wedding

Related to wedding: Wedding dresses, Wedding favors

a spare prick at a wedding

slang Someone who feels awkward and out of place at an event. I don't know anyone here, so I've been like a spare prick at a wedding, just standing in the corner by myself.
See also: prick, spare, wedding

be like a spare prick at a wedding

slang To feel awkward and out of place at an event. Primarily heard in UK. I don't know anyone here, so I've been like a spare prick at a wedding, just standing in the corner by myself.
See also: like, prick, spare, wedding

dance at (someone's) wedding

To honor someone by joining them at their wedding. Everyone loves you—I'm sure lots of people will want to dance at your wedding.
See also: dance, wedding

dream of a funeral and you hear of a marriage

proverb When you dream that someone has died, it is often followed by the news that they are getting married. A: "Did you hear that Bill is getting married?" B: "Wow, I just recently dreamed that he had died! It really is true that you dream of a funeral and you hear of a marriage."
See also: and, dream, funeral, hear, marriage, of

dream of a funeral and you hear of a wedding

proverb When you dream that someone has died, it is often followed by the news that they are getting married. A: "Did you hear that Bill is getting married?" B: "Wow, I just recently dreamed that he had died! It really is true that you dream of a funeral and you hear of a wedding."
See also: and, dream, funeral, hear, of, wedding

knobstick wedding

A hasty (and sometimes forced) marriage due to the bride's pregnancy. Primarily heard in UK. If Lady Anne is indeed pregnant, there will need to be a knobstick wedding at once.
See also: wedding

monkey's wedding

A rain shower that occurs while the sun is shining. A loan translation of the Zulu phrase umshado wezinkawu, or "a wedding for monkeys." Primarily heard in Ireland. Apart from a brief monkey's wedding, the weather was fabulous during the entire event.
See also: wedding

penny wedding

A wedding for which guests pay a portion of the cost. I don't care if we have to take out a loan, but I refuse to have a penny wedding. I just think it's tacky to ask people to help cover the cost of it.
See also: penny, wedding

shotgun wedding

A wedding that happens quickly due to an unplanned pregnancy. After finding out she was pregnant, Gina and Tom had a shotgun wedding.
See also: shotgun, wedding

wed (one) to (someone or something)

1. To join one to another person in marriage. A noun or pronoun is used between "wed" and "to"; often used in passive constructions. I've been wedded to my husband for nearly 30 years. My parents wanted to wed me to the son of a wealthy business man, but I refused. It would be my honor to wed you to Charles.
2. To instill a belief or adherence to a particular belief or idea in one. Often used in passive constructions. You'll need to wed our investors to your plan if you want the funding to execute it. I wasn't wedded to the idea at first, but the more they explained it to me, the more convinced I became.
See also: wed

wedding cake

The cake served at a wedding reception. It is traditionally tiered and elaborately-decorated, and usually is ceremonially cut by the newlyweds, who then feed the first slice to each other. Did you see the eight-tiered wedding cake? It's beautiful! Jim and Julie are going to cut their wedding cake now!
See also: cake, wedding

wedding tackle

A humorous euphemism for male genitalia. Ouch, that one hit him right in the wedding tackle.
See also: wedding

white wedding

A traditional wedding held in a church in which the bride wears a white gown. After watching my sister stress over all the details of her white wedding, I decided to elope—in just a plain blue dress, no less! After all the white weddings in our family, Ted wants to get married in the back yard—can you believe it?
See also: wedding, white

you can't dance at two weddings (with one behind)

proverb You cannot do or accomplish two things simultaneously, so you must be decisive in choosing or pursuing one. From Yiddish. ("Behind" in this instance refers to one's buttocks. Other synonyms are often used, such as "rear end," "tuchus," "tush," etc.) The Prime Minister will have to make a decision on how to deal with this soon. You can't dance at two weddings with one behind. Look, either be with me here, or go take the job in London. It's your choice, but you can't dance at two weddings. I'm afraid you'll have to choose between playing football or being in the school band. Both require too much extracurricular time, and you can't dance at two weddings with one tuchus.
See also: dance, one, two, wedding

