditions

A typical U.S. wedding is based on love. Wedding planning can be complex and time-taking and many brides today have a professional wedding planner who takes care of the thousand-and-one details of the glorious day. Traditionally the bride wears a while wedding dress and white wedding veil. The more traditional U.S. weddings take place in a religious setting. Family and friends are formally invited. The traditional ceremony itself is often conducted by a religious leader known to the bride and/or the groom. At the ceremony the bride and the groom speak of their love and their desire to make their partner safe, happy and secure, and to be faithful to their partner for the rest of their lives.

At the conclusion of the ceremony, it is traditional for the official to ask if anyone present knows of any just cause why this man and this woman may not be married. Getting no response, the official asks the couple to exchange wedding rings, a symbol of their never-ending love and promise to one another, and then the happy couple is husband and wife. As the couple leave the church they people often shower them with rice or wheat (symbols of fertility) and the couple is then taken to a home or restaurant where a wedding reception takes place. Speeches and toasts are given to the new couple, wishing them happiness. After the reception the couple traditionally goes on a honeymoon. A honeymoon may last from several days to two or more weeks. U.S. wedding ceremonies and wedding customs are among the most flexible in the entire world.

Put the words in the correct order to make questions.

1. wedding a typical U.S. is like What?

2. today have Why brides a planner wedding professional do many?

3. the What wear bride traditionally does?

4. Why exchange does couple rings the?

5. does go after church the Where couple the?

6. long honeymoon last does How the?

In small groups discuss the questions.

Read the text carefully and write out the words to fill in the table below.

People

Places

Customs

Clothes

In small groups discuss the meanings of these words and how important they are when people get married.

Look back at the text and answer these questions.

What surprises you most in the text?

What do you like/dislike about this type of wedding?

How are these customs different from the customs in your culture? In what way are they similar?

Describe the two weddings you have visited with a view to pointing out their similarities and differences.

Grammar: the past simple tense

We use the past simple to describe:

a) An action started and finished at a specific time in the past.

Example: We travelled to Japan on our honeymoon last year.

b) A series of completed actions in the past. These actions happen 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, and so on.

Example: We finished work, walked to the beach, and found a nice place to swim.

c) A duration which starts and stops in the past often indicated by expressions such as: for two years, for five minutes, all day, all year, etc.

Example: I lived in Brazil for two years.

d) A habit which stopped in the past. We often add the words and phrases such as: always, often, usually, never, when I was a child, when I was younger, etc.

Example: I studied French when I was a child.

e) Past facts or generalizations which are no longer true.

Examples: She was shy as a child, but now she is very outgoing.

Read the story about James and Diana, who spent their honeymoon in Ireland. Read what they say about it.

1. Fill in the blanks with the correct form of the words in brackets.

Last year we (spend) _____our honeymoon in Ireland. It (be)_____ great. We (travel) ______ around by car with two friends and we (visit)_____ lots of interesting places. In the evenings we usually (go) ______to a pub. One night we even (learn)_____ some Irish dances. We (be)______very lucky with the weather. It (not / rain)______ a lot. But we (see)_____ some beautiful rainbows.

Work in pairs. Your friend has just come from a holiday. Ask him/her some questions.

where /go e.g. Where did you go? I went to Italy.

who/ go with

where /stay

the weather/good

eat /at restaurants

visit/historical places