Weddings in The United States
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 mountain-tops 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.
美國(guó)人的婚禮
美國(guó)的國(guó)土上居住著各種各樣的人，他們的婚禮也千差萬(wàn)別。有熱鬧莊重的教堂婚禮;有在山頂上舉行的婚禮，客人們光著腳陪伴登高;也有在海底舉行的婚禮，客人們戴著氧氣罐跟著入水。但婚禮無(wú)論在哪兒舉行或怎樣舉行，總有某些傳統(tǒng)的風(fēng)俗。
在舉行婚禮前先要先訂婚，然后發(fā)放請(qǐng)貼給住在附近的人和好朋友以及遠(yuǎn)方的親戚。當(dāng)一切準(zhǔn)備就緒，就該到最激動(dòng)人心的時(shí)刻了。
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 wedding party is gathered by the altar, 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[3]". Following the vows, the couple exchange rings. Wearing the wedding ring on the fourth finger of the left hand is an old custom.
婚禮本身通常進(jìn)行20至40分鐘�；槎Y一行人伴著結(jié)婚進(jìn)行曲進(jìn)入教堂。新娘手持一束鮮花和她的父親最后進(jìn)來(lái)，父親要把她交給新郎。而新郎則要從側(cè)門進(jìn)入教堂。當(dāng)婚禮一行人聚集到教堂的祭壇前時(shí)，新娘和新郎互相表達(dá)誓言。常用的結(jié)婚誓言是：“而今而后，不論境遇好壞，家境貧富，生病與否，誓言相親相愛(ài)，至死不分離。”宣誓過(guò)后，二人交換戒指。通常把戒指戴在左手無(wú)名指上，這是一個(gè)古老的風(fēng)俗。
After the ceremony there is often a party, called a "reception" which gives the wedding guests an opportunity to congratulate the newlyweds.
The car in which the couple leaves the church is decorated with balloons, streamers and shaving cream. The words "Just Married" are painted on the trunk or back window. The bride and groom run to the car under a shower of rice[4] thrown by the wedding guests. When the couple drives away from the church, friends often chase them in cars, honking and drawing attention to them. And then the couple go on their honeymoon.
禮儀過(guò)后，通常會(huì)有宴會(huì)，叫“喜宴”。宴會(huì)給參加婚禮的人一個(gè)向新婚夫婦祝賀的機(jī)會(huì)。
新郎新娘乘坐汽車離開(kāi)教堂，汽車上裝飾有氣球，彩色紙帶、刮須膏之類的東西。“新婚燕爾”幾個(gè)字常寫在汽車后的行李箱上或后玻璃窗上。新娘新郎從婚禮客人撒下的雨點(diǎn)般的生大米中跑向汽車。小兩口兒開(kāi)車離開(kāi)教堂時(shí)，朋友們常常開(kāi)車追趕他們，不停地按喇叭，引他們注意。然后小兩口兒就接著去度蜜月了。