you can't dance at two weddings at once

proverb You cannot do or accomplish multiple things simultaneously, so you must choose what is most important to you to pursue. From Yiddish. The Prime Minister will have to make a decision on how to deal with this soon. You can't dance at two weddings at once. Look, either be with me here, or go take the job in London. It's your choice, but you can't dance at two weddings at once.
See also: dance, once, two, wedding

you can't dance at two weddings at the same time

proverb You cannot do or accomplish multiple things simultaneously, so you must choose what is most important to you to pursue. From Yiddish. The Prime Minister will have to make a decision on how to deal with this soon. You can't dance at two weddings at the same time. Look, either be with me here, or go take the job in London. It's your choice, but you can't dance at two weddings at the same time.
See also: dance, same, time, two, wedding
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms.

dance at someone's wedding

to celebrate in honor of someone at someone's wedding. I will dance at your wedding—if you invite me, of course. If you think I will dance at your wedding, you had better be nicer to me!
See also: dance, wedding

Dream of a funeral and you hear of a marriage.

 and Dream of a funeral and you hear of a wedding.
Prov. If you dream that a person has died, you will learn that person is to be married. Alan: I had a dream last night that my sister was killed. Jane: Dream of a funeral and you hear of a marriage.
See also: and, dream, funeral, hear, marriage, of

shotgun wedding

Fig. a forced wedding. (From imagery of the bride's father having threatened the bridegroom with a shotgun to force him to marry the bride because he made her pregnant.) Mary was six months pregnant when she married Bill. It was a real shotgun wedding. Bob would never have married Jane if she hadn't been pregnant. Jane's father saw to it that it was a shotgun wedding.
See also: shotgun, wedding
McGraw-Hill Dictionary of American Idioms and Phrasal Verbs.

Shotgun wedding

An agreement or compromise made through necessity, as in Since neither side won a majority, the coalition government was obviously a shotgun wedding . This expression alludes to a marriage precipitated by a woman's pregnancy, causing her father to point a literal or figurative gun at the responsible man's head. Its figurative use dates from the mid-1900s.
See also: shotgun, wedding
The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer.

like a spare prick at a wedding

BRITISH, INFORMAL, VERY RUDE
If someone is like a spare prick at a wedding, they are not needed and nobody pays attention to them. I sat on the edge of a bench feeling like a spare prick at a wedding. Note: `Prick' is a slang word for penis.
See also: like, prick, spare, wedding

a shotgun wedding

1. A shotgun wedding is a wedding that happens quickly because the woman is pregnant. The sort of marriage that starts with a shotgun wedding never quite escapes from the feeling that one partner or the other has been trapped.
2. A shotgun wedding is when two companies or organizations join together suddenly because they need to. The committee was created through a shotgun wedding between the community relations commission and the race relations board.
See also: shotgun, wedding
Collins COBUILD Idioms Dictionary, 3rd ed.

a spare prick at a wedding

a person who is out of place or has no role in a particular situation. British vulgar slang
See also: prick, spare, wedding

wedding tackle

a man's genitalia. British vulgar slang
See also: wedding
Farlex Partner Idioms Dictionary

ˌmonkey’s ˈwedding

(South African) used to describe a period of time when it is raining while the sun is shining: Look! It’s a monkey’s wedding!
See also: wedding

a ˌshotgun ˈwedding/ˈmarriage

(old-fashioned, informal) a marriage which takes place because the woman is pregnant
This expression probably refers to the father of a woman, who threatens to shoot the man unless he marries her.
See also: marriage, shotgun, wedding
Farlex Partner Idioms Dictionary

shotgun wedding

n. a forced wedding, presumably because the bride is pregnant. It was a shotgun wedding, but they sure are in love.
See also: shotgun, wedding

