VOICE ONE:
Almost two-and-one-half million marriages are performed each yearin the United States. June is one of the most popular months forthese wedding ceremonies. I’m Sarah Long.
VOICE TWO:
And I’m Steve Ember. We tell about weddings on our report todayon the VOA Special English program, THIS IS AMERICA.
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VOICE ONE:
Almost five-million Americans get married each year. Some ofthese people will have a traditional wedding ceremony in a religiouscenter, a hotel or a social club. These couples may invite hundredsof people to their celebrations.
Other couples will have a simpleceremony performed by a judge in a public building. They will inviteonly close family members and friends. They may not have the moneyto spend on a big wedding. Or they may want to save money for awedding trip to a faraway place or to help them buy a house.
Americans get married in different ways. But the meaning of allthese wedding is the same. The bride and groom promise to spend therest of their lives together.
VOICE TWO:
Big weddings have created a huge business in the United States. Abig wedding requires special clothing, flowers, food preparation,photographs and music. Experts say the average American weddingcosts about twenty-thousand dollars or more. Some estimates sayAmericans spend as much as seventy-thousand-million dollars a yearfor everything connected with weddings.
Traditionally, the bride’s parents plan and pay for the wedding.Sometimes the groom’s parents share this responsibility. Today manyAmericans are older when they get married. So they often organizeand pay for their own weddings.
VOICE ONE:
Two computer experts from Reston, Virginia, were marriedSaturday. They had a traditional American wedding. The bride wore along white dress and a white head covering called a veil. She alsowore four other traditional things: Something old. Something new.Something borrowed. And something blue. These four things aresupposed to bring her good luck.
During the ceremony she and the groom accepted each other ashusband and wife. They promised to love and honor each other always.The groom placed a gold wedding ring on the third finger of thebride’s left hand. The bride placed a gold wedding ring on the thirdfinger of the groom’s left hand. The clergy member performing theceremony declared them husband and wife. Then the bride and groomkissed.
During the past year the couple organized all the plans for theirwedding. For several months, they could not decide what music theywanted to be played at their ceremony. Finally, they chose musicoften heard at weddings – “Sheep May Safely Graze” by JohannSebastian Bach.
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VOICE TWO:
Couples planning their weddings can get advice in many differentways. They can ask their married friends. They can study magazinespublished especially for people getting married.
Couples who are very busysometimes hire a wedding planner to help them with theirpreparations. For example, the planner helps the bride find awedding dress. The planner helps find a place for the party afterthe ceremony. This person organizes the food, the music and all thedetails for the party.
VOICE ONE:
Couples also can use the Internet computer system to prepare fortheir wedding. Modern Bride magazine says almost half of Americansgetting married buy wedding products and services on the Internet.
The bride and groom can use the Internet to communicate withfamily members and friends who will take part in the celebration.They can look at pictures of wedding clothes. They can chooseflowers. They can decide where to hold the wedding party, and whatfoods and drinks will be served. They can study where to take theirtrip after the wedding. This trip is called the “honeymoon.” Theycan buy airplane tickets and decide on a hotel.
Some couples who are planning a wedding also establish their ownWeb sites. This way, they can provide needed information to peopleinvited to the wedding from distant places. The Web site advisesguests about places to stay and things to do in the area. Itprovides maps showing how to reach the church and the place wherethe wedding dinner will be served.
VOICE TWO:
Wedding guests traditionally give gifts to the bride and groom.Computer technology also is making it easier for guests to find theperfect gift. Sometimes guests can do this without leaving home.
For example, a man and woman who are getting married can go to astore and choose gifts they would like to receive. These includethings for their home like dishes and cooking equipment. The storecan print a list of all these things. This list also can be found onthe Internet. Guests can buy a gift at the store or on the Internetand have it sent to the couple.
VOICE ONE:
Sometimes the bride and groom give gifts to their guests. Thesegifts may be small baskets filled with candy and little bottles ofwine. The baskets may contain objects that will help guests rememberthe wedding celebration. For example, a bride from New York Cityloves chocolate candy. Her gift baskets included large chocolatecandies in the shape of hearts. The couple’s names and the date oftheir wedding ceremony were written on the candies.
There is another way that guests can remember a wedding. Thereare small cameras that do not cost much and are used to take onlyabout twenty or thirty pictures. Many couples give such a camera toeach group of guests at the party after the ceremony. One of theguests takes pictures of all the other guests sitting around thetable. Later, the wedding couple or their families develop the filmand send copies of these pictures to all the guests.
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VOICE TWO:
Experts say about half of American weddings this year will not becostly or require months of planning. Sometimes people have simplemarriage ceremonies so they can take a costly wedding trip. Manytravel companies offer trips for the wedding couple to farawayplaces. For example, a bride and groom can enjoy a wedding trip to ahistoric castle in Britain. Or they can sail to islands in theCaribbean Sea on a large ship.
Some people have simple, nontraditional weddings. They have theirweddings at home, sometimes in a garden if the weather is nice.Friends may provide food and play music for the party after theceremony. Other couples are married by a judge in a public building.
A public relations worker in Baltimore, Maryland, and an airlinepilot from Washington, D.C., recently decided to get married. Thepilot knew he would soon be called back into active service in theMarine Corps. So the couple was married in a small room in a churchcalled a chapel. Only family members attended the ceremony.
VOICE ONE:
Other couples choose a special place for their wedding ceremony.For example, a businessman and a health worker in Greenville, SouthCarolina are in their middle thirties. Each has been married before.This couple drove to Miami, Florida to be married. A clergymanperformed their ceremony on a beautiful Atlantic Ocean beach.
Many young couples plan nontraditional weddings that includetraditions from their cultures. For example, one bride is fromShanghai, China. She is studying in the United States. The groom isan American lawyer. Their ceremony will honor both his Jewishreligious traditions and her Chinese customs.
A Protestant clergyman in the state of Maryland has performedhundreds of wedding ceremonies over the years. He advises couples toremember that their wedding takes place in a single day. However, hesays their feelings for one another must last a lifetime.
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VOICE TWO:
This program was written by Jerilyn Watson. It was produced byCynthia Kirk. I’m Steve Ember.
VOICE ONE:
And I’m Sarah Long. Join us again next week for another reportabout life in the United States on the VOA Special English program,THIS IS AMERICA.