American Wedding Essay

In the United States, the traditional western wedding custom is the bride usually wears a white dress and a veil to cover her face. She carries a bouquet of flowers and usually has something old (like a grandmothers necklace) something new (her dress) something borrowed (jewlery or a handkerchief) and something blue (a garter or underwear item).It is a long standing custom and it considered good luck for the bride. The bride and groom do not see each other the night before and up to the wedding ceremony. The bride usually has bridesmaids and the groom has groomsmen – the number of bridesmaids/groomsmen is up to the couple. I would say most wedding have around 4-5 bridesmaid . The ceremony usually takes place in church or in a chapel. It begins with the bridesmaids and groomsmen march down the aisle,and then followed by the ringbearer and flowergirl, then the bride is escorted down the aisle by her father. After the minister/priest gives a brief speech about the importance of marriage, the couple then says vows to one another (may be traditional or written on their own) and exchange rings. The couple is pronounced man and wife, have their first â€Å"married kiss† and then proceed down the aisle. (The traditional ceremony itself is often conducted by a religious leader known to the bride and/or the groom. The ceremony may include wedding vows written by the bride and the groom, in which they speak of their love and their desire to make their partner safe, happy and secure, and to be faithful to their partner and their partner alone for the rest of their lives. ) A reception is usually held after the ceremony. After dinner, the couple cuts the cake so that it may be served to guests during the special dances, has their first dance and then other special dances (father-of-the-bride/bride, mother-of-the-groom/groom, bridal party) occur. Then the dance floor is open for all guests to enjoy. A few hours later the groom removes the bride’s garter and performs the garter toss to all the single men. Then the bride throws her bouquet to the single ladies.