For those of you who do not know, a wedding is a legal ceremony that commences a union between two people; once the province of only a male/female relationship, changes to the law have made this concept obsolete. Despite the religious aspect to a marriage, it is still a legal matter; until the marriage certificate is signed by the bride, groom and witnesses, the ceremony is not finalized. The man getting married is called the groom or bridegroom to give him his full title and the woman the bride; once they are married they known as the wife and husband.

 Church Weddings

There are many factors that can affect a wedding tradition and those of religion, race and social class for example, ca make it very complicated. Traditionally the church is the most popular venue, where the ceremony is presided over by a Christian priest. These ceremonies are usually referred to as white weddings and are considered formal or semi-formal in the United Kingdom, Ireland and United States, as well as some other Commonwealth countries.

 Twin Ceremonies

A different type occasion often difficult to arrange is where two couples are married simultaneously; related people are the most likely to try for this type of service.

 Marriages in Another Country

You will probably already know of a couple that decided on a destination wedding and asked the guests to travel to where they were staying; although the idea of a isolated island beach may be your idea of a destination wedding, it doesn't actually mean you have to travel outside your own country.

 Themed 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. This is quite a good idea especially if the bride and groom have similar interests as both they and their guests can stay at the same location.

 Ceremonies Online

Still in the early stages of evolution is the internet wedding where the couple is married online; internet based specialists are already available to help organize your ceremony. Marriages that are broadcast live online are also referred to as online weddings.

 City Hall Marriages Civil weddings have to be carried out by a local justice of the peace, judge, even a mayor can carry out the ceremony and most places out side of a church will use one of these people. Civil ceremonies may use references to God, but they do not generally make references to particular religions or denominations. These services often take place in city halls, courthouses and other designated areas of town.

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.