Wedding Etiquette: - Summarized

Unique Wedding Program Etiquette and Wedding Announcement Etiquette

Looking for solutions for your specialized wedding needs? Whether you are planning a traditional or contemporary wedding, we have unique wedding program etiquette and wedding announcement etiquette suggestions for you here!

Other Wedding Stationery Etiquette

So you have selected your wedding invitations, and you feel like you are done with the wedding stationery. Think again! There is also wedding program etiquette, wedding place card etiquette and wedding announcement etiquette to attend to. If you want your programs, place cards and announcements to all reflect the theme of your wedding and have a design and style to complement your wedding invitations, you should consider having them designed together.

Wedding Programs Etiquette

If you are having a ceremony that not all of your guests will be familiar with, such as a religious ceremony or a unique ceremony that incorporates cultural rites, you may want to consider putting together a wedding program. Even unique fairy-tale-type nuptials require some sort of wedding program so guests can follow along and know where they are in the time line of the entire ceremony.

Any program should include the processional, service components and explanations of any ceremonial elements that may be unfamiliar.

Wedding Place Card Etiquette

Seated dinners of more than 20 guests typically require place cards to help them find the right seats. Typically designed to match the rest of your wedding stationery, these place cards can be pre-printed or hand written. The most common way to introduce place cards to guests is by placing them on a table at the entrance. All names will be in alphabetical order with a table number so the guests can guide themselves to their tables in an organized fashion.

More upscale weddings often employ a host of ushers that guide guests to their tables according to a guest list and seating chart. Once there, the guests will find that their place cards are already in place.

Wedding Announcements Etiquette

As a good rule of thumb, wedding announcements, while not required, should be sent to acquaintances, friends and relatives who were not invited to the wedding, but may show an interest in your marriage. A good audience would be your co-workers or distant relatives. A common mistake is sending these announcements to guests who were invited to the wedding.

Wedding announcements should be sent within a few weeks after the wedding. In a perfect world, they'll all be sent within the first few days following.

The wording and design of the announcement will be similar to what you used on the invitation. If you chose a more traditional invitation where the parents did the "inviting" then that's the way it should be on the announcement. However, more modern couples choose to have the invitation-and announcement-come from them rather than their parents.

Thank You Cards Etiquette

Thank you cards are perhaps the most forgotten part of the wedding. Couples concentrate so heavily on the ceremony and reception and all of their collective elements that they forget post-wedding courtesy.

Many couples choose to have their thank you cards printed to match the rest of their wedding stationery. While not required as a matter of etiquette, this is often a good idea.

Everyone who attended the wedding should get a thank you card-whether they brought you a gift or not. If they did bring a gift, it's okay to mention the gift specifically in the thank-you card. If they didn't bring a gift, then thank them for attending.

Couples or families who received one invitation should get one thank you card rather than sending one thank you card per individual.

Whether you are ordering announcements, thank you cards, programs, invitations or other stationery, it is a good idea to order everything together in order to save money and assure the designs are consistent.

Important FAQs on Wedding Decorum

Q: Should guests have a say on the menu?

While it is not mandatory, it is still a thoughtful gesture to allow them to share their ideas or inputs on food. After all, you want them to enjoy and feel comfortable during the wedding. You really don’t have to conduct a 100% guest survey, but just keep in mind that there may be vegetarians present during the celebration too.

Q: Are wedding favors necessary?

The wedding favors can be your sincerest expression of gratitude to your guests for being a part of the occasion. Moreover, these will serve as great keepsakes for your big day.

Q: Should the bridesmaids pay for their own dresses and accessories?

It has always been an accepted custom that the bridesmaids are responsible for their own wedding attire and accessories. That is why it is appropriate to give each of them a gift as a token of your gratitude.

Q: What is the most appropriate number of bridesmaids?

It is actually your choice. But you don’t want your wedding to look like one giant parade. Six bridesmaids is considered by some as plenty. But at least, if one or two won’t be there for some reasons, no one will notice you’re one bridesmaid short.

Q: Is it ok not to invite co-workers?

Of course, it is. Especially if they’re not the people you maintain close friendships with, then there is no reason why you should stretch the budget for them. Just tell them politely that the wedding is going to be attended only by your family and that your budget does not allow you to hold a big one.

Q: When should thank you notes be sent out?

