Unit 7. Reading

The big day

A wedding is one of the biggest family celebrations. A traditional wedding in the UK is a formal event and there are lots of rules that go with it.

First, there is the dress code. Traditionally, men must wear suits and ties. They needn’t wear hats, although at a very formal wedding the groom and his best man often wear top hats. Women wear dresses or suits and they must wear hats. You mustn’t wear white (only the bride wears white) or black (because it is too serious).

There are other traditions too. The bride’s father makes a speech at the wedding. The bride’s mother and the groom’s parents needn’t make a speech, but the groom’s best friend (the best man) makes a speech too.

Traditionally, the bride’s family pay for the wedding, but many modern couples now plan and pay for their special day themselves. The average wedding costs nearly £20,000, so many parents are happy about this change!

Weddings are an old tradition and there are a lot of superstitions about the wedding day and the ceremony. Here are a few of them:

If you are a bridesmaid three times for your friends, you will never get married yourself.

If you catch the bride’s bouquet of flowers when she throws it, you will be the next one to get married.

The groom mustn’t see the bride’s dress until the wedding ceremony. If he does, the couple will have bad luck.