You can’t dance at two weddings

sent. You cannot do two things at once. Either go to the beach with Fred or stay here with me. You can’t dance at two weddings.
See also: dance, two, wedding
McGraw-Hill's Dictionary of American Slang and Colloquial Expressions

shotgun wedding

A wedding made compulsory by bride's pregnancy. At a time and in social circles where a baby's illegitimacy stigmatized both mother and child, something had to be done, and in a hurry. As soon as his unwed daughter broke the news of her pregnancy and the father-to-be's unwillingness to marry her, the father grabbed his shotgun off the wall. With such motivation, the young man was forced to accompany the young lady to the nearest preacher or justice of the peace to make her an honest woman. The phase is sometimes used to describe business mergers made only for reasons of expediency.
See also: shotgun, wedding
Endangered Phrases by Steven D. Price
See also:
  • a spare prick at a wedding
  • be like a spare prick at a wedding
  • like a spare prick at a wedding
  • prick (one's) ears up
  • customer
  • an awkward customer
  • haul around
  • dorkus maximus
  • have (someone) by the short hairs
  • have someone by the short hairs
References in classic literature
Joshua Rann, having a slight touch of rheumatism, did not join in the ringing of the bells this morning, and, looking on with some contempt at these informal greetings which required no official co-operation from the clerk, began to hum in his musical bass, "Oh what a joyful thing it is," by way of preluding a little to the effect he intended to produce in the wedding psalm next Sunday.
Adam Bede
A few days before that fixed for the wedding, she grew grave and thoughtful.
The Idiot
It was thought "very English" to have a country-house lent to one, and the fact gave a last touch of distinction to what was generally conceded to be the most brilliant wedding of the year; but where the house was no one was permitted to know, except the parents of bride and groom, who, when taxed with the knowledge, pursed their lips and said mysteriously: "Ah, they didn't tell us--" which was manifestly true, since there was no need to.
The Age of Innocence
And all ye who have come to witness a wedding stay in your seats.
Robin Hood
The marriage might be considered as the result of an early engagement, though there had been two intermediate weddings on the lady's part, and forty years of celibacy on that of the gentleman.
From Twice Told Tales
Thus used to living in the public eye, the actors carry off their parts at weddings and other dramatic ceremonials, with more spirit than is easy to a townsman, who is naturally made self-conscious by being suddenly called upon to fill for a day a public position for which he has had no training.
Quest of the Golden Girl
When I said to him, says I, `Tom, can I go to Miss Shirley's wedding? I mean to go anyhow, but I'd like to have your consent,' he just says, `Suit yourself, Charlotta, and you'll suit me.' That's a real pleasant kind of husband to have, Miss Shirley, ma'am."
Annes House of Dreams
Meg and John happened to be standing together in the middle of the grass plot, when Laurie was seized with an inspiration which put the finishing touch to this unfashionable wedding.
Little Women
He meant to stop at the wedding on his way to New York and endeavor by every means which money and love could devise to atone somewhat for Edna's incomprehensible action.
Awakening and Selected Short Stories
Then the wedding was solemnized with young Mr Fox, and there was much rejoicing and dancing; and if they have not left off, they are dancing still.
Fairy Tales
Then the wedded pair walked back through two lines of joyous relations who did not belong to them, and whose only interest in their marriage was the delay caused to their own wedding by this gloomy bridal.
Vendetta
No wedding veil, and no wedding breakfast, and no wedding favors for the servants.
No Name
"My name is Tuck, and I go no farther than this spot, if thou wilt haply but let me stay while this same wedding is going forward.
The Merry Adventures of Robin Hood
I'm going to Alice Penhallow's wedding this evening, you know.
Anne of The Island
The wedding supper, simple enough, but seemingly too expensive to Saxon, had been eaten.
The Valley of the Moon