{"id":24303,"date":"2016-08-18T23:50:13","date_gmt":"2016-08-18T21:50:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/french\/?p=24303"},"modified":"2017-10-26T11:34:58","modified_gmt":"2017-10-26T09:34:58","slug":"here-comes-the-bride-wedding-terms-in-french","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/french\/here-comes-the-bride-wedding-terms-in-french\/","title":{"rendered":"Here Comes the Bride – Wedding Terms in French"},"content":{"rendered":"

It’s so nice to dress up and celebrate the union of two of your friends. With just a few words and a kiss (and a LOT of behind the scenes preparation…), the two have sealed their fate together as a married couple. After the ceremony comes arguably the best part: the open bar, awesome food, and the Electric Slide. And as I’m pushing 30, I’m noticing I’m getting more and more wedding invites in the mail… That time of life, I suppose.<\/p>\n

In my last post<\/a>, I discussed a few wedding traditions in France. Some may have been similar to your own country’s traditions (my country does les 4 \u00e9l\u00e9ments<\/strong>, for example), but others may be new (like le pot<\/strong> de chambre<\/strong>). For this post, I thought I’d share a list of vocabulary related to weddings. You may have learned the verb to marry and the words for husband and wife in your introductory French courses, but there may be other words you’re curious about. How do you say bridesmaid? What’s the word for a garter? Below I’ve listed some terms to describe this jour plein d’\u00e9motions<\/strong> (emotional day)! There are also a few important cultural notes in there.<\/p>\n

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se fiancer \u00e0<\/strong> OU avec quelqu’un<\/strong> – to get engaged to someone
\nles fian\u00e7ailles<\/strong> (f) – engagement
\nune demande en mariage<\/strong> – marriage proposal
\ndemander sa main en mariage<\/strong> – to ask for her\/his hand in marriage
\nune surprise<\/strong> – surprise
\nle mariage<\/strong> – wedding
\nla noce<\/strong> – nuptials<\/p>\n

le mari\u00e9<\/strong> – groom
\nle mari<\/strong> – husband
\nl’\u00e9poux<\/strong> (m) – spouse; husband
\nla mari\u00e9e<\/strong> – bride
\nla femme<\/strong> – wife
\nl’\u00e9pouse<\/strong> (f) – spouse; wife
\nun couple<\/strong> – a couple
\nles jeunes mari\u00e9s<\/strong> – newlyweds<\/p>\n

la c\u00e9r\u00e9monie du mariage<\/strong> – the wedding ceremony
\nle gar\u00e7on d’honneur<\/strong> – best man
\nla demoiselle d’honneur<\/strong> – maid of honor
\nla petite demoiselle d’honneur<\/strong> – flower girl*
\nle gar\u00e7on d’honneur<\/strong> – ring bearer*
\nle t\u00e9moin<\/strong> – the witness
\nle c\u00e9l\u00e9brant<\/strong> – officiant
\nles v\u0153ux de mariage<\/strong> – vows
\nun baiser<\/strong> – a kiss
\nles alliances<\/strong> – the wedding rings
\n* In France, the bridal party is a little different than it is in the States. There aren’t bridesmaids or groomsmen who walk down the aisle before the bride – these people mostly just sign the documents as witnesses. The role of flower girl and ring bearer don’t exist per se, but these are the terms for the children in the bridal party. You may find a flower girl or ring bearer now, but it’s not traditional. Oftentimes, the groom will carry the rings in his pocket.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

la robe de mari\u00e9e<\/strong> – the wedding gown
\nun voile<\/strong> – a veil
\nla dentelle<\/strong> – lace
\nun costume<\/strong> – a suit
\nun smoking<\/strong> – a tuxedo
\nun n\u0153ud papillon<\/strong> – a bow tie
\nune cravate<\/strong> – a tie
\nun bouquet de fleurs<\/strong> – a bouquet
\nla jarreti\u00e8re<\/strong> – the garter<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

le repas de mariage<\/strong> – the reception
\nla pi\u00e8ce mont\u00e9e<\/strong> – the wedding cake**
\nle cocktail<\/strong> – cocktail hour
\nles petits fours<\/strong> – appetizers\/finger foods
\nune coupe de champagne<\/strong> – a glass of champagne
\nles discours<\/strong> – speeches<\/p>\n

la lune de miel<\/strong> – honeymoon<\/p>\n

** Make sure to read Elizabeth’s post <\/a>on la<\/strong> pi\u00e8ce<\/strong> mont\u00e9e<\/strong>. Traditionally, weddings in France don’t use the same kind of cake we do in Anglophone countries. That isn’t to say you won’t find other cakes, though.<\/p>\n

*****<\/p>\n

With the supplied vocabulary or any other resources you may have, can you describe your dream wedding? If you’ve already gotten married, can you tell our readers what your wedding was like?<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"\"\"

It’s so nice to dress up and celebrate the union of two of your friends. With just a few words and a kiss (and a LOT of behind the scenes preparation…), the two have sealed their fate together as a married couple. After the ceremony comes arguably the best part: the open bar, awesome food…<\/p>\n

Continue Reading<\/a><\/p>","protected":false},"author":125,"featured_media":29029,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"content-type":""},"categories":[3,13],"tags":[1848,438,408464,408465,913,3588],"class_list":["post-24303","post","type-post","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-culture","category-vocabulary","tag-customs","tag-french-weddings","tag-les-mariages","tag-les-traditions","tag-traditions","tag-weddings"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t