Please read this vocabulary lesson at your natural speed, though it should not be too fast so that I could imitate your pronunciation easily.
Describe a traditional ceremony which you know well
Where is the ceremony held?
What is the purpose of the ceremony?
What do you feel about it?
A wedding is a traditional ceremony which is held in my country, although it is happening less and less now and a lot of couples are choosing to live together or have a non-religious wedding ceremony. A traditional wedding is held in a church, usually on a Saturday, although they can be held on other days of the week. On one half of the church sits the bride’s family and friends and on the other half the groom’s family and friends. The groom is the name we give the man getting married. Usually the man arrives at the church before the bride and he has a best man who looks after the rings for him. The bride is then given away by her father. This means that her father walks her down the aisle and ‘gives her’ to her new husband. The couple exchange rings and repeat things that the vicar says. The ceremony usually lasts about 45 minutes and includes hymns (songs) that the couple have chosen and a few readings. I am a believer in marriage, however I personally feel that the wedding ceremony has become more about the photographs, the dress, the flowers rather than the ceremony itself. It is estimated that weddings nowadays cost upwards of £15000. A wedding in a church costs approximately £500 so a lot of money is being spent on all the extras, which I feel is that the day is not about. The day should be about the couple and their union of marriage rather than all the other stuff. I have been to a lot of weddings and the photographs have taken two hours and the guests are just left waiting. I cannot see any point in this at all. After the wedding ceremony it is traditional to have a ‘reception’ which is a party after the wedding. A lot of people have a sit down meal and there are usually speeches. This is where the groom or the bride’s father says something. Then often at night more people are invited and there is a disco.
Oops, one small mistake in "This is where the groom or the bride’s father says something."