Sending these out about three to four weeks after the occasion is appropriate. Remember though that these should never be typed, but should be handwritten. Make sure that you include the guests’ names and your very own thank you notes to them.

Q: Should my RSVP state my bridal registry?

No. this is not appropriate. This will look like you are soliciting gifts from your guests. Instead, have your own wedding website. This will allow you to provide all the details of your wedding, with links to the bridal registry.

Q: Is it proper to dance with both fathers in my life?

This is your wedding. And even if there are certain traditions to live by, you can still get away with your own rules. If you are close to both fathers, then by all means dance with both of them. However, if you feel that you will be creating a tension by doing so, then refrain from doing it.

Q: Should I use the gifts I received even if I call off the wedding?

Your wedding gifts and those that were given during your shower should be returned in case a couple’s wedding is canceled or is annulled prior to their living together.

Weddings entail so many preparations that some people do not have the time to check if they have everything under decorum. Since wedding celebrations have vastly evolved throughout the years, there really is no definite standard for them.

During the preparations, what you have or how much you spent on them is not really important. You may have the best and the most expensive wedding essentials the world can conceive, but they don’t really serve that much purpose any way you look at it. The important thing is you have found someone whom you love to have close for the rest of your life.

And what better way to celebrate this magic than by having the people who matter most witness it? You don’t have to go over etiquette book to do things right. So before you make or alter any wedding plans, see everything from your guests’ point of view. What you don’t like seeing or hearing, won’t be pleasing to them as well.

Anyway, granting that you only have your closest family and friends on your wedding, you can ease up on decorum. Because no matter how you planned your wedding to be, they’ll surely let you get away with it. After all, you don’t get to celebrate your big day often.

Planning to tie the knot, follow these tips and it will become a lifetime experience which you ad your beloved one will never forget And Have a good luck

The Do's and Don'ts of Weddings

Your wedding allows you to be a celebrity for a day. But just because you’re the star doesn’t mean that you can make your own rules. Sure, you can have most things according to your personal choices, but then everyone is as part of the occasion as the couples are. So regardless if you have the urge (and the right) to do something totally unorthodox, it’s best to stay slightly grounded to tradition as well.

A wedding is one of the most potentially taxing occasions of a person’s existence. From the time of the engagement until the wedding planning stage, the couple goes through the most stressful days of their lives. What’s with the flood of questions, and preparations? And since times have changed and wedding celebrations have greatly evolved, traditional norms of etiquette went through changes, complicating things further.

In order to simplify things a bit, we must first accept the fact that etiquette is only meant to show respect for other people. Adhering to its rules does not mean losing one’s individuality. Thus, when faced with an issue that concerns etiquette, just think of its impact on other people. Because even if the wedding is your life’s most memorable moment, it is probably theirs’ too.

Meet the Parents

You and your fiance may have come to an agreement, but that doesn’t mean you leave your parents out of it. Tradition insists that the parents of the groom and bride meet prior the wedding date. Customarily, the groom’s parents initiate the introduction. However, nowadays, it is irrelevant who makes the first move. If it is hard for both parents to meet personally, a phone call or a letter can be an alternative.

In the event that the groom’s parents and/or the bride’s parents are divorced, the parent who maintains the closest relationship with the groom should be the one to arrange the meeting with the bride’s parents. If in case none of the parents make a move, it is the couple’s responsibility to make sure that both sets of parents meet in order to avoid awkward situations later on.

Since most weddings are a bride’s thing, the parents of the groom are usually left out in the dark with regards to the preparations. To prevent this from happening, it is advisable to inform them about your plans especially about the date, location, style, and the size of your wedding. They may want to get involved in some way such as in helping with the preparation or finances.

The Bill Please

Who takes the responsibility of paying the bill? Traditionally, the parents or the family of the bride is responsible for it. However, this is mostly rare nowadays. Majority of marriages has the couple splitting expenses between themselves or their families.

Invitation Guidelines

When you’re going to invite a person who you know is engaged, married, or is living with his better half, the partner should also be invited as well. A single invitation bearing both persons’ names are sent to couples who are living together. Separate invites should be sent person who are engaged or have a long term relationship but are not living together.

When inviting single persons, it is a thoughtful gesture to let them bring a date. However, this is not necessary. If your budget will allow them to bring their dates, you can find out the names of each of their dates and put their names on the invites as well. If you haven’t found out who they’re bringing to the wedding and you need to send the invites, the inner envelopes may simply include “and guest” as an indication that they are each allowed an escort to the wedding.

