Love and Marriage

Love Idioms
You don’t just have to say you love someone: you can say you have a crush,
a soft spot for, or even the hots for them! Read on to get the whole guide to
idioms of love, plus common sayings and proverbs.
Falling in love idioms

catch someone’s eye = to be attractive to someone: “The shy man at the
back of the class caught my eye.”
to fancy someone (British English) = to find someone attractive: “My friend
fancies you!”
to have a crush on someone = to only be able to think about one person:
“When I was at school, I had a crush on a film star.”
to have a soft spot for someone = to have a weakness for someone: “She
has a soft spot for Richard – he can do anything!”
to have the hots for someone = to find someone very attractive: “She’s got
the hots for the new office manager.”
to go out with someone (British English) = to date someone: “They’ve been
going out together for years!”
to go steady = to go out with someone: “They’ve been going steady since
their first year at university.”
to fall for someone = to fall in love: “He always falls for the wrong types!”
to fall head over heels for someone = to completely fall in love: “He fell
head over heels for her.”
to be lovey-dovey = for a couple to show everyone how much they are in
love: “They’re so lovey-dovey, always whispering to each other and looking
into each other’s eyes.”
to have eyes only for = to be attracted to one person only: “He’s dropped all
his old friends, now that he has eyes only for Susie.”
to be the apple of someone’s eye = to be loved by someone, normally an
older relative: “She’s the apple of her father’s eye.”
to be smitten by someone = to be in love with someone: “I first met him at a
party and from that evening on, I was smitten.”
a love-nest = the place where two lovers live: “They made a love-nest in the
old basement flat.”
to be loved-up (British English) = to exist in a warm feeling of love: “They are
one loved-up couple!”
to be the love of someone’s life = to be loved by a person: “He has always
been the love of her life.”
Types of love idioms
puppy love = love between teenagers: “It’s just puppy love – you’ll grow out
of it!”
cupboard love = love for someone because they give you food: “I think my
cat loves me, but it’s only cupboard love!”
Getting married idioms
to get hitched: “They’re getting hitched next Saturday.”
to tie the knot: “So when are you two tying the knot?”
Falling out of love idioms
to go through a bit of a rough patch = when things are not going well:
“Since the argument, they’ve been going through a bit of a rough patch.”
to have blazing rows = to have big arguments: “We had a blazing row last
night.”
can’t stand the sight of someone = to not like someone: “She can’t stand
the sight of him any more!”
to call it a day = to agree that the relationship has ended: “We decided to call
it a day.”
to be on the rocks = a relationship that is in difficulty: “Once she moved out,
it was clear their marriage was on the rocks.”
to have a stormy relationship = a relationship with many arguments: “I’m
glad we don’t have a stormy relationship.”
a love-rat = a man who betrays his girlfriend / wife: “He’s had affairs with
three different women – he’s a complete love-rat.”
Sayings and proverbs
Marry in haste, repent at leisure = if you marry too quickly, you have the
rest of your life to regret it!
Love is blind = when you love someone, you can’t see their faults
Beauty is in the eye of the beholder = beauty is subjective
Let your heart rule your head = allow your emotions to control your rational
side
Wear your heart on your sleeve = show other people how you are feeling
Marriage and wedding vocabulary

It all starts with a proposal. Traditionally the man goes down on one
knee to pop the question.
If he receives a “yes”, the couple is engaged. It is customary for the man to
buy his fiancee an engagement ring, most commonly a diamond ring.
Engagements can last for years, and if neither of the couple breaks off the
engagement, the next step is marriage.
Planning the wedding
Most weddings in the UK take the form of either a civil ceremony (conducted
at the Registry Office) or a traditional white wedding, held in a church.
(There are other ceremonies for different religions.) If the couple chooses a
church service, the planning can become quite complex. The church must be
booked, the service has to be chosen, flowers arranged and so on. Other
arrangements (for both traditional and civil) are to draw up a guest list, send
out invitations, book a reception venue (for after the ceremony),
choose bridesmaids (the girls who traditionally accompany the bride in the
church) and the best man (the bridegroom’s friend who accompanies him to
the ceremony), buy the wedding dress, arrange a honeymoon (the holiday
after the wedding), compile a wedding list (a list of presents that guests can
choose to buy the couple) and of course, to select the wedding ring(s).
The big day
The groom and best man arrive at the church first, and then the guests arrive.
Last to arrive is the bride, normally dressed in a long white wedding
dress with a train (material from the dress that covers the floor behind her),
her face covered in a veil, carrying a bouquet of flowers, and accompanied by
a couple of bridesmaids in matching dresses. Usually the bride’s father walks
her down the aisle until they reach the priest / vicar at the altar. The church
organ plays the Wedding March, and the guests rise to their feet to watch
the procession. Once they reach the altar, the bride stands with the groom,
and the service begins. The service lasts for about half an hour, and
contains readings (extracts from the Bible) and a couple of hymns (religious
songs). The priest always asks if there are any objections to the
marriage (someone can speak or forever hold their peace = never have the
opportunity again to object), and at the end of the service, the
couple exchange rings and are proclaimed “man and wife”. At that point,
the groom is allowed to kiss his wife. The guests leave and the couple
then sign the marriage register. When they come out of the church, the
guests often throw confetti(small pieces of coloured paper), and the
photographer takes various formal photographs.
Next in the big day is the reception, which is often a formal lunch in a hotel.
After lunch there are various speeches. The bride’s father normally gives a
speech, then the best man gives a speech (which is often a funny speech
designed to embarrass the groom), and the bridegroom and / or the bride give
a short speech to thank their guests.
Some couples also arrange an evening reception, and hire a disco or band
to play music for their friends.
At the end of the day, the happy couple traditionally leave on honeymoon.
Other wedding vocabulary
pre-wedding nerves = when you are nervous before the wedding
wedding bells = the traditional tune that the church bells play as the couple
leave the church
wedding vows = the promises that the bride and groom make to each other
during the ceremony. Some of these vows could be to love each other “until
death do us part” and to love “for richer or poorer, for better or worse, in
sickness and in good health”.
wedding cake = a traditional cake with three “tiers” eaten at the end of the
wedding meal
1. The longest marriage was between Herbert Fisher and Zelmyra
Fisher, an Ame-rican couple who were married for 86 years, 9 months and
16 days until Herbert Fisher’s death on 27 February 2011.
2. The wedding of Prince Charles to Lady Diana Spencer in July
1981 attracted the largest TV audience - an estimated 750 million viewers in
74 coun-tries.
3. The fastest marathon by a woman in a wedding dress was 3hr
16 minutes 44 seconds and by a man 3 hours 54 seconds. Ask students
why they think people might do this (to raise money for charity).
4. The average age to get married in the UK is 30.8 years old for
men and 28.9 for women. Ask students if they think it’s similar in their
country.
5. Same-sex marriage is legal in 16 countries: Argentina, Belgium,
Brazil, Canada, Denmark, France, Iceland, Netherlands, New Zealand,
Norway, Portugal, Spain, South Africa, Sweden, United Kingdom and
Uruguay. (It’s also legal in some parts of Mexico and USA.)
6. The world’s heaviest wedding cake weighed 6,818 tonnes and
was made in Connecticut, USA on 8 February 2004.
7. There are 315 weddings a day in Las Vegas.
8. 32% of people from the UK have their stag or hen night abroad.
9. The biggest age difference in a relationship is 83 years. In
November 2006 Sudar Marto, 105, of Malaysia married Ely Maryulianti
Rahmat, aged 22.

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Love Idioms

Falling in love idioms

Marriage and wedding vocabulary

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