Part 1: Listen and Read: Listen to the recording on weddings and receptions, answer the questions, and then read along with the audio recording.

Getting married can be exciting and nerve-racking at the same time. There is so much planning to do for the wedding. When people get engaged, the couple often goes to a jewelry shop to pick out rings. The woman sometimes will wear an engagement ring, and wedding rings are exchanged at the wedding ceremony. The couple will also choose where the ceremony and wedding reception take place. The ceremony is sometimes held in a church, but some people choose to get married in other settings such as a park, near a waterfall, or in a family’s backyard. Traditionally, the couple will wear formal attire like a white wedding dress and a tuxedo, but these fashions are changing. The wedding is sometimes performed by a religious leader like a minister, and the couple exchanges wedding vows, which are like promises that they make to each other. After the wedding, some couples have a reception where families and friends talk, dance, and eat. Of course, marriage customs might be different from country to country.

Part 2: Discussion

Describe a typical wedding ceremony in your country? What things take place during the wedding and reception? What gifts are exchanged, if any, between the couple and family and friends?

Part 3: Online Investigation

Let’s suppose you have a budget of only $5,000 to spend on your wedding and reception for about 50 people (e.g., wedding dress and formal wear for family and friends participating in the ceremony,photography, wedding/reception hall, flowers, food, invitations, wedding cake, entertainment, etc.). Use the Internet to looking up the costs for these items. You might need to be creative in your spending to save money. For instance, you can buy budget friendly wedding invitations or bring out your creativity and make your own invitations.