Wedding Vocabulary in English & 3 other languages 

1

This year, you may find it’s high time to brush up on your wedding vocabulary.

After all, after a multi-year pause in big events, weddings are back – and bigger than ever. After the surge of couples getting hitched in 2022 post-pandemic, the Wedding Report estimates that 2.24 million weddings are set to occur in 2023.

But fear not – whether you’re off to nuptials in Naples or a marriage in Mexico City, we have wedding vocabulary and other cultural tips to help you get the party started on the right foot.

Wedding words in English, Spanish, Italian and French

Key words for weddings in English: The essential list 

Here are the top 10 words you need to talk about weddings in English:

1. Bride

This is the woman who is getting married. She usually wears a wedding dress, which some also call a wedding gown.

2. Groom

This is the man getting married. The groom often wears a tuxedo or a suit.

3. Maid of Honour (or Man of Honour)

The bride usually asks a friend to be her Maid of Honour (chief bridesmaid). This is the person who assists the bride in the run-up to the wedding (with the hen night or helping the bride get ready) and during the wedding ceremony. If the Maid of Honour is married, she is called a Matron of Honour.

4. Bridesmaid

The role of a bridesmaid is to help the bride before, during and after the wedding. Bridesmaids are normally either friends or relatives of the bride, and usually help to carrying the bride’s dress.

5. Flower girl

A flower girl is usually a young relative of the bride or groom, who typically walks down the aisle before the bride scattering flower petals.

6. Best man

Just like the bride has her assistants, the groom does, too. The best man is a close friend or relative of the groom. He might not typically be involved in planning the wedding, but he will normally organise the stag night, give the best man’s speech, and sometimes will be responsible for holding on to the rings on the wedding day.

7. Page boy

Similarly to the flower girl, a page boy is usually a young relative of the bride or groom. Traditionally, the page boys carry the bride’s dress. One of the page boys may also be a ring bearer, responsible for carrying the rings during the ceremony.

8. Wedding vows

These are traditional promises exchanged between the couple during the wedding ceremony.

9. Wedding reception

The wedding reception is a party usually held after the marriage ceremony. People celebrate with drinks, canapes and of course a slice of wedding cake!

10. Speeches and toasts

During the wedding reception, various people make speeches and toasts to the newlywed couple. These can be made by the Maid of Honour, the best man, close family of the could and the bride and groom themselves.

Complete English wedding vocabulary list: 26 key words

And here are all the wedding vocabulary words that you might use when talking about a wedding in English:

  1. Bride
  2. Groom
  3. Maid/Man of Honour
  4. Matron of Honour
  5. Best man
  6. Flower girl
  7. Page boy
  8. Wedding party 
  9. Aisle
  10. Wedding ceremony 
  11. Wedding vows
  12. Hor d’œuvres
  13. Wedding reception
  14. Toasts
  15. Top table
  16. Engagement ring
  17. Wedding ring
  18. Wedding dress
  19. Veil 
  20. Bouquet
  21. Newlyweds
  22. Elopement
  23. Engagement
  24. Gift registry
  25. Guest book
  26. Honeymoon

Spanish wedding vocabulary: 26 key words, translated

Know your way around an English wedding, but need help navigating a Spanish wedding tucked away in the mountains, or on the beach in Barcelona? We’ve got you covered.

Here are the 26 key words that you might use when talking about a wedding in Spanish:

Groom Novio
Maid of Honour Dama de honor
Matron of Honour Madrina
Best man Padrino
Flower girl Dama
Page boy Paje
Wedding party  Convite
Aisle Pasillo
Wedding ceremony  Ceremonia de matrimonio
Wedding vows Votos matrimoniales
Hor d’œuvres Aperitivos
Wedding reception Banquete de boda
Toasts Brindis
Top table Mesa presidencial
Engagement ring Anillo de compromiso
Wedding ring Alianza de boda
Wedding dress Vestido de novia
Veil  Velo
Bouquet Ramo
Newlyweds Recién casados
Elopement Boda íntima
Engagement Compromiso
Gift registry Lista de boda
Guest book Libro de invitados
Honeymoon Luna de miel

Italian wedding vocabulary: 26 key words, translated 

Jetting off to a castle in Tuscany for a friend’s nuptials? Here are the key words that you might use when talking about a wedding in Italian:

English Italian
Bride Sposa
Groom Sposo
Maid of honour Damigella d’onore (non sposata)
Matron of honour Damigella d’onore (sposata)
Best man Testimone dello sposo
Flower girl Paggetta / Damigella bambina
Page boy Paggetto
Wedding party  Gruppo composto da damigelle, testimoni ecc.
Aisle Navata
Wedding ceremony  Cerimonia di matrimonio
Wedding vows Promesse di matrimonio
Hor d’œuvres Antipasti
Wedding reception Ricevimento di matrimonio
Toasts Brindisi
Top table Tavolo degli sposi
Engagement ring Anello di fidanzamento
Wedding ring Fede nuziale
Wedding dress Vestito da sposa
Veil  Velo
Bouquet Bouquet
Newlyweds Novelli sposi
Elopement Matrimonio intimo o una fuga d’amore per sposarsi
Engagement Fidanzamento
Gift registry Lista di nozze
Guest book Libro degli ospiti
Honeymoon Luna di miele

