Whether we admit it or not, 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 creme, 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 not appropriate 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.
