A wedding is traditionally a service that is a voluntary union between two people; reforms to the law and attitudes regarding marriage have seen a number of important changes in recent years. Despite the religious aspect to a marriage, it is still a legal matter; 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; after the ceremony they are referred to as husband and wife.
Weddings in a Church
As soon as you look outside of your own race, religious and social group, the wedding tradition can become very complex. Traditionally the church is the most popular venue, where the ceremony is presided over by a Christian priest. 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 Ceremonies
A rare type of marriage is where two separate couples decide to marry at the same time; this often happens where a person has a brother or sister that decides to tie the knot at the same time and it is not unheard of for two brothers to marry two sisters this way.
Destination Wedding Ceremonies
When some couples decide to get married in another country, they are known as destination weddings; 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.
Weekend Weddings
A weekend wedding is where couples and their guests celebrate over the course of a weekend. Themed occasions can involve golf, hang-gliding, shooting or any type of venue you can imagine. Accommodation for these is normally arranged at the place where the service is going to take place and where the other events are also being held.
Online Marriages
Although it has not really caught on yet, a few bold and different people have decided to tie the knot online but it may be sometime before this style of wedding really becomes more popular; planning is made easy however, with online guides that list reliable and friendly vendors. An internet or online wedding can also refer to a situation where a couple may broadcast their marriage to friends and family in other parts of the world. Online background check is also now made possible too.
Civil Ceremonies Despite the term civil wedding, most services that take place outside of a Church, wherever that may be, are civil weddings which have to be carried out by appointed or elected judges, mayors or a justice of the peace. 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. Many civil ceremonies take place in local town or city halls or courthouses in judge's chambers.
The information here is to help give people who live primarily in the Western world, a better comprehension of just what a wedding really is.