O noivo deixou a noiva escolher a música da festa.

Noivo means groom or fiancé, and noiva means bride or fiancée.

In this sentence, they most naturally mean the groom and the bride, or more generally the engaged man and the engaged woman.

This is different from:

• namorado / namorada = boyfriend / girlfriend
• marido / esposa or marido / mulher = husband / wife

So noivo and noiva specifically refer to people who are engaged or about to get married.

Not here. Although deixar can mean to leave, it also very often means to let or to allow.

So in this sentence:

• O noivo deixou a noiva escolher... = The groom let the bride choose...

Compare:

• Ele deixou o livro na mesa. = He left the book on the table.
• Ele deixou a filha sair. = He let his daughter go out.

So deixar is a very common verb with more than one meaning, and context tells you which one is intended.

Because after deixar meaning to let, Portuguese normally uses this structure:

• deixar + someone + infinitive

So:

• deixou a noiva escolher = let the bride choose

Other examples:

• Ela deixou o filho brincar. = She let her son play.
• Meu chefe me deixou sair mais cedo. = My boss let me leave early.

This is similar to English let someone do something, where the second verb also stays in a basic form:

• let her choose
• not let her chooses

Because Portuguese uses the bare infinitive after deixar in this pattern.

English says:

• let someone choose

not:

• let someone to choose

Portuguese works the same way here:

• deixar alguém escolher

not:

• deixar alguém a escolher in Brazilian Portuguese in this meaning

So escolher appears directly after the person who is being allowed to do the action.

Those are the definite articles the:

• a noiva = the bride
• a música = the song / the music

Portuguese uses definite articles very frequently, often more than English does. In this sentence, both nouns are specific:

• a specific bride
• a specific song/music choice for the party

So the sentence structure is:

• O noivo = the groom
• deixou a noiva = let the bride
• escolher a música da festa = choose the music/song for the party

Da is a contraction of:

• de + a = da

So:

• da festa literally means of the party

In natural English, a música da festa could be translated as:

• the music for the party
• the party music
• the song for the party

Portuguese uses de very often where English might use of, for, or a noun used like an adjective.

Other examples:

• a porta da casa = the door of the house / the house door
• o fim da história = the end of the story

Both can make sense, but they are not exactly identical in feel.

• a música da festa = the music/song of the party, the party’s music, the music associated with the party
• a música para a festa = the music/song for the party, emphasizing purpose or destination

In many contexts, da festa sounds very natural because it identifies which music is being talked about: the music for that event.

So this sentence is perfectly idiomatic:

• O noivo deixou a noiva escolher a música da festa.

If you said a música para a festa, it would also be understandable, but it slightly shifts the focus toward for the party rather than the party’s music selection.

Deixou is the preterite form of deixar.

• ele deixou = he let / he allowed / he left

In this sentence, the preterite shows a completed past action:

• The groom let the bride choose...

Compare:

• deixa = lets / is letting
  • O noivo deixa a noiva escolher... = The groom lets the bride choose...
• deixava = used to let / was letting
  • O noivo deixava a noiva escolher... = The groom used to let the bride choose...
• deixará = will let
  • O noivo deixará a noiva escolher... = The groom will let the bride choose...

Yes. A close synonym is permitir.

For example:

• O noivo permitiu que a noiva escolhesse a música da festa.

That also means The groom allowed the bride to choose the music for the party.

But notice the grammar changes:

• deixar alguém escolher
• permitir que alguém escolhesse

With deixar, Portuguese often uses the simpler person + infinitive structure. With permitir, it is very common to use que plus a conjugated verb.

In everyday Brazilian Portuguese, deixar is extremely common and sounds very natural.

In standard grammar, you can say:

• O noivo a deixou escolher a música da festa.
• O noivo deixou-a escolher a música da festa.

Both mean:

• The groom let her choose the music for the party.

In Brazilian Portuguese, everyday speech often prefers the full noun or uses subject-style pronouns in some contexts, so you may also hear very colloquial speech like:

• O noivo deixou ela escolher a música da festa.

This is very common in spoken Brazilian Portuguese, even though more traditional grammar prefers a as the direct object pronoun.

So for a learner:

• a deixou / deixou-a = more standard
• deixou ela = very common in conversation in Brazil

Because Portuguese usually follows this pattern with deixar:

• subject + deixar + person + infinitive

So:

• O noivo = subject
• deixou = let
• a noiva = the person being allowed
• escolher = the action allowed

This is the same logic as:

• She let him speak
• Ela deixou ele falar / more standard Ela o deixou falar

So the structure is very direct:

• who allowed
• whom they allowed
• what action was allowed

It could be understood either way depending on context, which is normal in Portuguese.

• música can mean music in general
• música can also mean a song

So a música da festa might mean:

• the music for the party in general, or
• the song for the party, such as an entrance song, theme song, or special wedding song

Usually the broader context would make it clear.

Yes, that is a natural implication.

The structure deixou a noiva escolher suggests that the bride was given the decision-making role. It does not necessarily mean the groom had no opinion, but it does mean he allowed her to make the choice.

So the idea is something like:

• He let her choose
• He allowed her to decide

That is exactly the kind of meaning this structure commonly expresses in Portuguese.