Synonyms and antonyms of Engagements and weddings in British Thesaurus

a/the big day ()

a very important day, especially the day arranged for your wedding

bachelor party (noun)

American a stag night

banns (noun)

an official announcement in church that two people intend to get married

be betrothed to someone ()

an old phrase meaning ‘to be engaged to be married to someone’

best man (noun)

the male friend who helps a bridegroom at his wedding

betrothal (noun)

an old word meaning ‘engagement’ to get married

betrothed (noun)

an old word meaning ‘the person you are engaged to’

bottom drawer (noun)

Britishold-fashioned things for the house that a woman collects before she gets married

bridal (adjective)

relating to a bride (=a woman getting married) or a wedding

bridal party (noun)

people at a wedding who arrive or sit with the bride, for example her parents and bridesmaids

bridal shower (noun)

mainly American a party for a woman who will soon be getting married, at which she receives presents

bride (noun)

a woman who is getting married, or who has recently married

bridegroom (noun)

a man who is getting married, or who has recently married. The bridegroom is often simply called the groom.

bridesmaid (noun)

a girl or young woman who helps a bride before and during her wedding

bride-to-be (noun)

a woman who is going to be married

bridezilla (noun)

humorous a woman who is planning her own wedding in such a thorough and enthusiastic way that her behaviour seems extreme and unreasonable to other people

buck’s party (noun)

Australianinformal a stag night

carry someone over the threshold ()

to carry the woman who you have just married through the door of your home

civil marriage (noun)

a marriage performed by a state official, not a religious official

civil union (noun)

a ceremony similar to a wedding for two people who are of the same sex

commitment ceremony (noun)

a ceremony similar to a wedding for two people who are of the same sex or for two people who choose not to marry each other

confetti (noun)

small pieces of coloured paper that people throw in the air to celebrate a wedding

dowry (noun)

money and property that, in some cultures, a woman’s family gives to her husband when they get married

engaged (adjective)

if two people are engaged, they have formally agreed to get married

engagement (noun)

a formal agreement to get married

engagement (noun)

the period during which two people are engaged to be married

engagement ring (noun)

a ring that a man gives to a woman when they become engaged

fiancé (noun)

your fiancé is the man you are engaged to and are going to get married to

fiancée (noun)

your fiancée is the woman you are engaged to and are going to get married to

flower girl (noun)

a young girl who carries flowers in a wedding ceremony

future (adjective)

used about a family relationship after you get married

give away ()

if a man gives a woman away on her wedding day, he leads her towards the man she is going to marry

Gretna Green ()

a village in Scotland near the English border where people went in the past to get married when they were not allowed to marry in England

groom (noun)

a bridegroom

hear wedding bells ()

to think that someone will soon get married

hen night (noun)

British a celebration for a woman who is about to get married, in which only her women friends take part

honeymoon (noun)

a holiday that two people take after they get married

honeymoon (verb)

to go on a honeymoon

lobola (noun)

South African among some South African peoples, a payment given to a woman’s father's family in return for permission to marry her

maid of honour (noun)

a woman who is not married and is the main bridesmaid at a wedding, helping the woman getting married

mail-order bride (noun)

informalshowing disapproval a woman brought from another country to be married, usually in return for a payment to a company that makes such arrangements

marriage (noun)

a wedding

marriage certificate (noun)

an official document stating that two people are married

marriage licence (noun)

an official document that two people need in order to marry

marriage vows (noun)

the promises that two people make to each other during their wedding ceremony

marry (verb)

to perform the ceremony in which two people are formally joined in marriage

marry (verb)

to persuade or force someone to be formally joined in marriage to someone else

marry off ()

to find a husband or wife for someone

matron of honour (noun)

a married woman who has special responsibilities to help a bride at her wedding

name the day ()

to decide on a date for your wedding and tell people about it

newlyweds (noun)

a man and a woman who have not been married to each other for very long

nuptial (adjective)

formal concerning marriages or weddings

nuptials (noun)

mainly literary a wedding ceremony

page (noun)

British a small boy who walks with a bride and helps her at her wedding ceremony

pageboy (noun)

a boy involved in a formal ceremony, especially a boy who walks with the bride at a wedding

phulkari (noun)

Indian English a decorated cloth used on special occasions, especially weddings

plight/pledge your troth ()

an old phrase meaning ‘to promise to get married to someone’

pop the question ()

to ask someone to marry you

pronounce someone man/husband and wife ()

to state as an official legal fact that two people are married

proposal (noun)

a request to someone to get married to you

propose (verb)

to ask someone to get married to you

red packet (noun)

a present of money inside a red envelope given to your younger relatives who are not married at Chinese New Year or at a Chinese wedding

register office (noun)

British a place in the UK where births, deaths, and marriages are officially recorded and where you can get married without a religious ceremony

registry office (noun)

a name that some people use for a register office

shotgun wedding (noun)

informal old-fashioned a wedding that happens suddenly, because the woman is pregnant

shower (noun)

American a party arranged for a woman by her friends, in which they give her presents because she will soon have a baby or get married

someone’s hand in marriage ()

permission to marry a particular woman

someone’s intended ()

the person who someone plans to marry

special licence (noun)

British a document allowing two people to get married in a place or at a time that is not usually allowed

stag night (noun)

British an occasion when a group of men celebrate together because one of them is soon to be married

trousseau (noun)

clothes and other possessions that a woman collected in the past for when she got married

union (noun)

formal the process of getting married, or the state of being married

vows (noun)

a set of promises that people make to each other, for example during a wedding ceremony

wedding (noun)

a ceremony in which two people get married

wedding (noun)

relating to a wedding

wedding bells (noun)

bells that are rung to celebrate a wedding at a church

wedding breakfast (noun)

a special meal to which the guests are invited after a wedding

wedding dress (noun)

a special dress, often a long white one, worn by a woman at her wedding

wedding march (noun)

a piece of music traditionally played when a woman arrives at her wedding or when she and her husband leave after it

white wedding (noun)

a wedding at which the woman who is getting married wears a white dress

witness (noun)

someone who is with you when you get married and who signs the official document that you sign