In Britain people get married either in church or in a registry office.  In the US people often get married in a house, a garden, a park, a hotel, or in a wedding chapel as well as in church.  Most people when they think of a wedding, think of people getting married in church and the many customs that go with this type of wedding, called a white wedding.  Even people who are not religious often want to have a traditional white wedding in a church.
 

The main people at the wedding

There are special names for some of the people in the wedding ceremony.  The woman who is getting married is called the bride and the man is called the bridegroom or groom.  The man has a male friend with him called the best man and the bride has some female friends called the bridesmaids.  It is traditional for the bride to wear a long white dress and a white veil and to carry flowers in a bouquet.  She is also supposed to wear “something old, something new, something borrowed and something blue”  because this will bring her luck.  The groom wears a suit or sometimes a tuxedo (in the US) or morning suit (in Britain).  Everyone else wears their best clothes and the women often buy hats specially.
 

Before the ceremony

The bridegroom is not supposed to see the bride on the day of the wedding until they meet in church as this is considered to be bad luck.

The bridegroom arrives at the church first and waits inside, near the altar (=part at the front of the church), with the best man.

The families of the bride and bridegroom and the wedding guests, sit in rows in the church.

Just before the wedding ceremony begins, the bride arrives at the church in a car with her father.  The car is usually an expensive car, such as Rolls Royce or a limousine, hired for the occasion and decorated with ribbons.  There are often jokes made about the bride arriving late at the church.
 

The ceremony

It is the custom for the bride’s father to “give her away” (=officially to “give” her to the bridegroom).  The bride and her father walk slowly up the aisle (=central passage) of the church, with the bridesmaids.  People sometimes talk about “walking up the aisle” when they mean “getting married”.  When the bride and bridegroom are together at the altar the priest or minister begins the wedding service.  The words that are said during the wedding service are very well known to most people.  During the service, the bridegroom gives the bride a wedding ring (=a plain gold ring) and says “With this ring I thee wed” (=“With this ring I marry you”).  Sometimes the bride also gives a ring to the bridegroom.  the priest or minister asks the bride and bridegroom in turn: “Will you have this man/woman to be your wedded husband/wife?”.  The bride and bridegroom each say “I will”.  At the end of the ceremony, the priest or minister says: “I pronounce you man and wife” which means that they are officially married.  The bride and bridegroom then sign the register (=a special book which is the official record of their marriage).
 

After the ceremony

Outside the church, the friends of the bride and bridegroom throw confetti (=small pieces of coloured paper or rice) over them.  Photographs are usually taken of the bride and bridegroom and their families and friends.
 

The reception

After the photographs everyone usually goes to a hotel for the wedding reception, which is a special meal (wedding breakfast) and party to celebrate the wedding.  During the meal the bride and bridegroom cut the wedding cake and give it to their guests.  At the end of the meal there are speeches, usually made by the bride’s father, the bridegroom and the best man.  It is traditional for the best man to make a speech in which he talks about funny and embarrassing things that have happened to the bridegroom in the past.

Before the reception ends the bride and bridegroom usually drive away to another hotel to spend their honeymoon (=a holiday taken by people who have just got married).  The car the couple drive away in has usually been decorated by their friends.  There is often a sign saying “just married” and sometimes tin cans are tied to the back of the car.  Before she leaves the bride throws her bouquet to her friends to catch.  According to custom, the woman who catches it will be the next one to get married.