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Wedding Traditions
Wedding Traditions

Learn English with this wedding traditions English lesson

Date: Jun 27 2018

Themes: Friend, Party, Romance

Grammar: Present Perfect Tense

Intro

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What picture do you see when you think of a wedding? A white dress? Flowers? Lots of dancing?

In the US, many traditional weddings look pretty much the same: the bride and groom pick a few people to stand by them during the ceremony. Candles are lit. Music is played. The couple kisses. Afterwards, there’s food and dancing. It’s a party for everyone!

However, not everyone wants a traditional wedding. With more and more people from different countries and religions getting married, some couples want to integrate their cultural heritage into their weddings. Whether that means they raise a glass to toast their future happiness or they raise the groom on a chair, atypical weddings are actually becoming more common.

Jeff and Brian are talking about unique weddings they have attended. Learn how different people do weddings in today’s English lesson about marriage.

Dialog

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Brian

Brian

Jeff

Jeff

Brian:  Hey Jeff, I just went to my friend’s wedding. Have you ever been to a Jewish wedding?

Jeff:  I have not.

Brian:  It’s pretty neat. They raise the groom up in the chair during the wedding.

Jeff:  The broken glass deal?

Brian:  The wedding I went to was actually Jewish and Catholic.

Jeff:  Oh, that’s unique.

Brian:  It was very unique. The bride and the groom had different religions, but they celebrated both traditions within the same ceremony.

Jeff:  So in a way they followed their cultural heritage but also did their own thing.

Brian:  Yeah, which I thought was really neat. It’s very unique, very special, and I enjoyed it a lot because I got a peek into both, because I’m neither Catholic nor Jewish.

Jeff:  I’ve only been to nothing too special with weddings.

Brian:  Mostly traditional weddings?

Jeff:  Yeah, I mean some sort of non-traditional weddings like they wear flip flops.

Brian:  How was that one?

Jeff:  It was casual. It was good. Casual attire. Hawaiian shirts and whatnot.

Brian:  Right.

Jeff:  So I guess that’s a bit atypical.

Brian:  Yeah.

Jeff:  The bride was from Hawaii, so that was integrated.

Brian:  Was dancing hard in flip flops?

Jeff:  No, man, it was loose. We had a good time. Sweaty. Summer.

Brian:  I think I’d like my wedding to be that way.

Jeff:  Yeah, casual.

 

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Discussion

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Brian just went to a friend’s wedding, and he wants to tell Jeff about the experience. Because Brian’s friends were Jewish and Catholic, their wedding was somewhat atypical. The couple found ways to honor both religions during the ceremony.

Jeff tells Brian that the wedding definitely sounds unique. He says that he’s never been to any weddings that were too strange. However, he once went to a wedding where everyone wore flip flops and casual clothing because the bride was from Hawaii.

Brian thinks that wedding sounds great, and he tells Jeff he’d like to have a casual wedding someday, too.

If you are married, what kind of wedding did you have? If you’re single, describe your dream wedding.

 

Comments

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Belosnejka

Russian Federation

oh thanks for the topic) so interesting!

06:09 AM Apr 29 2019 |

yanmaneee

Angola

asdasdadsasd

09:29 AM Apr 22 2019 |

Press1

Press1

Aruba

I want to get married in an A-line ivory dress with a sweetheart neckline. The back should be low with lace from Brussels. Many times I have dreamt about my  perfect dress. I know the wedding gown has to be consistent with the brides personality and style. Looking sexy is not typically my style but for my special day I wanna look hot and sensuous.

02:08 PM Jun 28 2018 |

noter

noter

Turkey

I am married with cultural heritage. One day before wedding olur relatives haber gone toplam my wifes house for traditional ceremony. The wedding day our kinsman was meets ours village

02:50 PM Jun 27 2018 |

hermitlady

China

 I am married with a casual wedding. 


We registered at the Civil Affairs Bureau in the morning, and  had a lunch with whole family ,then, we flew off for a trip. We called this “a trip honeymoon”.



I know the wedding tradition  here is such: a luxury motorcade , five-star hotel, many congratulatory people toasting  each other , salvos,  a giant diamond ring, and so on…..

04:31 AM Jun 27 2018 |

Mirell_Nova

United Arab Emirates

As for me I don’t like a big or huge ceremonies with planty of people and food, I like simpe casual wedding without alchoal and with the close relatives and friends, and having fan togather. I have been in many our country weddings, so there are some things that I really don’t like  its alcohol. My wedding I see simple and beautiful, cuz it’s better to spend money on some nice trip together.

03:30 AM Jun 27 2018 |

Idriss

Idriss

Morocco

@sara1998: that was just an introduction, coz i didnt talk yet about wedding in north africa especially algeria and moroco which share the same culture.
As for what you said, that seems not a national wedding, but western wedding while this topic is about specific wedding for each culture and country.
I noticed that the scarf that the family put above the heads of the new wed is not only iran but also in other places like afghanistan, pakistan, and some in turkey.
Lets move to Morocan Algerian wedding, in brief, marriage and wedding customs and rules are very rooted in islamic background, such as most of wedding do not switch on music loudly in order not to disturb neighbors, and of course men and women are separated, they have same wedding meals, can sing and dance but separatedly and far from each other in different rooms or places. In some cases, only the new husband is invited to enter the women’s hall or feast place to take a picture in front of his new wife..
The only difference is just in clothes, kind of garments, and of dowries…Some places require only a small piece of ornament, some requires only a horse, and so many secondary differences from place to place…
These photos are taken from different wedding in my original country algeria:
In the west Tlemcen province:


 

Algiers area, or in the center of the country:
 
 


Constantine area (east of algeria):

 



Southern wedding:
 

Northern wedding:



Candies:

 

Rewedding:

 


Voluntary cooking service:

 

01:39 PM Jun 22 2014 |

Hazelgirl

Hazelgirl

Iran, Islamic Republic Of

I’m into traditional ceremonies, especially wedding celebrations, they look more simple and friendly, when all your dears and nears gather together to be with you in the most beautiful minutes of your life, you will feel happy and stress-free. 


