One student said " He participated in a wedding" instead of saying "He attended a wedding" the other day. Is it right?
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1It's only appropriate if he had some role to play in the ceremony (best man, usher?).– Kate BuntingCommented Mar 17, 2022 at 9:38
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@KateBunting - I daresay the bride and groom had some part to play, and in my childhood fathers 'gave away' their daughters. I really thought that awful practice had died out, but a brief Google search shows that 'brides' worry about what to do if their father is deceased, in prison, vanished, etc.– Michael HarveyCommented Mar 17, 2022 at 10:06
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@KateBunting My family still talks about a distant cousin who, when abandoned by the groom on the day of the wedding, decided that as the price of the honeymoon suite was not refundable, she might as well occupy it with the best man. My father said, when he heard about it, 'I like that girl's spirit!'. This was in the 1990s.– Michael HarveyCommented Mar 17, 2022 at 10:13
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@MichaelHarvey - Well, I was assuming that the student in question wasn't the bridegroom!– Kate BuntingCommented Mar 17, 2022 at 10:57
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Not participated, but yes, be part of a wedding. Sure.– LambieCommented Mar 17, 2022 at 16:35
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1 Answer
All the persons involved in the wedding, such as the bridesmaids, best man, groomsmen etc as well as immediate family like the parents of the bride and groom are collectively referred to as the wedding party.
So, those people would say "I was in the wedding party", everybody else would just say they were a "guest at a wedding", or they "attended" or "went to" the wedding.
"Participating" in the wedding isn't a common way to express either attendance or involvement, although I suppose it could be a reasonable way to describe having an active role in the ceremony or reception, such as giving a speech, handling the rings or giving the bride away. But even some members of the wedding party may not have any 'duties' to perform other than sit at the top table, so it wouldn't be a good way to refer to everybody in that party.
answered Mar 17, 2022 at 11:15
