Weddings in the United States vary as much as the people do. There are church weddings with a GREat deal of fanfare; there are weddings on mountaintops with guests barefooted; and there have been weddings on the ocean floor with oxygen tanks for the guests. But many weddings, no matter where or how they are performed, include certain traditional customs.
Before a couple is married, they become engaged. And then invitations are sent to those who live nearby, their close friends and their relatives who live far away. When everything is ready, then comes the most exciting moment.
The wedding itself usually lasts between 20 and 40 minutes. The wedding party enters the church while the wedding march is played. The bride carrying a bouquet enters last with her father who will “give her away”. The groom enters the church from a side door. When the altar gathers the wedding party, the bride and groom exchange vows. It is traditional to use the words: “To have and to hold from this day forward, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish, till death do us part”. Following the vows, the couple exchange rings. Wearing the wedding ring on the fourth finger of the left hand is an old custom.
美国人的婚礼
美国人的婚礼千差万别。有热闹庄重的教堂婚礼；有在山顶上举行的婚礼，客人们光着脚陪伴登高；也有在海底举行的婚礼，客人们戴着氧气罐跟着入水。但婚礼无论在哪儿举行或怎样举行，总有某些传统的风俗。
一对情侣在举行婚礼前先要订婚，然后发送请贴给住在附近的人、好朋友以及远方的亲戚。当一切准备就绪，最激动人心的时刻就该到来了。
婚礼本身通常要进行20至40分钟。婚礼一行人伴着结婚进行曲进入教堂。新娘手持一束鲜花和她的父亲最后进来，父亲要把她交给新郎。而新郎则要从侧门进入教堂。当婚礼一行人聚集到教堂的圣坛前时，新娘和新郎互相表达誓言。传统的结婚誓言是：“从今以后，不论境遇好坏，家境贫富，生病与否，都要相亲相爱，至死不分离。”宣誓过后，二人交换戒指。通常把结婚戒指戴在左手无名指上，这是一个古老的风俗。