Kids in attendance sometimes spell disaster in weddings. Thus, if you want it to be a strictly-for-adults-only affair, ensure that you have made that clear to your guests. Guests who are under 18 years old may not be given their own invites but may have their names included in their parents’ invite. Thus, if you’re not inviting a couple’s children, their invite should only bear the couple’s names.

Children who are beyond 18 years old and are invited should be given their own invites, whether or not they are still living in the same house with their parents. That means, if you did not send them invites, then they are not invited to the occasion.

If you think that some guests may insist on adding their children’s names on the reply cards, you may print the names of the persons you have invited on their reply cards too. This will give them a clear understanding that they are the only ones you invited to the occasion.

Guests who bring other people along should know that it is not appropriate to do so unless their invites suggest that they may bring along a date. But if your wedding doesn’t allow guests to bring in their escorts, you have every right to say no to their request.

If you are not sure whether you should invite people who are quite far from the location of the wedding, think about the kind of relationship that you maintained with them. If they haven’t seen you or spoken with you for years, wouldn’t it be awkward to finally be hearing from you again? If you don’t want your invite to sound like you are soliciting gifts, skip those people. But if you feel that they need to know anyway, send them wedding announcements since these won’t obligate them to give anything.

When sending invites, make sure that they are sent around 6-8 weeks prior the date of the wedding. Thus, it is advisable to have them printed at least 3-4
months before the occasion. If you feel that some guests would need to be informed earlier, send them save-the-date cards in advance. This way, they won’t miss the wedding.

Whether you’re having the invites printed or you are printing them out yourself, check that you have around 25% more than the actual number of invited guests. You’ll never know how many errors you are going to make and just how many more people you will try to squeeze in later on.

Etiquette on Gifts

Even if it is customary to receive plenty of gifts on your wedding, make sure you realize that this is a privilege. Don’t ever think that you are entitled to receive one from your guests.

Gifts should not have a place on the invites. Keep in mind that there is no polite way to solicit for monetary gifts. However, you may inform your guests about your preference through word-of-mouth.

There are no specific guidelines as to how much guests should spend on their gifts. In short, gifts are not mandatory, but are simply charming gestures.

Furthermore, gifts received before the wedding date should only be used after the occasion.

The Controversial Dress Codes

The guidelines on the proper wedding attire have changed over the years. However, tradition has set some standards on styles, lengths, and fabrics that have served as very effective basis for most people.

The dresses of your bridesmaids and other members of the entourage should be as formal as that of the bride’s wedding dress. In the past, the length of the dresses should be about the same as the bride’s gown. But nowadays, as long as the style and fabric of the dresses match that of the bride’s wedding gown, shorter lengths have become totally acceptable.

Guests who are attending evening weddings are almost always required to wear formal attire. That is, men wear suits, or in some occasions, black tie. The lengths of the women’s dresses should be according to the style of the wedding and its location.

Some people’s greatest worry when attending a wedding is that they might stand out in the crowd by being either underdressed or too dressed-up for it. Bottom line, it is always a must to adhere to what the invite says. If it says black tie, there’s no way that the couple meant it some other way.

Shall We Dance?

Who gets to dance with the bride first? It has been customary that the groom dances with the bride first. The groom’s father then gets his turn just as the groom is dancing with his mother. The bride’s parents are then given their chance to dance with the couple. After both parents had their turns, the reception then opens the dance floor to all the guests.

Those mentioned do not entirely cover every aspect of a wedding. Thus, to give a more comprehensive guide on the soon-to-be-wed couples, here are some of the most frequently asked issues about weddings

Wedding Etiquette For Brides

Whether we admit it or don't Wedding Etiquette is still an important issue to many of us. Don't you hear yourself complaining for some weddings that you have attended? Maybe you have heard some friends who have attended a wedding ceremony and learning after the rites that he or she was not invited for the wedding reception.

Although it is acceptable and is within the Wedding Etiquette standard to invite some guests only at the wedding reception and some only at the wedding reception, the guests should be informed of this fact before hand. These instances want us to shout: Learn some manners!

For brides out there who are getting married next year, it will be for your own good if you would buy Emily Post's book on Wedding Etiquette. It will teach you the Wedding Etiquette basics and Wedding Etiquette blunders. Knowing what violates and follows Wedding Etiquette will help you go through your big day, hassle and stress free.

