wedding

[ wed-ing ]

noun

1. the act or ceremony of marrying; marriage; nuptials.
2. the anniversary of a marriage, or its celebration:

   They invited guests to their silver wedding.

3. the act or an instance of blending or joining, especially opposite or contrasting elements:

   a perfect wedding of conservatism and liberalism.

4. Business Slang. a merger.

adjective

1. of or relating to a wedding:

   the wedding ceremony; a wedding dress.

wedding

/ ˈwɛdɪŋ /

noun

1. 1. the act of marrying or the celebration of a marriage
   2. ( as modifier )

      wedding day

2. the anniversary of a marriage (in such combinations as silver wedding or diamond wedding )
3. the combination or blending of two separate elements

Word History and Origins

Origin of wedding¹

First recorded before 900; Middle English “matrimony, wedlock, marriage,” Old English weddung “betrothal”; wed, -ing ¹

Idioms and Phrases

see shotgun wedding .

Synonym Study

See marriage.

Example Sentences

Getting sandwiches in a backyard with my brother-in-law recently felt like a wedding.

From Eater

One wedding dress took 12-16 hours to create from 300 photos.

From Digiday

This is good advice all the time, but it is especially important while planning a wedding during a pandemic.

From Fortune

They involve her being called “ma’am,” her hunt for the perfect wedding dress and her struggles with infertility.

From Time

Time moved on, things got worse, and we canceled our wedding, not wanting to expose anyone to risk.

From Washington Post

Dance instructors run a lucrative trade offering private lessons to couples before their wedding receptions, typically the tango.

From The Daily Beast

Just a week after her divorce, she was invited to a wedding by her sister-in-law.

From The Daily Beast

And thus I end up at the bottom of the stairs, about one month after my injury and two months after my wedding.

From The Daily Beast

Will Christian pharmacists, county clerks, florists, and for-profit wedding chapels really withdraw from society, as you describe?

From The Daily Beast

They are not “participating” in or “facilitating” a gay wedding.

From The Daily Beast

This week has been one of great excitement in Weimar, on account of the wedding of the son of the Grand Duke.

From Project Gutenberg

Of course they would stop for the wedding; but meantime she must be very discreet; she must not intrude too much.

From Project Gutenberg

The village organist had distinguished himself by his florid rendering of the Wedding March.

From Project Gutenberg

The wedding breakfast very much resembled the similar festivities at which most of us have assisted.

From Project Gutenberg

I have always rather wanted to visit California, and started for it once upon a time—on my wedding journey.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• marriage