love,marriage and family life

Love and Weddings

“Men always want to be a woman’s first love --- women like to be a man’s last romance.” --- Oscar Wild

A General Procedure

A Wedding Rehearsal Dinner is usually celebratedbetween the immediate (最接近的) families of spouses in the late afternoon the day before the wedding. The groom's family traditionally provides for this celebration. A Bachelor Party is held for the groom and usually sponsored by the best man shortly before the Wedding.

A General Procedure

The Wedding Ceremony is most often performed as part of a religious ceremony each with its own specific customs and traditions. On the day of the wedding the groom does not see the bride until the actual ceremony.

A General Procedure

A Wedding Reception is usually held after the ceremony for all family and friends to celebrate. The Bride's Family usually provides for this celebration. A Honeymoon is taken by the Bride and Groom to a secret place where they go off for their first night together in Marriage.

Wedding Ceremony in America

Choosing the day

Although most weddings now take place on Saturday it was considered unlucky in the past. Friday were also considered unlucky particularly Friday the 13th. The famous old rhyme advises a wedding in the first half of the week:Monday for wealth Tuesday for health Wednesday for the best day of all Thursday for losses Friday for crosses Saturday for no luck at all

The Bride’s Dress

The Bride’s Dress

The traditional American bride wears a long white gown and a veil. In earlier times, people thought the veil would protect the bride from evil spirits. The white gown and veil also symbolize innocence and purity The full wording of this popular bridal attire[ ’ta r](服装) rhyme, which dates back to the Victorian times is ‘something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue and a silver sixpence (六便士) in your shoe.’ Wearing something old refers to wearing something that represents a link with the bride's family and her old life. Usually, the bride wears a piece of family jewellery or maybe her mother's or grandmother's wedding dress.

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The Bride’s Dress

Wearing something new represents good fortune and success in the bride's new life. The bride's wedding dress is usually chosen, if purchased new, but it can be any other new item of the bride's wedding attire. Wearing something borrowed, which has already been worn by another happy bride at her wedding, is meant to bring good luck to the marriage. Something borrowed could be an item of bridal clothing, a handkerchief or an item of jewellery.

The Bride’s Dress

Wearing something blue dates back to biblical (圣经的) times when the colour blue was considered to represent purity and fidelity [fi’deliti](忠诚). Over time this has evolved from wearing a blue clothing to wearing a blue band around the bottom of the bride s dress and to today s wearing a

blue or blue-trimmed garter(吊袜带) . Placing a silver sixpence in the bride's left shoe is a symbol of wealth. This is not just to bring the bride financial wealth but also a wealth of happiness and joy throughout her married life.

The Wedding Car

Sometimes, the couple’s car is decorated with tin cans, paper steamers, or old shoes, along with a “Just Married” sign. The tin can and the old shoes reflect an old idea that noisemakers scare away evil spirits and bring good luck.

The Wedding Cake

After the meal, the newlywed cooperate to cut a cake and it is served to the guests. Most wedding cakes have a miniature [’mini t ](小型的, 微小的) bride and groom or miniature wedding bells on top. Some guests take home a slice of cake. They believe that if a single woman sleeps with this piece of cake under her pillow, she will dream of the man she is going to marry.

The Bouquet Toss

Just before the bride leaves the reception, she throws a bouquet of flowers backwards over her head to a group of single women standing behind her. Supposedly, the one who catches the bouquet will be the next to marry.

Wedding Customs and Superstitions

Bad weather on the way to the wedding is thought to be an omen of an unhappy marriage, although rain is considered a good omen in some cultures. Cloudy skies and wind are believed to cause stormy marriage. Snow, on the other hand, is associated with fertility and wealth. After the wedding, the bride must enter the new marital home through the main entrance. It is traditional for the groom to carry the bride over the threshold ['θre h uld]门槛 when they enter for the first time.

Wedding Anniversary

Americans attach great importance to anniversaries. Family and friends always get together for a grand celebration. Husband and wife exchang gifts according to the meaning of the anniversary. Guests also bring symbolic gifts. Each anniversary has a different name, portrays different meaning.