美式婚姻

“I do.” To Americans those two words carry great meaning. They can even change your life. Especially if you say them at your own wedding. Making wedding vows is like signing a contract. Marriage is serious business.

It all begins with engagement. Traditionally， a young man asks the father of his sweetheart for permission to marry her. If the father agrees， the man later proposes to her. Often he tries to surprise her by “popping the question” in a romantic way.

Sometimes the couple just decides together that the time is right to get married. The man usually gives his fiancee a diamond ring as a symbol of their engagement. They may be engaged for weeks， months or even years.

At last its time for the wedding. The usual place for a wedding is in a church. But some people get married outdoors in a scenic spot. A few even have the ceremony while skydiving or riding on horseback！ They choose their own style of colors， decorations and music during the ceremony. But some things rarely change. The bride usually wears a beautiful， long white wedding dress. The groom wears a formal suit or tuxedo.

At the ceremony， nervously， the young couple repeats their vows. They promise to love each other “for better， for worse， for richer， for poorer， in sickness and in health.” But sometimes the couple has composed their own vows. They give each other a gold ring to symbolize their marriage commitment. Finally the minister announces the big moment： “I now pronounce you man and wife. You may kiss your bride！”

At the wedding reception， the bride and groom greet their guests. Then they cut the wedding cake and feed each other a bite. Guests mingle while enjoying cake， punch and other treats. Later the bride throws her bouquet of flowers to a group of single girls. Tradition says that the one who catches the bouquet will be the next to marry. When the reception is over， the newlyweds run to their “decorated” car and speed off. Many couples take a honeymoon to celebrate their new marriage.

“我愿意。”這句話對美國人而言具有重要的意義，它甚至可以改變他們的生活，特別是他們在自己的婚禮上說出這句話。在婚禮中所發的誓言就如同簽訂契約一樣，婚姻是件嚴肅的事情。

結婚是從訂婚開始。按照傳統，男方會請求女友的父親允許他娶她，如果女方的父親答應，之后方可向女方求婚。通常男方會試著以一種浪漫的方式向女方求婚以帶給女方驚喜。

有時候男女雙方會覺得現在結婚正是時候，于是男方通常會送未婚妻鉆戒作為互定終身的象征。他們可能會在訂婚幾個星期、幾個月，甚至幾年后結婚。

最后就是婚禮了。通常婚禮的地點是在教堂，但是有些人卻是到戶外的風景區結婚，有些人甚至是跳傘或騎馬結婚。婚禮的顏色風格，布置和音樂都由他們自己決定，但有些事是不會變的：新娘通常都穿著美麗的白色婚紗，新郎則穿著正式的西裝或燕尾服。

典禮上，年輕的男女雙方緊張地跟著說出他們的誓言，他們會承諾要彼此相愛，“不論順利或失意，貧窮或富裕，疾病或健康”。不過有時候，他們會親自為自己寫誓言，他們互贈金戒指以此表示對婚姻的承諾。最后牧師宣布這重大的時刻：“我現在宣布你們成為夫妻，你可以親吻你的新娘！”

在婚禮宴會上，新娘新郎向來賓們表示歡迎，然后切婚禮蛋糕并互相喂對方一口。賓客們一邊享受蛋糕、飲料及其他的食物一邊交談。之后新娘將捧花投向一群單身女孩，據說接到捧花的女孩會成為下一位新娘。宴會結束后，新婚的小兩口就跑向他們的婚車，駕車離開。許多夫妻會去度蜜月，以慶祝他們的新婚。

Word Study

vow /va?/ n. 誓詞；誓言

propose /pr?'p??z/ v. 求婚；建議

He was afraid that if he proposed she might refuse.

commitment /k?'m?tm?nt/ n. 承諾；諾言

She doesnt want to make a big emotional commitment to Steve at the moment.

reception /r?'sep?n/ n. 歡迎會；招待會

honeymoon /'h?n?mu?n/ n. 蜜月；新婚之月endprint