ESL Podcast 303 - A Traditional Wedding
wedding - a ceremony that creates a marriage; a ceremony that makes two people married
They had a beautiful and very large wedding, with almost 300 guests.
civil ceremony - a wedding ceremony that is not religious; a wedding ceremony that meet only legal (not religious) requirements
Katy wants to get married in her church, but her future husband wants only a civil ceremony.
minister - a religious leader in many Christian churches, similar to a priest or pastor
When Damian's mother died, Damian spent a lot of time talking to the minister about how he was feeling.
to officiate - to lead a wedding or other ceremony; to be in charge of a ceremony; to do all the things that are officially part of a ceremony
Who officiated at your wedding?
fiancé (man) / fiancée (woman) - a person to whom one has promised to get married; the man or woman whom one is engaged to
Did your parents know your fiancé well before you two decided to get married?
to join - to bring two people or things together; to make two people or things become one
The two small medical offices joined to form a new, larger office.
holy - sacred; blessed by God; related to God and/or religion
The church is a holy place and people enter it with respect.
matrimony - marriage; the union of two people as a married couple
Before I consider matrimony, I want to get a good job and be out of debt.
to hold (one's) peace - to not say anything against something; to remain quiet about one's opposition to something
I can't hold my peace any longer! I have to tell Jeremy that I think what he's doing is wrong.
to face (someone) - to move one's body so that one is standing in front of another person, and look at into that person's face or eyes
The two men faced each other angrily, and everyone was worried that they would start to fight.
lawfully wedded - legally married; married in accordance with the laws
Mr. and Mrs. Tannenbaum have been lawfully wedded for more than 50 years.
to have and to hold - to own; to possess and keep
I don't understand how people can promise to have and to hold each other for the rest of their lives, and then get divorced a few years later!
to cherish - to love and take care of something or someone very much; to adore and honor something or someone
I cherish the moments that we had together, and I will never forget them.
until death do (one) part - until death separates two people; until death
Keanu has promised to love, honor, and respect her until death does them part.
symbol - a thing or image that represents something else
In the United States, red roses are a symbol of love, and yellow roses are a symbol of friendship.
With this ring, I thee wed - A traditional phrase used in weddings when one person puts a ring on the other person's finger and they become married; I marry you with this ring
Sonja had tears in her eyes when she said, "With this ring, I thee wed."
to applaud - to clap; to quickly hit one's hands together many times to make noise and show that one is pleased with something
Everyone applauded when the Governor entered the room.
honor - privilege; something that one is proud to do; joy
When Jeff received the Nobel Prize, he told the audience that it was a great honor.