Meaning & use
wedding
Last updated
UK/ˈwedɪŋ/
US/ˈwedɪŋ/
Meaning
nouncountable
A ceremony, often followed by a party, at which two people formally become husband and wife or legal partners.
Grammar: Plural weddings: we went to three weddings this summer.
Patterns
- go to a wedding
- a wedding between two people
Their wedding took place in a garden.
We were invited to my cousin's wedding in June.
The wedding lasted all night with music and dancing.
Word forms
| plural | weddings |
|---|
Common combinations
- wedding dress
- She tried on a wedding dress in the shop.
- wedding guest
- Every wedding guest received a small gift.
- plan a wedding
- They spent a year planning the wedding.
- wedding anniversary
- Their wedding anniversary falls on Valentine's Day.
- wedding reception
- The wedding reception was held in a hotel.
Synonyms and how they differ
- marriage ceremony
- Marriage ceremony is the formal term and focuses on the legal or religious act.
- nuptials
- Nuptials is formal or humorous and usually plural.
- union
- Union is a broad word for joining and less specific than wedding.
Opposites
Word family
Commonly confused: wedding or marriage?
wedding vs marriage
Wedding is the event, while marriage is the lasting state or relationship.
Practice
How do you spell the word for a marriage ceremony?
Choose one answer.
Wedding has a single e after the w and a double d; the other spellings drop a letter or add extra ones.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “wedding”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.
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