Iranian traditional wedding ceremonies are so amazing, funny, enjoyable and full of folk music and dances. All familiars including relatives and friends would be invited; everyone wears a proper traditional costume. Bride and Groom are delighted and really excited to watch each other in the fortune mirror* , with a shy smile on face but very proud of being together.



You know, I like the blushing bride going red while the groom is staring at her, but it’s really rare today just we can see it in classic movies. And clearly, the more inexpensively you hold a ceremony, the more guests you can have, and its all joy, pleasance and outstanding memories will remain forever. 


These kinds of wedding seem more attractive and dreamy than modern ones which Sara1998 has already described. In contrast to traditional ceremony, what you see at the end of a modern type is a nervous and so exhausted couple after quit a busy day.


*Why the fortune mirror? Bcoz some people believe if your wedding mirror is broken by any reason, you will have many years’ bad luck and some difficulties may happen in your relationship (!)


Don’t believe it!! It’s just a common superstition     

10:34 AM Jun 22 2014 |

sara1998

sara1998

Iran, Islamic Republic Of

As you know Iran is an islamic country but our country isn’t like those which Idreiss has said!


both bride and groom must go to a saloon before the ceremony cuz they must look more beautiful and handsome than other days of their life.after that they go to an art collection (gallery) and take photoes together and they also take their car to a flower shop and design it with flowers!


well,they must rent a place for their ceremony from months before their ceremony and they can have their wedding the way they like.some people are religous and would rather to rent a hall and there men and women will be seperate but some others would rather not to seperate men and women and if some one likes to have hijab will wear a nice dress with a scarf;if she likes can join others and dance!


you must hire a DJ , chef , waiters , designer, etc before the ceremony and some halls have their own chef and waiters and designer!


After the wedding ceremony all of the guests go follow the bride and groom’s car with their car and brows around the city untill bride and groom go to their own hous!


I think following the bride and groom’s car is the best part of wedding cuz every one drives with high speed and some times they start dancing in the street! :)

whereru66

whereru66

China

I’ve seen a Jewish wedding scene in a  moive,called New York,I Love You.  That moive is composed of 12 little tiny stories which is happened in New York city.

04:32 AM Jun 22 2014 |

Idriss

Idriss

Morocco

@Rosendo: lol, Hhh, they are not moms, they are brides of their spouses.
There are different customs and traditions of Muslims wedding, as you know hijab is the clothe of female Muslims, and also faceveil or niqab/burqa is another form of hijab. Some prefer to wear the faceveil in wedding coz they are very religious, educated, and shy to see and be seen by non-mahrem(non-relatives outside parents and husband).

 http://islamiclearningmaterials.com/marriage-in-islam/
 http://islamnewsroom.com/news-we-need/1779-basic-steps-muslim-marriage


im reckoning that in this marriage they wore like that due of respect of husbands to each other, no one shall see another husband’s wife’s face.
i have some friends who prescribe to their wives to put niqab when they ask a friend who have car to transport them.
 




06:44 PM Jun 21 2014 |

rosendo

rosendo

Mexico

@idriss , i have a doubt , the people who is wraped by white blankets are mums , sprectra , what is that ?

06:08 PM Jun 21 2014 |

1 person likes this

sweetkendi

sweetkendi

Cote D'Ivoire

Snif, I’m bachelor but I really want a mixture of marriage, that’s to say modern and traditional. It goona be casual as I’m studying African civilization at university. 

10:57 AM Jun 21 2014 |

1 person likes this

cmoriwaki

United States

There are roughly two kinds of wedding ceremony style in my culture, Japan.
One is Japanese traditional style, another is the style same as American and European style.
I like a Japanese traditional style wedding.

12:37 AM Jun 21 2014 |

S&W

S&W

China

@Eric,I think Brian know where is Lily.

10:19 PM Jun 20 2014 |

1 person likes this

Idriss

Idriss

Morocco

This is a collective islamic wedding made for poor couples…weddings are of course individual but this picture represents a charitable collective wedding:

 


06:32 PM Jun 20 2014 |

mahbubeh92

mahbubeh92

Iran, Islamic Republic Of

i’d rather traditional ceremony but unique..but hhmmmm i think marrying  a person with different religion sounds unique ..i am still single..lol

09:30 AM Jun 20 2014 |

S&W

S&W

China

Me.I want everything to be simple,Maybe Wedding trip is a good idea for me,Like the way Daniel Wu married Lisa S in Africa

08:06 AM Jun 20 2014 |

AnD17

AnD17

Belarus

When I had  wedding, I was tired very much and waited impatiently for it’s end :). Therefore, people must to married young. And now I think, that wedding must to be atipical. Because traditional ceremony too longe.

07:42 AM Jun 20 2014 |

Eric_

Eric_

China

If i were going to get married, i hope i could hold a ceremony beside the beach… inviting some of my friends and relatives to come…



kind of a great party with casual style…:D



By the way, where is Lily?   She hasn’t been here for a week…:))

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