A bridegroom (often shortened to groom ) is a man who is about to be married or who is newlywed . In some circles, it is a modern alternative to bride or groom.
38-586: When marrying, the bridegroom's future spouse (if female) is usually referred to as the bride. A bridegroom is typically attended by a best man and groomsmen . The first mention of the term bridegroom dates to 1572, from the Old English brȳdguma , a compound of brȳd ( bride ) and guma (man, human being, hero). It is related to the Old Saxon brūdigomo , the Old High German brūtigomo ,
76-483: A flower girl and a ring bearer . They may also add optional features such as a guest book or commemorative wedding leaflets. It is common to have a celebration after the wedding ceremony, normally featuring a large wedding cake with white icing. The term now also encapsulates the entire Western wedding routine, especially in the Christian religious tradition , which generally includes a church service during which
114-412: A ceremony of having their grandparents, step-parents, and parents escorted to their seats immediately before the wedding procession begins. In other cases, these relatives form part of the wedding procession. Depending on the country, her age and situation, and her personal preferences, the bride may walk alone or be escorted by her father, both of her parents, one or more relatives she wishes to honor, or
152-435: A final celebration with his friends before his marriage. Common slang names for this event are bachelor party, stag do , or bucks' night in different parts of the world. In many areas, this dinner is now most commonly organized by the best man; the costs can be shared by either all of the participants or all of the participants except for the groom, who becomes the guest of honor. White wedding A white wedding
190-467: A friend, in the context of a western white wedding , the best man will typically: The best man is not a universal custom. Even in places where a best man is customary, the role may be quite different when compared to other areas of the world. In the past, the bachelor party was typically scheduled for a convenient evening during the week before the wedding. A type of farewell dinner, it was always hosted, and therefore organized and paid for, entirely by
228-531: A particularly popular colour in Western Europe more generally. During this time, European and American brides wore a plethora of colours, including blue, yellow, and practical colours like black, brown, or gray. As accounts of Victoria's wedding spread across the Atlantic and throughout Europe, fashionable people followed her lead. The traditional white wedding was not necessarily defined by the color of
266-532: A way to show the world that the bride's family was so wealthy and so firmly part of the leisure class that the bride would choose an elaborate dress that could be ruined by any sort of work or spill. Women were required to wear veils in many Christian churches through the mid-20th century; the resurgence of the wedding veil as a symbol of the bride, and its use even when not required by the bride's religion, coincided with societal emphasis on women being modest and well-behaved. Etiquette books then began to turn
304-487: Is a blank canvas, just waiting to be written on.” White is the color in Western culture most often associated with beginnings. Religious rites and the clothing associated with them have always been important, and white is often a common color used to express high religious commitment and purity. Though Mary, Queen of Scots , wore a white wedding gown in 1559 when she married her first husband, Francis Dauphin of France ,
342-477: Is a traditional formal or semi-formal wedding originating in Great Britain. The term originates from the white colour of the wedding dress , which originated with Anne of Brittany during her 1499 marriage to Louis XII of France . The white dress became popular with Victorian era elites after Queen Victoria wore a white lace dress at her 1840 wedding to Prince Albert . The white wedding style
380-409: Is one of the male attendants to the groom in a wedding ceremony. Usually, the groom selects close friends and relatives to serve as groomsmen, and it is considered an honor to be selected. From his groomsmen, the groom usually chooses one to serve as best man . For a wedding with many guests, the groom may also ask other male friends and relatives to act as ushers without otherwise participating in
418-426: Is served, particularly including a wedding cake . Wedding cakes are often multi-tiered layer cakes that are elaborately decorated with white icing. Cutting the wedding cake is often turned into a ritual, complete with sharing a symbolic bite of the cake in a rite that harks back to the pagan confarreatio weddings in ancient Rome. During the reception, a number of short speeches or toasts may be given in honor of
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#1732773320026456-590: The German Bräutigam , and the Old Norse brúðgumi . The style of the bridegroom's clothing can be influenced by many factors, including the time of day, the location of the ceremony, the ethnic backgrounds of the bride and bridegroom, the type of ceremony, and whether the bridegroom is a member of the Armed Forces . In Anglo-American weddings, the bridegroom will often give a short speech after
494-550: The Atlantic. However, middle-class British and American brides did not adopt the trend fully until after World War II . With increased prosperity in the 20th century, the tradition also grew to include the practice of wearing the dress only once. As historian Vicky Howard writes, "[i]f a bride wore white in the nineteenth century, it was acceptable and likely that she wore her gown again". Even Queen Victoria had her famous lace wedding dress re-styled for later use. After World War I, as full-scale formal weddings began to be desired by
