WEDDING

A wedding is the ceremony in which two people are united in marriage or a similar institution. Wedding traditions and customs vary greatly between cultures, ethnic groups, religions, countries, and social classes. Most wedding ceremonies involve an exchange of wedding vows by the couple, presentation of a gift (offering, ring(s), symbolic item, flowers, money), and a public proclamation of marriage by an authority figure or leader. Special wedding garments are often worn, and the ceremony is sometimes followed by a wedding reception. Music, poetry, prayers or readings from religious texts or literature are also commonly incorporated into the ceremony.

Contents   [hide]  1 Common elements across cultures 2 Traditional wedding garb 3 Wedding music 3.1 Western weddings 4 Religious aspects of weddings 4.1 Customs associated with various religions 4.1.1 Christian customs 4.1.1.1 Quaker customs 4.1.2 Hindu customs 4.1.3 Jewish customs 4.1.4 Weddings in Muslim cultures 4.1.5 Weddings in Chinese cultures 5 Wedding types 5.1 Civil wedding 5.2 Elopement 5.3 Same-sex wedding 5.4 Destination wedding 5.5 White wedding 5.6 Weekend wedding 5.7 Military wedding 5.8 Double wedding 5.9 Mass wedding 6 Wedding ceremony participants 7 See also 8 References