Abstract

Wedding customs is a considerable part of an ethnic culture, reflecting the characteristics of a culture. With the increasing cultural communication all over the world, Chinese people pay more and more attention to western culture, and watching movies is a good way to know western culture. Western wedding customs is an important part of western culture, and the study of it will help people learn more about western culture. This paper focuses on western wedding customs which are shown in two movies, Four Weddings And A Funeral and My best Friend’s Wedding, to comprehend the history and development of western wedding. Then it discusses the similarities and differences between western and Chinese wedding culture from three aspects, the preparations of a wedding, wedding ceremony, and origins in different cultural backgrounds, and the western wedding’s influences on Chinese wedding. People can have an objective knowledge of western wedding customs with this study. 

Key words: western wedding customs; movies; comparison and contrast with Chinese wedding customs

Contents

Abstract

摘要

1.-Introduction-1

1.1-Significance of the Research-1

1.2-Research Objectives-1

1.3-The Structure of the Paper-2

2．Introduction of the Movies and Western Wedding Customs-2

2.1 The Movies: Four Weddings And A Funeral and My Best Friend’s Wedding-2

2.1.1 Background-3

2.1.2 Plot-3

2.1.3 Great Achievements-4

2.2 Wedding Customs in the West-5

3. Analysis of Wedding Customs in the Movies-5

3.1 Wedding Invitation-5

3.2 Bridal Attire-6

3.3 Wedding March-7

3.4 Give The Bride Away-7

3.5 Marriage Statement-8

3.6 Double-ring Ceremony-9

3.7 Reception-10

3.8 Bouquet Toss-11

4. Comparison and Contrast with Chinese Wedding Customs-11

5. Conclusion-13

Bibliography-14

Acknowledgements-15