532-456: The Baptist speaks of Jesus Christ as the bridegroom and mentions the bride. He that hath the bride is the bridegroom: but the friend of the bridegroom, which standeth and heareth him, rejoiceth greatly because of the bridegroom's voice: this my joy therefore is fulfilled. Also see Matthew 9:15; 25:1-13; Mark 2:19-20 ; Luke 5:34-35; John 2:9; 3:29. Best man A groomsman or usher
570-422: The best man stands next to the groom, slightly behind him. This means that the four people present at the altar are the officiant (such as a civil celebrant, priest, rabbi, minister, or other religious figure), the bride, groom, and best man. This is common in some western countries, although in others the best man and bridesmaid participate on an equal footing. While the best man's required duties are only those of
608-424: The bride and groom will stand side by side at the front of the church before the chancel throughout most or all the ceremony. Consequently, some guests prefer to sit on the side closer to the person they know best. Typically, this means that the bride's family sits on the house left and the groom's family on house right . The front rows are generally reserved for close family members or friends. Some couples make
646-491: The ceremony, each partner in the couple makes marriage vows to the other in front of the marriage officiant. The ceremony might include the playing of a prelude, the singing of hymns , and Bible readings , as well as Holy Communion in accordance with the Christian marriage liturgy of the church at which the wedding is held, e.g. Lutheran , Catholic , Presbyterian , Anglican , Methodist , Baptist , Mormon , Calvinist , Unitarian , Protestant , Orthodox , etc. After
684-440: The couple instead of throwing the previously mentioned items. After this, the celebrations shift to a reception at which the newly married couple, as the guests of honor, and the hosts and perhaps members of the wedding party greet the guests in a receiving line . Although now commonly called a reception no matter the style of party, wedding celebrations range from simple receptions to dinner parties to grand wedding balls . Food
722-408: The couple. If there is dancing, the bride and groom, as the guests of honor, are expected to be the first people to begin dancing. This is usually termed the bridal waltz , even if the couple has arranged for a different style of music. Some families then contrive a series of arranged dances between the newlyweds and their parents, or other members of the wedding party, with guests expected to watch
760-468: The dress only. The wedding of Queen Victoria's daughter Victoria to Prince Fredrick William of Prussia in 1858 also introduced choral music to the processional when standard practice had been to have music of any kind only during a party after the wedding ceremony. Because of the limitations of laundering techniques before the later part of the 20th century, white dresses provided an opportunity for conspicuous consumption . They were favored primarily as
798-495: The following: Typically these positions are filled by either close friends or family members (or both) of the bride and groom; being asked to serve in these capacities is seen as an honor and typically entails some expense. When the guests arrive for a wedding, the ushers, if any, help the guests take their places. In a typical white wedding ceremony, which is derived primarily from the Christian tradition (inclusive of denominations such as Lutheranism and Anglicanism, for example),
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#1732773320026836-406: The groom is already present in the church; other times, he and any groomsmen form part of the procession. The music played during this procession is commonly called a wedding march , no matter what songs are played. If the wedding is part of a religious service, then technically the service begins after the arrival of the participants, commonly with a prayer, blessing, or ritual greeting. During
874-498: The groom may request other kinds of assistance, such as planning celebratory events such as a bachelor party , also called a stag do or buck's night; helping make the wedding pleasant for guests by talking with people who are alone or dancing with unaccompanied guests or bridesmaids, if there is dancing at a wedding reception; or providing practical assistance with gifts, luggage, or unexpected complications. Groomsmen may also participate in local or regional traditions, such as decorating
912-417: The groom. The dinner was seen as the groom's last chance to entertain his friends as a single man; after the wedding, dinner parties at his home would always be presided over by his wife in her role as hostess. In recent times this practice has evolved. In many cultures, it is a customary practice for the groom to bear all the expenses of his bachelor party. This tradition highlights the groom's role in hosting
950-582: The groom. In Swedish white weddings, the bride and groom usually go down the aisle together. Similarly, some couples choose to have the groom escorted to the altar by his family. Whether the bride is the first or the last of the wedding party to enter the church varies by country. In the US, the bride is typically last, being preceded by the rest of the wedding party. In the UK, she leads the procession, followed by any bridesmaids , flower girls and page boys . Sometimes
