A Humanist Wedding

Date: 2015-10-07; view: 806.

‘We'd been coming to Lulworth Cove for years and thought it would be a brilliant place to get married,' says Debbie. ‘Neither of us had been brought up with any formal religious belief and we felt it would be hypocritical to go to church just to get married. A friend told us about humanist ceremonies.' Humanist ceremonies have no standing in law, so Debbie and Nick had to go along to Hammersmith register office the previous day to be legally wed. For the ceremony at Lulworth, the bride wore an ankle-length white dress and a veil and walked the quarter of a mile up the hill from the car park on her father's arm. A hundred friends had gathered on top of the hill to hear Nick and Debbie recite vows they had written themselves, in which they promised to recognize each other as equals and to ‘love, honour and tenderly care' for each other in the years ahead.

After the formalities, everyone walked the mile back into the village for an afternoon of festivities, followed by dancing to the sound of a Cajun band. Hiring the hall cost just £6 and the overall costs were split between both sets of parents and the bridal couple themselves. ‘We were a bit worried about whether our parents would approve,' says Debbie. ‘But they loved it. I think they were quite proud of us for being creative and doing something else.'

* The Church of England - people married in religious ceremonies recognized by law do not have to have an additional ceremony in a registry office

a traditional do - a traditional / big party

a receiving line – the married couple and their relatives stand in a line and talk to each of their guests in turn as they walk past

an arranged marriage – the traditional arrangement in certain cultures of the parents choosing the marriage partner for their children

a complimentary limo – a limousine provided free for the occasion

Lulworth Cove – a beautiful part of the coast in Dorset, in the south of England

a Cajun band – a band performing music typical of the Cajuns, people of French-Canadian origin who settled down in Louisiana, USA

· Match the details of the wedding to the couple. Support your answer with the information from the text.

A. Jonathan and Sarah

B. Naila and Rizwan

C. Bryony and Jake

D. Debbie and Nick

1. went abroad for the ceremony

2. had guests from around the world

3. say they didn't think a register office was the appropriate place for the ceremony

4. got married in the open air

5. had dancing after the ceremony

6. were encouraged after the ceremony to spend more

7. took account of what their parents might think

8. left for a trip abroad shortly after the ceremony

· Find English equivalents to the following words and word-combinations:

1. церковное бракосочетание

2. бюро записей актов гражданского состояния

3. ощущение праздника, события

4. выбирать традиционную форму проведения свадьбы (приема)

5. танцевать до ночи

6. нести затраты

7. празднества, торжества

8. свадебный наряд, облачение

9. место сбора, встречи

10. брак по договоренности, устроенный брак

11. долгие родительские убеждения

12. соглашаться на что-либо

13. получить свидетельство о браке

14. дар, денежное пожертвование

15. работать за вознаграждение

16. лицемерный, обманчивый

17. иметь вес, законную силу

18. признавать равноправие друг друга

19. общая стоимость

20. одобрять

• Summarize the text.
• Retell the text.

Why should adoption agencies observe strict rules in their activity?

What kind of problem may arise when one of the parents remarries?

Would you want to bring your children similarly to the way your parents brought you up?

Would you like your marriage to be arranged? Do you see any advantages in it?

What problems do old people face? Who should pay the costs involved in looking after the old?