French wedding vocabulary

And finally, here are the key words that you might use when talking about a wedding in French:

Bride Mariée
Groom Marié
Maid of Honour Témoin de la mariée
Matron of Honour Demoiselle d’honneur (adulte)
Best man Témoin du marié
Flower girl Demoiselle d’honneur
Page boy Garçon d’honneur
Wedding party  Fête de mariage
Aisle Allée centrale
Wedding ceremony  Cérémonie de mariage
Wedding vows Vœux
Hor d’œuvres Hors d’œuvre
Wedding reception Réception de mariage
Toasts Toasts
Top table Table d’honneur
Engagement ring Bague de fiançailles
Wedding ring Alliance
Wedding dress Robe de mariée
Veil  Voile
Bouquet Bouquet
Newlyweds Jeunes mariés
Elopement Fugue amoureuse
Engagement Fiançailles
Gift registry Liste de mariage
Guest book Livre d’or
Honeymoon Voyage de noces

We’re Busuu, by the way

We’re an award-winning language learning platform offering courses designed by experts in English, Spanish, French, Italian, and more. 

Whether you’re traveling to a destination wedding or simply want to improve your language skills, we can help.


English wedding traditions: “Something old, something new, something borrowed and something blue”

In English, we say that the bride needs “something old, something new, something borrowed, and something blue”, apparently from a traditional British rhyme that said that a bride, for good luck, should have: 

Something old,

something new,

something borrowed,

something blue,

and a [silver] sixpence in her shoe.

The earliest written record of this rhyme comes from 1876, when today’s most popular version of the rhyme (as seen above) showed up in a newspaper from Lancashire, England. However, that first written version said that the bride did so “according to ancient tradition”, so it’s safe to assume the idea was already in circulation by then.

Today, brides across the UK, US, Canada and beyond often follow this sweet superstition, borrowing jewelry from happily married friends and family members and ensuring they include something old in their wedding day outfit.

Spanish wedding traditions

Some brides wear black

Heading to a wedding in Spain? 

Don’t be shocked if the bride wears a black dress or elements of black lace. You see, a traditional Spanish wedding dress is black. This is in part because Catholic brides would wear black to show the seriousness of their vows – they say ‘til death do us part, after all – and in part just because, well, it’s tradition. 

While many Spanish brides these days have taken on the popular custom of wearing a white wedding dress, it’s not uncommon to see nods to the traditional black dress or for brides to buck trends and go with the more traditional look.

Couples receive 13 gold coins

Another wedding custom that’s common in Spain, Latin America and the Phillipines is larras matrimoniales, 13 gold coins blessed by a priest and given to the happy couple, presented in an ornate box, chest, basket or pouch. 

This is a modern version of an ancient tradition with roots in ancient Rome, the Mozarabic Rite, and Frankish ceremonies, so there are many different interpretations of what it means. Some will say the 13 coins stand for Jesus and the twelve apostles, that it’s a remnant of the idea of a bride’s dowry, or that it’s simply a gift or a representation of the marriage itself. Whatever you believe, you’re likely to see 13 gold coins at weddings across the Spanish speaking world and in former Spanish colonies!

Italian wedding traditions: bombonieres (bundles of 5 almonds)

One of the best known and most popular Italian marriage traditions is the traditional Italian bomboniere. Small, fragrant bundles called bombonieres are given out, each a little wrap of fine fabric tied with a ribbon. These bundles contain five jordan almonds each. The five almonds symbolize five wishes from the guests for the newlyweds: wealth, happiness, fertility, good health, and long lives.

French wedding traditions

A focus on ‘legalities’

At French weddings, there really is no best man or Maid – or Matron – of Honor. As you can see above, they’re called témoins, which really means witnesses, and their job is exactly that. 

It’s less gendered than a typical British or American wedding where a man has groomsmen and a bride has bridesmaids. Rather the couple is joined by a mix of men and women who witness their wedding – which is always performed by a mayor at a City Hall. All French weddings must have a legal ceremony. Many also choose to have a second, spiritual ceremony, but it is not necessary for them to be married in the eyes of the law.

Croquembouche is the traditional wedding dessert 

You’re also less likely to see a tiered wedding cake at a French wedding – though, as with everything, wedding traditions globally are mixing and inspiring others, so never say never. However, the more traditional wedding dessert in France is the croquembouche, a towering pyramid of cream-stuffed and caramel-coated profiteroles.

And now you have the wedding vocabulary you’ll need this season

With events resuming and travel is opening back up, it’s sure to be a wedding-filled few years, at home and abroad. Fortunately, you’ll be armed with the wedding vocabulary and information you need to feel at home at any English, French, Italian or Spanish wedding!


Want to make the most of your travels?

Don’t stop with just wedding words. Learn to speak a language with Busuu.

Start learning languages on Busuu today

Emma was a French Language Expert at Busuu. Originally from London, U.K, Emma moved to Brighton to study Anthropology and Languages (French and Spanish) and later spent time living on the French overseas department, La Réunion. In her spare time she loves travel and culture, crochet, cooking and singing!