wedding

wedding — noun

1. a ceremony where two people get married, together with the meal, party, or other

1.nounA2
Definition

a ceremony where two people get married, together with the meal, party, or other event that happens afterward as part of the celebration

Example

Yael and Felipe are planning their wedding for next spring in the garden.

The wedding ceremony at the town hall lasted about twenty minutes.

collocation: wedding ceremony / wedding reception

Common collocations
  • wedding ceremony
  • wedding reception
  • wedding cake
  • wedding dress / gown
  • wedding ring / band
  • wedding day
  • wedding night
  • wedding gift / present
  • wedding invitation
  • wedding planner
  • wedding venue
  • wedding photographer
  • attend a wedding
  • plan a wedding
  • invite someone to a wedding
  • have a wedding
Synonyms
  • marriage ceremony

    more formal and focuses on the ritual itself rather than the party

  • nuptials

    very formal or literary term for a wedding; rarely used in everyday speech

  • union

    emphasises the joining of two people; often used in religious or official contexts

Antonyms
  • divorce

    the legal end of a marriage, not a direct opposite in terms of event type

Grammar Patterns

possessive determiner + wedding

wedding + noun (modifier)

Usage Note

Often used with a possessive determiner ('their wedding', 'the couple's wedding') or as a modifier before another noun to name items or people associated with the event ('wedding cake', 'wedding dress', 'wedding planner').

Common Mistakes

Their wedding has been happy for twenty years.
Their marriage has been happy for twenty years.
'wedding' refers to the ceremony and celebration on one day; 'marriage' refers to the ongoing relationship between two people.

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

'Wedding' focuses on the event itself — the ceremony, meal, and celebration that take place on one specific day. 'Marriage,' by contrast, refers to the ongoing legal and emotional relationship between two people that continues long after the wedding day. A 'ceremony' is a broader term for any formal event with ritual steps (e.g. a graduation ceremony or award ceremony), not just a wedding. 'Nuptials' is a very formal, literary synonym that appears mostly in written or ceremonial contexts, such as 'the couple's nuptials were held at a historic estate.' In everyday conversation, 'wedding' is the natural and most common choice.

wedding ↗marriage ↗ceremony ↗nuptials

Common collocations

Nouns

Adverbs

Phrases

  • have a wedding
  • plan a wedding
  • get married in a wedding
  • invite someone to a wedding

Prepositions

  • at the wedding
  • on the wedding day
  • before the wedding
  • after the wedding

Etymology

Old EnglishGermanicEnglish

The word 'wedding' comes from Old English 'weddung', which meant the act of getting married. It is related to the verb 'wed' (to marry) and to older Germanic words for a promise or pledge — because a wedding traditionally involves the couple making vows to each other. The word has been used in English for over a thousand years.