Lesson 9 Weddings
1 Vocabulary in context
A Think of ten words associated with weddings. Then read the postings on this web page.
How many of your words are mentioned?
Write a new post
When is a good time to get married? How have weddings changed in recent years?
Bjorn The best time here in Sweden is the summer, when it Kumiko There was a time when weddings were very traditional in
stays light all night. Japan, but changed in the 1980s when Western-style ceremonies
became more popular.
Ming Wei It depends. Here it’s often decided by a fortune-
teller, whose job is to choose the best day. Jun Ho Here in South Korea, marriages were traditionally arranged
by a matchmaker, whose responsibility was to find the right partner
Alex Any weekend when you can get off work. for you. I have lots of friends whose parents met that way, but
arranged marriages aren’t as common nowadays.
What’s your favorite part of the wedding?
Cassidy There aren’t as many religious ceremonies. Some
people go to Hawaii, where they get married on the beach, or there
are actually places in the States where a celebrity look-alike, like
Rodrigo There’s a very touching moment when the bride Elvis, performs a civil ceremony.
walks down the aisle with her bridesmaids, and the
groom turns and sees her in her wedding dress for the first
time. Chris They go on longer. They have all these bachelor and
bachelorette parties now, where you celebrate with your friends.
Gosia My favorite part is when they go to the reception, Sometimes they go on all night, and some last the whole weekend.
where the couple is met by their parents. The parents give Then there’s the rehearsal dinner, where the parents of the
the newlyweds a gift of bread and salt, which in Poland groom host a dinner for everybody who’s involved – the
symbolize the prosperity and hardship of life. bridesmaids, the best man and groomsmen.
Manuel It’s when the bride and groom exchange vows.
B Make a chart like the one below. Use the words in bold from the postings.
Types of weddings People involved Things people do
Western-style bride walk down the aisle
ceremony
C Pair work Take turns using the words in the chart to ask questions about the postings. How much do you
remember? Are any of the postings true for your culture?
A Where were matchmakers used traditionally?
B I think it says in South Korea. It’s interesting because my friend’s mother had a
matchmaker…
2 Grammar Adding information: time, place, possession
A Rewrite each pair of ideas as one sentence. Then read the grammar chart.
1. Things changed in the 1980s. At that time, people started to choose Western-style weddings.
2. After a wedding ceremony, the guests go to a reception. There they have a meal.
3. We used to use matchmakers. Their responsibility was to find the right husband or wife for you.
Connectors when, where and whose
When, where and whose can introduce defining and non-defining ideas.
Time-when There’s a touching moment when the bride walks down the aisle.
The best time to get married is the summer, when it stays light all night.
Place-where There are places in the U.S where a celebrity look-alike performs the ceremony.
Some people go to Hawaii, where they get married on the beach.
Possession-whose I have lots of friends whose parents used a matchmaker.
Some couples use a fortune-teller, whose job is to choose the best day.
B Complete the postings with when, where, or whose.
Often when and where are both correct. Then work with a partner. Compare traditions in your
country with the ones below.
1. A week before the wedding, the bride and groom go to a photographer's studio, the wedding photos
are taken. The bride wears her wedding dress and everything.
2. Couples often marry at half past the hour, the hands of the clock are moving up instead of
down. It's believed that the marriage will get off to a good start.
3. After the bride and groom have exchanged rings, there's a ceremony the bride and groom each
light a candle.
4. At the reception, there's a dance the guests pin money onto the bride's dress. There are some
weddings ________ guests “pay” to dance with the bride or groom.
5. The best man job is to take care of the rings, also makes a speech at the reception.
6. My favorite part is the event the bride is painted with henna. It's called the Mend.
3 Viewpoint Views on weddings
Group work Discuss the questions. Do you have similar experiences and views?
Have you ever been to a wedding? If so, what kind of ceremony was it?
Was it a traditional wedding, or was there something different about it?
How important is it to keep wedding traditions?
How much do people spend on average weddings?
Is it a waste of money?
What's your idea of a perfect wedding?
Which wedding traditions would you like to change?
A I went to a wedding last year where the reception was at a theme park.
B A theme park? OR Did you say a theme park?
