Weddings in Canada

Recently, I went to a special show in Winnipeg called, "The Wonderful Wedding Show". I went to this event because one of my best friend's in Winnipeg is getting married in August. At this show they have many different tables with people and services you can hire for your wedding such as photographers, invitations, cake, videographers, florists, and so on. The show was VERY big! There were two floors filled with different ideas for your wedding.

In Canada, it is common to have two parts to your wedding, specifically a ceremony and a reception.

A ceremony can take place anywhere, but it is common to have the ceremony in a church. Inside the church it is common to have two sides of chairs or pews (benches inside a church) The left side is for the bride's family and friends and the right side is for the groom's family and friends. Often a ceremony will start with the groom's friends (called groomsmen) walking down the church aisle ( a walkway between or along sections of seats)and then the groom walks down the aisle. Next, the bride's friends (called bridesmaids) will walk down the aisle and the bride is last. The bride can choose to walk alone, with her father, with her mother, with both parents, basically anything she wants! It is most common to have the bride's father walk her down the aisle. Once everyone is inside the church, the ceremony begins. Usually, the pastor/priest/ justice of the peace will speak about the meaning of the ceremony and marriage. Also, some people choose to have one of their friend's read a special poem or sing a song. And of course the bride and groom exchange vows. These are promises that the couple makes to each other. When the ceremony is finished, the bride and groom seal their promises with a kiss! It is very romantic and a special time.

After the ceremony, the guests of the wedding go to the reception. The reception can also be anywhere the couple likes. The most common location for a reception is a hotel. At the reception, people eat dinner, drink alcohol, dance and of course listen to many speeches! It is common for the parents of the bride and groom to make a speech. Also the bride's best friend (maid of honour) and the groom's best friend (best man) will make a speech. Of course, the bride and groom usually give their speech last thanking everyone for their help and for coming to their wedding. A new trend a wedding is to have a slide show presentation. This includes pictures of the bride and groom growing up and there is usually music to go along with the pictures. This is my favourite part of the wedding since I love pictures so much! Many weddings have free alcohol for their guests and a great dance party. Dancing is also a very fun and exciting part of any wedding.

I hope you have enjoyed reading about Canadian weddings but please remember, this is just my opinion. Many people will do different things and have different ideas for what they would like for their wedding. I have simply given you some information about what is most common based on the weddings I have been to.

I would be interested to know about wedding traditions in your own country.