988-405: The marriage begins, followed by a reception . “Color Wheel Pro” describes white in association with light, goodness, innocence, purity and virginity. White is also often considered to be the color of perfection. As for other significant meanings for white on a wedding day, “colormeaning.com” says, “In color psychology, white is the color of new beginnings — wiping the slate clean. The color white
1026-485: The married couple and guests to walk through. The first recorded use of the word ‘groomsmen’, according to the Oxford English Dictionary, was as recently as 1698, although the words ‘bride’ and ‘groom’ both date back to Old English. The most visible duty of the groomsmen is helping guests find their places before the ceremony and to stand near the groom during the wedding ceremony. Additionally,
1064-671: The mothers of brides who did not have a permanent social secretary, the position of the wedding planner , who could coordinate the printer, florist, caterer and seamstress, began to assume importance. The first edition of Bride's Magazine was published in 1934 as a newspaper advertising insert called ‘So You're Going to Get Married!’ in a column entitled ‘To the Bride’ and its rival Modern Bride began publishing in 1949. The portrayal of weddings in Hollywood movies, particularly immediately after World War II, helped crystallize and homogenize
1102-400: The newlywed couple's car. Bridegroom-men formerly had important duties. The men were called bride-knights, and represented a survival of the primitive days of marriage by capture, when a man called his friends in to assist to "lift" or kidnap the bride , or from the need to defend the bride from would-be kidnappers. The best man is the chief assistant to the groom at a wedding. While
1140-414: The performances. At some point, the married couple may become the object of a charivari , a good-natured hazing of the newly married couple. The nature depends upon the circumstances. The guests might tie tin cans or a sign saying "Just Married" to the bumper of the couple's car, if they depart in their own car rather than a hired one. As the guests of honor, the newly married couple is the first to leave
1178-411: The practice into a tradition and the white gown soon became a popular symbol of status that also carried "a connotation of innocence and virginal purity." The story put out about the wedding veil was that decorous brides were naturally too timid to show their faces in public until they were married. By the end of the 19th century the white dress was the garment of choice for elite brides on both sides of
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1216-531: The reception, thanking the guests for attending, complimenting the bride, thanking members of the wedding party, and possibly sharing a "roast toast", in which he makes jokes at the expense of himself or a member of his party. His speech will normally be followed by one from the best man . In Christianity , Jesus Christ is called a bridegroom in relation to the Church as his bride . In the Gospel of John , John
1254-522: The role is older, the earliest surviving written use of the term best man comes from 1782, observing that "best man and best maid" in the Scottish dialect are equivalent to "bride-man and bride-maid" in England. In most modern Anglophone countries, the groom extends this honor to someone who is close to him, generally a close friend or a relative (such as a sibling or cousin). During a wedding ceremony
1292-531: The tradition of a white wedding dress is commonly credited to Queen Victoria's choice to wear a white court dress at her wedding to Prince Albert in 1840. Debutantes had long been required to wear white court dresses and long white gloves for their first presentation at court, at a "Drawing Room" where they were introduced to the queen for the first time. Royal brides before Victoria did not typically wear white, instead choosing "heavy brocaded gowns embroidered with white and silver thread," with red being
1330-664: The wedding ceremony itself ends, the bride, groom, officiant, and two witnesses generally go off to a side room to sign the wedding register in the United Kingdom or the state-issued marriage license in the United States. Without the signing of the register or the marriage license, a marriage has not legally occurred. Afterward, guests may cheer the departure of the couple from the church by throwing flower petals , confetti , birdseed , or rice over them. Miniature containers of bubbles are often provided to guest to blow at
1368-404: The wedding ceremony; their sole task is ushering guests to their seats before the ceremony. Ushers may also be hired for very large weddings. In a military officer's wedding, the roles of groomsmen are replaced by swordsmen of the sword honor guard . They are usually picked as close personal friends of the groom who have served with him. Their role includes forming the traditional saber arch for
1406-409: The white wedding into a normative form. Traditional weddings require, in addition to the bride and groom , a marriage officiant , which is a minister, priest, pastor, vicor, rabbi, imam, or civil officer who is authorized to perform marriages and will read out of a Bible , Torah , Quran , or Civil document . Typical white weddings also include a wedding party, which consists of some or all of
1444-459: Was given another significant boost in 1981, when 750 million people watched the wedding of Diana Spencer to Charles, Prince of Wales , which saw her wear an elaborate white taffeta dress with an 8 m train. The full white wedding experience today typically requires the family to arrange for or purchase printed or engraved wedding invitations , musicians, decorations such as flowers or candles, clothes and flowers for bridesmaids , groomsmen ,
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