READING 1 A Traditional American Wedding

A Traditional American WEDDING

Read the following article. Pay special attention to the words in bold. 4.1

Many young couples consider their wedding to be one of the most important days of their lives. They often spend a year planning for it: finding a place, selecting a menu, buying a wedding dress, ordering invitations and sending them to friends and relatives, selecting musicians, and more.

The bride chooses her bridesmaids1 and maid of honor2, and the groom chooses his groomsmen and best man. The bride and groom want to make this day special for themselves and for their guests. Sometimes the bride and groom use a professional wedding planner so they don’t have to do everything by themselves.

When the day arrives, the groom doesn’t usually see the bride before the wedding. It is considered bad luck for him to see her ahead of time. When the wedding begins, the groom and groomsmen enter first. Next, the maid of honor and bridesmaids enter. When the bride finally enters in her white dress, everyone turns around to look at her. Often the bride’s father or both of her parents walk her down the aisle to the groom.

During the ceremony, the bride and groom take vows3 . They promise to love and respect each other for the rest of their lives. The groom’s best man holds the rings for them until they are ready to place them on each other’s fingers. At the end of the ceremony, the groom lifts the bride’s veil and kisses her.

There is a dinner and dance after the ceremony. The bride and groom usually dance the first dance alone. Then guests join them.

Before the bride and groom leave the party, the bride throws her bouquet over her head, and the single women try to catch it. It is believed that the woman who catches it will be the next one to get married.

The newlyweds4 usually take a trip, called a honeymoon, immediately after the wedding.

1 bridesmaid: one of a group of women (a good friend or close relative of the bride) who is part of the wedding ceremony 2 maid of honor: one special woman (a good friend or close relative of the bride) who helps the bride during the wedding ceremony 3 vow: a promise 4 newlywed: a recently married person

A groom and his groomsmen