bride, bridegroom

A bride is a woman who is about to be married or who is newlywed. A bridegroom (often shortened to groom) is a man who is about to be married or who is newlywed.

When marrying, the bride's future husband is usually referred to as the bridegroom or groom. In Western culture, a bride may be attended by a maid of honor, bridesman and one or more bridesmaids. When marrying, the bridegroom's future wife is usually referred to as the bride. A bridegroom is typically attended by a best man and groomsmen.

The word, possibly, comes from the Old English 'bryd', which in turn is derived from the Proto-Germanic verb root *brū-, meaning 'to cook, brew, or make a broth,' which was the role of the daughter-in-law in primitive families. The first mention of the term bridegroom dates to 1604, from the Old English brȳdguma, a compound of brȳd (bride) and guma (man, human being, hero).

In Europe and North America, the typical attire for a bride is a formal dress and a veil. Usually, in the "white wedding" model, the bride's dress is bought specifically for the wedding, and is not in a style that could be worn for any subsequent events. Previously, until at least the middle of the 19th century, the bride generally wore her best dress, whatever color it was, or if the bride was well-off, she ordered a new dress in her favorite color and expected to wear it again.

The style of the bridegroom's clothing can be influenced by many factors, including the time of day, the location of the ceremony, the ethnic backgrounds of the bride and bridegroom, the type of ceremony, and whether the bridegroom is a member of the Armed Forces.

In the early 20th century, sometimes even later as here in 1926, it was not uncommon to see a bride wearing a darker-colored dress; 19th-century American bride, in a fashionable dark dress. 

 BBC阴间滤镜 :-)

六级/考研单词: bride, bridegroom, seldom, prolong, maid, derive, verb, brew, primitive, compound, veil, well-off, clothe, ceremony, ethnic

凤冠霞帔fèng guān xiá pèi，意思指旧时富家女子出嫁时的装束，以示荣耀。也指官员夫人的礼服。出自元·杨显之《潇湘雨》。