get married

You usually use it with the preposition to. For example: "I am getting married to Sarah." You can also use it alone. You might say, "We are getting married in June." It works in almost any tense. You can say "They got married" or "They will get married."

Use this in everyday conversation with friends. Use it when making big announcements to your family. It is perfect for social media posts. It works well in professional settings too. If a colleague is away, you can say they are getting married. It is the standard, go-to expression for this life event.

Don't use get married if you are already a spouse. In that case, use be married. For example, "I have been married for ten years." Avoid using it for very formal legal documents. In a court of law, they might say "solemnize a marriage." That sounds way too stiff for a coffee chat though! Also, don't confuse it with marry. Marry is a bit more formal and direct.

In English-speaking cultures, getting married is a huge milestone. People often spend a year or more planning the big day. There are many traditions involved, like wearing white or throwing rice. Interestingly, the phrase get married is much more common than the word wed. Wed is usually saved for newspaper headlines because it is shorter.

You might hear people say tie the knot. This is a fun, informal idiom. Another one is walk down the aisle. This refers to the ceremony in a church. If someone is doing it quickly and secretly, they elope. But for 99% of situations, get married is your best friend.