Amandeep: The sound of bells in an English churchyard. The bells signal a very special event for one couple because today is their wedding day. Stevie and Bobby are engaged and are allowing Word on the Street to follow them on their special day when they become man and wife. The day starts very early in the morning for the bride, Stevie, and bridesmaids help her with the preparations. I spoke to Stevie as she was getting ready.
How are you feeling?
Stevie: Feeling … a little bit nervous but very excited.
Amandeep: And what have you got left to do?
Stevie: Just having my hair done now, then put on my dress after.
Across town at Bobby’s house, there is lots of food to prepare and Bobby’s also getting ready.
Bobby: Nice to meet you.
Amandeep: So it’s your big day today?
Bobby: It is.
Amandeep: Fantastic. Is this the main suit?
Bobby: It is. This is it.
Amandeep: Brilliant. Just check it fits all OK, it’s ironed well …
Bobby: Yep.
Amandeep: It looks good.
Bobby and Stevie are having a traditional Christian wedding in a church. But today in Britain there are many different marriage ceremonies, depending on the religion or beliefs of the couple.
A civil ceremony is a non-religious legal marriage that takes place somewhere other than a place of worship. Same-sex couples can also get married in Britain.
To understand more about today’s ceremony, I met the vicar who’s going to be leading it.
Amandeep: What are the origins of this marriage ceremony?
Rev. Chris Shipley: This marriage ceremony goes back first to the Reformation in the 16th century and then further back in time and it is a standard Christian wedding with Christian vows made in the name of God the Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
Amandeep: And what’s your advice for a long and successful marriage?
Chris: A good deal of tolerance, a willingness to ask for help and a sense of humour.
Amandeep: The groom arrives first, and waits for his bride. The atmosphere at a wedding is a mixture of pride, joy and celebration. There may be a few tears, too – of happiness.
The bride arrives in a horse-drawn carriage, accompanied by her father. And now the ceremony can begin.
Chris: Bobby and Stevie have declared their marriage by the joining of hands and by the giving and receiving of rings. I therefore proclaim that they are husband and wife.
Amandeep: With those important words and the signing of the official register, Bobby and Stevie are now legally husband and wife. After some photographs to record the big day, everybody will go to a local hall for dinner and a big party called the reception. So a big congratulations to the newly married couple from Word on the Street!
Comments
I've never been to a wedding, but I know that in our country the ceremony is nearly the same.
Wedding in my country has major differences . Firstly , the groom and the bride arrive together , and then after some traditions , and when they're legally husband and wife , Everyone goes to a very big charming room and dance .
Hi !
My best wedding souvenir is a wedding in Switzerland. I am not Swiss. So my family and I travelled to this place, where the wedding day began in a church.
After the ceremony, we went to a wonderful luxury hotel !
During the dinner, we discovered a strange waiter's habit : when they served sparkling water, they turned the person's spoon in a way and when they served still water, they turned the person's spoon in another way. A guest turned his spoon on a waiter's back, so his glass was filled with both types of water...the face's expression of the guest traduced the taste !! This joke wasn't a good idea ! =D
A dancing teacher also came to learn some steps to the guests.
This day was also really memorable because of the formal and luxurious atmosphere that reigned there.
The following morning, we had brunch in the hotel's garden.
I'll tell you about weddings in Vietnam as simple as possible because it's quite complicating ! Generally, a traditional wedding includes three stages: Proposal ceremony, engagement ceremony and wedding ceremony.The groom's family visit the bride's ( with some traditional gifts) some days before the wedding. On wedding day, the bride have to wear both traditional cloth and white dress whereas the groom only wear suit. Reception is fascinating ! So many guests are invited, they rarely dance, just sit and enjoy the cuisine. The bride and groom take turn come to each guest's seat and take photos...When the wedding ends, the newly-married couple gets presents from everyone.
Wedding day is crucial, so groom and bride's families have to choose a favorable time for it ( the Vietnamese is a bit superstitious ). Weddings often occur in the morning ( from 7am to 10am).
No i 've never been to a weeding ceremony,but i would go if i had a chance.In our country people can marry in the church or in the municipality.When the weeding is over the brade throws the flover to the guests to see who wiil catch it,and one will marry next.
our weddings follow a process of tallying horoscopes,visiting the brides house,arranging for the poruwa ceremony where the couple is made to vow to look after each other lovingly and then th e function begins...the couple can have three functions infact four,first engagement,then wedding then going away on the same day with a different dress and homecoming ceremony organized by the groom 's side which follows taking the bride to his home..its fun and today srilanka's society gives more priority to entertainment and attire which also follows the preshoot of the couple in different scenarios that has become a trend in today's generation..the foods great and chocolate fountain is amazing.i simply love wedding though being a girl its quite sad and altogether feels awesome planning out my own one..anyway its a tough job,well not as easy as falling in love trust me..srilanka
Vietnamese wedding has a very compilcated traditional. I would like to tell you guys as short as I can to describe it. First they have a day for the the man to come to the woman's house with present and pray forefather for happiness. Bridesmaids and groomsmen are also come with, they are the relatives or friends of the couple. Then they have another day to celebrate with more peoples in a huge restaurant. Usually, there are more than 200 people! They rarely dance, just sit there and enjoy food that the restaurant serves, nearly 7 dishes! While eating, the couple go around, take a picture with each table and drink whine. The wedding last 2 hours at least, and I don't know why, the weddings mostly start at 7:30 pm and end at 9!?
PS: Guests would sign into a book like a souvenir for the couple and also give an envelope of lucky money too! So jealous....
Hi julia11,
Thanks a lot for telling us about Vietnamese weddings. They sound like great fun!
Best wishes, Jo (LearnEnglish Teens Team)
I've never been on a weeding ceremony. But maybe in the future I will. :-D
Wedding in my country is the same - catholic vow, civil wedding. We also go to the reception after the ceremony. There we dance, have fun and play some different games. I's also told a story of bride's and groom's eraly (life) childhood.
In my country, there is a catholic vow too. After the ceremony, the couple goes to houses parents to ask for their last blasses. Towards, they move for their new home as a husband and wife and all guests follow them straight to the party (music, foods and drinks).