A wedding is traditionally a service that is a voluntary union between two people; these days it is no longer required for the partners to be of the opposite sex. Whilst the ceremony may occur in a church or other religious place the marriage is not recognized until the legal duties are performed; a legal document called a marriage license must be signed before the law recognizes a couple is married. A woman taking part in the ceremony is called a bride, a man called a bridegroom; the terms husband and wife are then the traditional terms to use after the ceremony.
Weddings in a Church
There are many factors that can affect a wedding tradition and those of religion, race and social class for example, ca make it very complicated. Performed by a Christian priest or vicar, the Church ceremony continues to be top of the list as a venue. Of course we all know and love the white wedding but this is not the generally accepted form of ceremony in every Christian country.
Multiple Weddings
Double marriages are quite rare as they usually entail getting two couples to marry at the same time and same place; ceremonies such as this are usually instigated by siblings who like the idea of a simultaneous marriage.
Destination Weddings
Destination weddings are becoming more popular and many couples decide to have their wedding and honeymoon in the same place; it doesn't matter exactly where you travel to, whether it is in Egypt or just to Las Vegas it will still be considered a destination wedding.
Activity weekend Weddings
Some couples decide to have their wedding over the course of a weekend and this can ensure the occasion is less stressful for all concerned. To cater for an expanding market a number of companies arrange special themed occasions that incorporate anything from golf to surfing. Lodging is usually at the same facility and couples often host a Sunday brunch for the weekend's finale.
Online Marriages
Although unusual, you can even get married online and it will resemble a normal wedding or you can even have characters of yourselves get married; there are even guides for information on how to go about an internet ceremony with information on people that can carry it out for you. An online wedding also refers to where a couple decides to have their marriage ceremony broadcast live on the internet.
City Hall Marriages Local civil authority services are called civil weddings as they do not take place in a church and must be performed by a locally elected or appointed official. For people that elect this type of ceremony it is not important to them if God or religion is referred to in such a brief service. These services are brief and to the point because they are a legal procedure and the couple getting married does not mind the circumstances of the marriage, just the fact that they are married.
The information provided here is mainly about weddings and marriage in the Western world primarily based on and around Christian beliefs.