Ceremony Etiquette

Being invited to a wedding means that you have been special to the bride or the groom, this means that you have to be there to celebrate and witness their most precious moments or event. As a guest, you have to show them that you are grateful enough to be a part of their wedding. If you’re not sure what is the appropriately way to act or be at your best , here are a few things that you have to remember when attending a wedding.

Firstly, you will receive an invitation for their wedding. In every invitation, there is an RSVP section which reminds you to validate your presence on the wedding. RSVP means repondez s’il vous plait. It’s a French phrase for “please respond”. This is for the couple to confirm the total number of guests to the caterer, the number of wedding souvenirs, and of course, to plan their budget. It is indeed bad manners to ignore this. If you showed up at their wedding without confirming it to them and there is a shortage of the served food, then you have caused inconvenience to the bride and groom. Please always RSVP.

Also, if you have noticed, there is a ‘guest’ space on the RSVP section where you could specify if you can bring somebody with you like your wife, husband, fiance or fiancee. If there is, you can bring a date, but if there’s none, then it is proper that you come to the wedding alone. If you want to bring a child that isn’t invited to the wedding, it is also offensive. Calling to inquire about it is not appropriate either, some invitations will be numbered of guest already input, this means stick to the number required.

Be particular with your behavior when attending a wedding. Know the place of the wedding and dress appropriately. If it is a church wedding, then you don’t want to show too much skin. Also, don’t be tempted to go to the bar area if there is no invitation from the couple. They might not have planned to include liquors on their budget. If ever there is free drinks, control your alcohol intake and avoid getting drunk, this may not look to good for you.

Be sure to follow the seating arrangement that has been planned out. When you arrive, the ushers and usherettes might ask you details about your relationship with the couple. If you have been assigned a chair, be nice enough to stay on the seat for the formal program.

Gifts for the couple are a must if you are going to attend, when i mean gift I mean envelope a card with money is usually the appropriate etiquette of weddings. However, if you have failed to show up during the event, you should at least send a card wishing them all the best in their married life.


xoxo
griselle