be getting married

[kachibibb]

Is it OK/ normal to say or write "be getting married"?

He felt happy when he knew his sister was getting married.

He feels happy when he knows his sister is getting married.

I wonder if "past continuous" and "present continuous" are OK in the respective sentences. If yes, do they mean something like "she is (was) preparing for her marriage"?

 

[Tarheel]

In the first sentence the anticipated marriage is probably happening soon.

I'm not sure about the second one. (You tell me.)

 

[jutfrank]

His sister is getting married next year.
We're getting married in July.
Are you two really getting married?

These examples show the present continuous in its use to express arrangement. If two people are getting married, it means that they have both agreed to have a wedding. It is also likely that they have arranged or at least considered a date (either specific or approximate) and a place for the wedding.

In other words, the present continuous suggests that the process is already in some sense in progress.

 

[5jj]

He felt happy when he knew his sister was getting married.

The meaning depends on the context.

He felt happy when he knew his sister was getting married the following month.
He felt happy when he knew his sister was getting married at that very moment.

(Crossposted)

 

[emsr2d2]

I wouldn't use the second sentence. It makes it sound like a regular occurrence!