Wedding
WEDDING, the common term for the marriage ceremony. The verb " to wed " is properly to engage by a pledge (O. Eng. wed, a pledge, wager; cf. Lat. vas, vadis; M. Dutch wedde, pledge, pawn; Swed. vad, bet, etc.). The term " wedlock " (O. Eng. wedldc; from lac, a gift), used of the state of marriage, or the vows and sacrament of marriage, properly means a gift given as a pledge; cf. Ger. Morgengabe, the gift to the bride on the morning after the marriage.
See MARRIAGE and FAMILY.
Note - this article incorporates content from Encyclopaedia Britannica, Eleventh Edition, (1910-1911)
