Meaning & use
the bridal party
Last updated
Meaning
nouncountable
The group of people who officially take part in a wedding, including the bride, groom, bridesmaids, and groomsmen.
Grammar: Countable: you can use 'a bridal party' or 'the bridal party'. It is often used with 'the' when referring to a specific wedding.
Patterns
- be in the bridal party
- a member of the bridal party
- the bridal party at a wedding
The bridal party posed for photos after the ceremony.
She was nervous about being in the bridal party.
The bridal party wore matching blue dresses.
Word forms
| plural | bridal parties |
|---|
Common combinations
- be in the bridal party
- My cousin asked me to be in the bridal party.
- a member of the bridal party
- As a member of the bridal party, he had to give a speech.
- the bridal party photos
- The photographer took the bridal party photos first.
Synonyms and how they differ
- wedding party
- A more general term that includes the same people; common in British English.
- wedding entourage
- A formal way to refer to the group of people accompanying the couple; less common.
Commonly confused: the bridal party or bridal shower?
the bridal party vs bridal shower
A bridal shower is a gift-giving event before the wedding, not the group of people in the ceremony.
Practice
What does 'the bridal party' refer to?
Choose one answer.
'The bridal party' is the group of people who officially participate in the wedding, like bridesmaids and groomsmen. The other options are different wedding-related terms.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “the bridal party”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.