Basic Wedding Etiquette for Brides

- On what to wear.

Modern Wedding Etiquette allows brides to wear any design that she want in any color. Brides are not anymore limited to wearing ultra white wedding dress with sleeves. They may wear a tube, halter or spaghetti strapped wedding dress in cream beige or pastel colors.

But for the sake of Wedding Etiquette, she should also consider her cultural background and her church's dress requirement. If your church requires you to wear a shawl over a tube wedding dress, then you must do so.

If the minister or priest thinks that your red wedding dress is inappropriate for the church and ask you to replace your $10,000 designer wedding dress for a white wedding dress, then you should take it off and buy a white ready-to-wear wedding gown at Macy's.

- On who to invite.

It is a basic Wedding Etiquette for a bride to talk to her groom on who and who are not to invite. Remember that the is the two of you who will get married, not only you. It will be a violation of Wedding Etiquette if you will invite persons your groom do not want to get invited or do not want to see, such as your old flame or his old boss that he had an argument even though you are in speaking terms with his old boss. It is not just about Wedding Etiquette, it is in fact about the issue of respect.

If it is your second marriage, you should not invite your ex-spouse or your ex-parents-in-law. Even if you are in good terms with your ex, Wedding Etiquette dictates that you should not invite them. This is to avoid unnecessary confrontations or wedding drama. Your guest will also feel uncomfortable around your ex.

But there is an exception to this Wedding Etiquette. If your children to your ex-spouse has requested for the presence of their father, then you should talk about it with your groom. If he agrees, then invite your ex to your wedding. But there is an alternative to this, however.

You can invite your guest for a dinner at your home after your wedding or honeymoon. This private dinner is more quiet and will save you the trouble of explaining to your father and mother and other close guests why your ex-husband is in your wedding.

- On gift giving and registry.

It is a big Wedding Etiquette no-no to ask for cash gifts from your guests. Although it is a reality that newlyweds need cash as a startup money since they need to rent a bigger place or buy new appliances that the two of them needs, you don't want to look like a greedy bride for asking for some cash.

Let them decide what to give. If they have decided to give you cash, then say your thanks. But don't ever ask them to fund a mortgage or fund a charity that you will establish as a wedding gift.

Registry card is acceptable although modern Wedding Etiquette objects to insertion of the registry card in the invitation. Wedding Etiquette specialists say that brides should put up an online registry card and inform your guests through your invitation that you have an online registry and they may want to look it up in case they would decide to buy you gifts from your registry.

Invitations And Announcements

Wedding etiquette is essential when it comes to letting the world know about your new upcoming marriage and the invitations that you send to your guests. Getting this right really does set the stage for what your guests will think and feel about you for the next months.

Wedding Invitation Design

One of the first things to determine is how the wedding invitation will be set up. Whose name goes first? What happens when things are more than just a simple wedding? The fact is that there are many questions that come up with the wedding invitation design.

First, here are a few etiquette friendly methods of writing an invitation:

• Start with the sponsor or the bride’s parents names.

Mr. and Mrs. Bob Smith should be the beginning of the invitations.

• Follow this with, "request the honor of your presence at the marriage of their daughter”

• Next, include the first names of the bride and the groom, "Ann Marie to Mr. Adam Jones”

• Follow this with the date and time of the wedding followed by the location.

The invitation should also include the groom’s parents if both will be helping to pay for or sponsor the wedding. The bride’s parent’s names should be first, followed by the groom’s.

If the bride and the groom are sending the invitations, their names should appear such as this:

Miss Ann Marie Smith

And
Mr. Adam Jones

Now, it gets a bit trickier when you add in the divorces and other complications. To determine what the right way to design the wedding invitation is, remember this.

The parents that are issuing the invitations, sponsoring the wedding, paying for the wedding should have their name go first. If you have more than one parent, start the invitation with the bride’s parents (father first) and then the groom’s parents second.

There are also special situations that can follow these rules such as brothers and sisters hosting the wedding, grandparents and many, many more. The goal is to give proper respect to the individuals that are sponsoring the wedding first and foremost.

List the purpose of the invitation on it. For example, this should be an invitation to the marriage of their daughter or, an invitation to the celebration of their daughter’s marriage for a reception only. If there is no reception or only selected guests will be there, the invitation would be directed as an invitation for the ceremony of marriage of the daughter.