The Wedding

It all starts with a proposal. Traditionally the man goes down on one knee to pop the question. If he receives a " yes", the couple is engaged. It is customary for the man to buy his fiancé e an engagement ring, most commonly a diamond ring. Engagements can last for years, and if neither of the couple breaks off the engagement, the next step is marriage. Most weddings take the form of either a civil ceremony (conducted at the Registry Office) or a traditional white wedding, held in a church. (There are other ceremonies for different religions.)

If the couple chooses a church service, the planning can become quite complex. The church must be booked, the service has to be chosen, flowers arranged and so on. Other arrangements (for both traditional and civil) are to draw up a guest list, choose bridesmaids (the girls who traditionally accompany the bride in the church) and the best man (the bridegroom's friend who accompanies him to the ceremony), buy the wedding dress, arrange a honeymoon (the holiday after the wedding), compile a wedding list(a list of presents that guests can choose to buy the couple) and of course, to select the wedding rings. At the end of the day, the happycouple traditionally leaves on honeymoon.

Vocabulary

honeymoon – медовий місяць

to go down on one’s knee – ставати на коліно

to pop the question – зробити пропозицію

a fiancé e/bride – наречена

a bridegroom/groom – наречений

an engagement – заручини

to break off the engagement – розірвати заручини

civil ceremony – цивільна церемонія

white wedding – вінчання

to arrange smth – організовувати щось, домовлятись

to draw up a guest list – скласти список гостей

bridesmaids – свашки, подружки нареченої

the best man – сват, друг нареченого

wedding list – список весільних подарунків

pre-wedding nerves – перед весільний синдром

wedding bells – весільні дзвони

wedding vows – весільна клятва

a wedding cake – весільний торт, коровай

a couple – пара

Exercise 8. Answer the questions to the text:

1. What does each wedding start with?

2. Who buys an engagement ring?

3. What is the next step after the engagement?

4. What does honey moon mean?

5. Is the planning of the wedding a simple thing?

 

Exercise 9. Complete the sentences according to the text:

1. It all starts with a ….

2. It is customary for the man to buy his … an engagement ring.

3. … can last for years.

4. The church must be …, the service has to be …, flowers … and so on.

5. At the end of the day, the happy couple traditionally leaves on ….

 

*Exercise 10. Discuss the following questions. Use the model:

I think, I consider, I regard, To my mind, In my opinion, As far as I know,

 

1. Why do people fall in love?

2. What makes people attracted to other people?

3. Is it important to become friends first, like the couple in the article?

4. What do men want in a woman? What do women want in a man?

5. Is Love at the first sight – good or bad?

6. Love or education – what is more important in teenager’s world?

7. Do I solve biological or cultural phenomenon? Explain why.

8. What is the colour of love?

9. How many times have you fallen in love? Was it a happy/true love?

10. Do you believe in love at first sight? Why? Did you have it?

11. Have you ever gone out on blind dates? Are they typical today?

12. Do you believe in onlinelove?

13. Do you have an experience of having a boyfriend/girlfriend from the social networks?

14. Do the social networks help people meet?

15. Do you have friends/acquaintances who met online? Are they happy today?

16. Do you like to go out on dates? Does it bring you fun/pleasure?

17. Is it difficult to break up with a person you loved? Why?

 

*Exercise 11. Agree or disagree. Discuss you points with the class:

• We accept the love we think we deserve.

• It’s better to love and lose, than never love at all.

• A flower cannot blossom without sunshine, and man cannot live without love.

• At the touch of love everyone becomes a poet.

• Love is like war, easy to begin but hard to end.

• Love... What is love? Love is to love someone for who they are, who they were, and who they will be.

• People need love even when they don't deserve it.

 

**Exercise 12. You fell in love with a girl/boy. Ask him/her to go on a date with you. Describe what will you do and what will you say.