difference between "marriage" and "Wedding"

English as a Second Language English Vocabulary, Grammar and Idioms
1

Hello there,

I want to know difference of two words “Marriage” and “Wedding”. What is the correct phrase “Marriage ceremony celebration” or “Wedding ceremony celebration” ?

Please define these words with example.

Thanks in advance.

Regards,

Baask

2

A wedding is the ceremony that begins the marriage. The marriage is the relationship, which by the way is much more important than the wedding. There is a saying “Brides and grooms should be more concerned about the marriage than about the wedding.”

So, “Wedding ceremony” is the correct term.

“At our wedding we gave our marriage vows.”
“After the wedding ceremony, we will have a wedding reception where the guests can dance and eat cake.”
“A wedding lasts a day, a marriage lasts (hopefully :slight_smile: ) a lifetime.”

3

“At the wedding ceremony some brides and grooms usually give dinner to their guests.”
Is this sentence OK? Can it be modified better?

4

Here in the US, the wedding ceremony refers to the actual ceremony where the bride and groom are declared to be husband and wife. It often involves reciting marriage vows and an official declaring the couple to be husband and wife. A party, called a reception, usually takes place after the wedding, at the same location or a different location, which involves dancing, wedding cake, dinner, and other customs. So your sentence should probably say “reception”.

Secondly, your use of “some” and “usually” together sounds odd and unclear. I would use either “some” or “usually” but not both of them together.

5

Hi Luschen,

I have not thought about the difference between these two words - they were for me from the sphere of beginnings of official relationships.

But in your second post here it seemed to me confusing your notice that the other pair of words “some” and “usually” should not use together. Could you explain me this point more detailed, why? Aren’t there any cases when we can use them together?

Thank you,
Vladimir.

6

Thank you so much for this detailed answer.

7
  1. “At the wedding ceremony brides and grooms give dinner to their guests.”
  2. “At the wedding ceremony brides and grooms give party to their guests.”
  3. “At the wedding ceremony brides and grooms give reception to their guests.”
    Which one is more correct?
8

I think 1st option is more relevant.

9

I think the “ceremony” is different than all these things, though the word “wedding” usually includes both. So you could say:

“After the wedding ceremony the bride’s parents host a reception for their guests.”

or

“At the wedding the bride’s parents host a reception for their guests.”

Notice I have changed some other words to make it sound more natural. Give is ok, but host sounds better here. Also, in the US, the party is traditionally given by the bride’s parents. Though often both sets of parents pitch in and in other cases, the bride and groom themselves pay for everything.

10
  1. At the wedding the bride’s parents throw a party for their guests.
  2. At the wedding the bride’s parents give dinner for their guests.
  3. At the wedding the bride’s parents give a reception for their guests.
    Are they correct?
11

2 is incorrect. The required preposition is ‘to their guests’
3 is incorrect. The preposition needs to be ‘for’ and strictly speaking, the reception is ‘for the couple’ (the guests ‘receive’ the bride and groom).