Thank you to our guest contributor Mary Jones
Author Bio:-
MARY JONES is the co-founder & editor-in-chief at ExpertAssignmentHelp which focuses on Content Marketing Strategy for clients from the Education industry in the US, Canada & UK.
Mary has conducted a series of webinars for AssignmentEssayHelp.
She has extensive content editing experience and has worked with MSNBC, NewsCred & Scripted.
She has also authored blogs on Lifehack.org, Wn.com, Medium.com, Minds.com and many more digital publications.
The wedding season is on, and we are all in for a treat.
The season of flowers, smiles, gifting and merriment is here again. It could be a dreamy destination wedding or a close family function in a barn; each promises a lot of fun.
By now you probably have a couple of invitations at hand and a couple more coming your way. It could be a cousin’s or a friend’s wedding.
You have the best thoughts for them and want to do your best for them. Bothering the already stressed couple is the last thing you want to do. However, things can still go wrong for you. I will explain that soon.
Weddings aren’t a new affair for any of us, are they? However, not everyone is familiar with the basic etiquettes a wedding guest should follow.
There must have been times in the past when you have judged a drunk guest at someone’s wedding. You remember how that guest spoiled the day for the other guests and the couple.
What you fail to understand is there are many different ways one can offend the couple apart from getting sloshed.
The wedding etiquettes expected from guests are plain and simple. Surprisingly, most guests manage to misunderstand them and make things awkward for everyone.
I am listing down 10 wedding etiquettes every guest should be aware of:
1. Send the RSVP well on time-
Chances are you know the couple closely and you communicate frequently.
You might assume it’s okay not to RSVP because you have communicated verbally.
But you should still respond to the RSVP, as the couple might not be the one making the arrangements.
Or it could just skip their mind to communicate the message forward. Also, make sure to send the RSVP back if you decide to against going to the wedding.
2. Stick to the registry provided by the couple-
Couples usually have registry or registries planned for their wedding.
This is an excellent way of knowing what the couple wants in particular.
Personally, it’s a good and efficient way of gifting someone exactly what they need.
There can be times when the registries have items which are way out of your budget.
It’s okay to go with something smaller like a gift card or a subscription.
A registry doesn’t necessarily mean that a costly gift is compulsory to be brought to the wedding.
It’s for all the people who keep on asking the couple what they want for their wedding.
3. Respect the dress code-
One might assume wearing something nice is the most obvious thing to do at any wedding.
Well, that’s a very gray and variable concept, that might vary from people to people.
Some couples might not appreciate you wearing a loud Indian Tribal Print on their white and earthy colour themed wedding party.
Now a day’s couples usually decide on a dress code early and tell their guests about the same in advance.
They plan the dress code keeping in mind the complete theme of their wedding.
You can either choose to pick something from your wardrobe or just make a purchase.
However, if you can’t do wither, you can play safe with something formal.
Understand the tone of the wedding and select something familiar.
The idea is to not stand out in the wedding but to merge in elegantly.
4. If you are a friend and family member, remember it’s still not your wedding-
You might be the bride’s first cousin or the groom’s mother’s best friend, it still doesn’t make the event more important to you than the couple.
No matter how close you are or how much contribution you put into the wedding, you are still a guest.
The couple might not want you to give a toast or might not want you to bring in your child to a kid’s free wedding.
Stick to what the couple wants on their wedding, it’s their big day after all.
5. Do not bring in a +1 if you don’t have a +1-
It can certainly get lonely without company at a wedding, unless you know other people at the party.
However, it’s not you paying for the reservations or the food or making the arrangements.
Most importantly couples are not comfortable sharing their private events with absolute strangers.
6. Do not cancel at the last moment-
If you have said you will be there at the wedding, just be there.
The couple has invested time and money by taking your words and saving you a seat.
Do not bail out in the last moment unless something bad comes up.
Do not excuse yourself from the wedding for a reason you can’t explain the couple later.
7. Be with the couple and not on the phone-
Always remember that the couple invited you to attend their wedding first hand.
They must have made arrangements for taking visuals and photos for social media too.
Try not to be on your phone while you can connect with people face to face at the wedding.
It looks like you don’t care for the couple enough to be available for them.
Your cellphone ringing during the vows is the worst possible gift you could give the couple.
8. Follow the social media rules-
It’s the era of social media, even weddings come with social media wedding etiquette’s today.
You can’t ignore the events and invites by the couple if you are on the same platform.
Accept their online requests and make sure you do not post anything before the couple.
Couples are very protectives about their wedding details, let them have the chance to share their big news.
9. Do not get totally wasted-
First it makes the couple regret their choice of guests to be part of their big day.
Making the couple look stupid is the last thing you want to do to on their big day.
Secondly, it makes you look foolish to be grabbing the first opportunity of a free bar and losing your senses over it.
Enjoy yourself and always be aware of your surrounding before deciding on your drinks.
10. Do not be judgmental-
There’s a fine line between being interfering and meaning well.
It’s okay for you to think that the wedding could have been planned well but not okay to say it out loud.
Understand that the couple would never intend to make their guests feel uncomfortable.
Be supportive and thank them for asking you to be a part of the big day.
At the end its a party and a celebration of 2 people uniting.
You are expected to celebrate, laugh, clap, cry, be happy and thank the host.
Make the most of the day ( in the most reasonable way! ) while you are at it.
