In English-speaking countries, a typical wedding begins with a wedding ceremony. This is when the bride and groom are officially wed.
The ceremony is then followed by dinner and dancing. This is the wedding reception. Together, these two events are called a wedding.
This is NOT called a wedding party. I often hear this from students: “Teacher, last weekend I went to a wedding party!” No, you did not. You went to a wedding.
There are two definitions of the word party:
1) a celebration, a social event, where people gather to have fun
2) a group of people with a common purpose – like a political party, dinner reservations for a party of 5, and a wedding party.
The wedding party is the group of people directly involved in the wedding and who participate in the wedding ceremony – the bride, the groom, and their attendants. The wedding party is sometimes called the bridal party.
A groom will have a best man and groomsmen. A bride will have a maid of honourand bridesmaids. Young children may also participate as flower girls, page boys, or ring bearers (who carry the wedding rings exchanged by the bride and groom). This is the wedding party.
After the wedding, the bride and groom are called newlyweds. They then go on a short vacation called a honeymoon.
The ceremony is then followed by dinner and dancing. This is the wedding reception. Together, these two events are called a wedding.
This is NOT called a wedding party. I often hear this from students: “Teacher, last weekend I went to a wedding party!” No, you did not. You went to a wedding.
There are two definitions of the word party:
1) a celebration, a social event, where people gather to have fun
2) a group of people with a common purpose – like a political party, dinner reservations for a party of 5, and a wedding party.
The wedding party is the group of people directly involved in the wedding and who participate in the wedding ceremony – the bride, the groom, and their attendants. The wedding party is sometimes called the bridal party.
A groom will have a best man and groomsmen. A bride will have a maid of honourand bridesmaids. Young children may also participate as flower girls, page boys, or ring bearers (who carry the wedding rings exchanged by the bride and groom). This is the wedding party.
After the wedding, the bride and groom are called newlyweds. They then go on a short vacation called a honeymoon.
