​WEDDING, the common term for the marriage ceremony. The verb "to wed" is properly to engage by a pledge (O. Eng. wed, a pledge, wager; cf. Lat. vas, vadis; M. Dutch wedde, pledge, pawn; Swed. vad, bet, &c.). The term "wedlock" (O. Eng. wedlac; from lac, a gift), used of the state of marriage, or the vows and sacrament of marriage, properly means a gift given as a pledge; cf. Ger. Morgengabe, the gift to the bride on the morning after the marriage.