The rules are not absolutely hard and fast, but generally they are as follows:
The Brides Parents are responsible for the press announcements, the brides dress and trousseau, flowers in the church, the reception, cars taking the bride and her father, mother an any other close members of her family to the church and photographers fees.
The Bridegroom pays for the ring and the wedding license, fees to the clergyman. He will pay for the bouquet for his bride and bouquets for the bridesmaids, buttonholes for his best man and ushers. He pays for the cars which take himself and the best man to the church and the car in which he and his bride will drive from the church to the reception. The groom is expected to give a small present to each of the bridesmaids.
Giving Away the Bride. The brides father gives her away or, if he is dead or cannot be present at the ceremony, his p[lace is taken by her brother or a close relative, or even a great family friend.
The Bridesmaids are usually the sisters, near relatives and close girl friends of the bride, and sisters of the groom. The number is purely a matter of choice but usually does not exceed six. There may be two small page-boys and four grown-up maids, or child attendants only.
The Best Man is a brother, relative or close friend of the groom, and his main duty, apart from giving moral support before the wedding, is to hand the wedding ring to the groom in the church.
The Bridegrooms Clothes. When the bride is in white, the bridegroom wears morning dress with white carnation in his buttonhole (without fern or silver paper).
The Ceremony
The parents and close relatives of the bride and groom arrive a few minutes before the bride. The bridegroom and his best man should be in their places at least ten minutes before the service starts. The bridesmaids and pages wait in the church porch with whoever is to arrange the brides veil before she goes up the aisle.
The bride by tradition, arrives a couple of minutes late but this should not be exaggerated. She arrives with whoever id giving her away. The verger signals to the organist to start playing, and the bride moves up the aisle with her veil over her face. She goes in on her fathers right arm, and bridesmaids follow her according to the plan at the rehearsal the day before. The bridesmaids and ushers go to their places in the front pews during the ceremony, except for the chief bridesmaid who usually stands behind the bride and holds her bouquet.
After the ceremony the couple go into the vestry to sign the register with their parents, best man, bridesmaids and perhaps a close relation such as a grandmother. The bride throws back her veil or removes the front piece, the verger gives a signal to the organist and the bride and groom walk down the aisle followed by their parents. The brides mother walks down the aisle on the left arm of the bridegrooms father and the bridegrooms mother walks down on the left arm of the brides father (or whoever has given the bride away). Guests wait until the wedding procession has passed them before leaving to go on to the reception.
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The Reception
The brides parents stand first in the receiving line, followed by grooms parents and the bride and groom. Guests line up outside the reception room and give their names to the major-domo who will announce them. They need only shake hands and say How do you do? to the parents. Adding perhaps a word about how lovely the bride is or how well the ceremony went. The bride introduces to her husband any friends that he may not already know, and vice versa.
The important parts of the reception are the cutting of the cake and the toast to the bride and groom. These should never be any long speeches/ when all the guests have been received, the major-domo requests silence and the bride cuts the cake, with her husbands hand upon hers.
morning dress of a mans clothes; top hat, a tie, a black or grey tail coat, waist-coat, striped trousers and black shoes
evening dress all black, with normally a white/ black bow tie
aisle passage in a church
pew long bench with a back, usually fixed to the floor, in a church
III. Compose a dialogue discussing the problem of preparation to the wedding party. Consider one of the following situations: you are invited to an English wedding ceremony; your English friend is invited to a Russian wedding party and ask you some questions; you and your fiancé/fiancée plan a quiet wedding, etc.
