Courtesy of Deanne Revel
Hi Friends,
These days, guests aren't as familiar with wedding etiquette and will likely make one of these faux pas at your wedding. It's not OK, but knowing these ahead of time will help you roll with it on the big day.
Keep in mind: Price and stock could change after publish date, and rhey may make money from these links.
Instagram the Ceremony
Photo By: GettyImages/GabrielPevide
Now more than ever, couples are choosing to have an unplugged ceremony where guests are asked to turn off their cell phones. We even had a sign at my wedding that specifically said to turn off your phone and be present with us. And yet, some people still had their phones up taking photos as if they were at a concert. And, on top of that, they immediately posted the pictures on social media and tagged us in them. Not cool. We had an intimate wedding for a reason. We didn’t want those moments shared with thousands of people, just the 60 or so people present. If you’re concerned about this happening at your own wedding, you could have the officiant remind everyone before the processional starts that this is an unplugged ceremony.
Not RSVP
From: Abby Larson
Photo By: Style Me Pretty/ Greg Finchk Photography
I vow to cherish the next wedding invitation I get in the mail because I now know the insanity that is designing and ordering and paying $$$$ for pieces of paper that most of your guests will just throw in the trash. But you know what’s more of an insult than chucking my custom, foil-pressed invitation that I spent hours designing? Not responding. Invitations are vital for getting an accurate guest count which impacts rental supplies, food orders and so much more. By not responding by the date listed on the invitation, you’re hindering the couple from making reservations on time. We even had an online option on our private wedding website where people could RSVP if they seriously couldn’t be bothered to drop a (pre-stamped!) envelope in the mail. And yet I still had people Facebook messaging me after the RSVP date saying that they didn’t know if they could make it. True story: I received an RSVP in the mail three days before our wedding with selections for gluten-free and vegan options and then their own food preferences scribbled in the corner. So, I scrambled to adjust our food orders and paid extra money to add more gluten-free options and another vegan entree and this couple didn’t even show up.
Arrive Late
Photo By: James G. Stokes
Imagine this: You’re about to walk down the aisle and wedding guests are trying to sneak in the back of the venue or even walk down the aisle behind you! This actually happened at my wedding and my wedding coordinator had to scramble to send them through another entrance. Rule of thumb: If you’re late to a wedding and the ceremony has already started, you should wait and join the guests at the reception. Your FOMO isn’t as important as not disturbing one of the most important 15 minutes of your friend’s life.
Bring a Gift to the Wedding
Photao By: GettyImages/ShyLama Productions
This is a cardinal wedding rule that I feel has been lost over time: You should never bring a wedding gift to the wedding. Etiquette rules say that you should mail the couple a gift within a couple of weeks of receiving the RSVP invitation. Other rules say you have a grace period of one year after the couple is married to mail a gift. But no one says to bring a gift to the wedding. If you don’t understand why, it will make sense to you once you plan your own wedding. On your big day, you have to juggle tons of logistics and many venues have very strict clean-up policies where literally everything has to be removed from the site by the end of the day. The last thing you want to worry about as you drive off to your hotel or the airport is getting that random salad spinner your cousin got you into the trunk of your car. Unfortunately, people are going to keep bringing gifts and cards to weddings, so couples have started to incorporate a gift table and a card box with signage at the reception. It’s a pain and it’s extra money for more rentals and decor, but necessary to contain the stuff. If you’re planning your own wedding, you should designate someone in your wedding party or a close friend to manage gifts and ensure everything is removed from the venue and delivered to you after the wedding.
Not Give a Gift
Photo By: Jitalia17
I was honestly shocked to learn this is a thing. And let me be very clear: I’m not saying that you need to buy the most expensive thing on someone’s registry. A sentimental, handmade card would suffice. But some of our wedding guests gave us nothing. Nothing. They literally came to the wedding, drank a ton of free booze, ate lots of free appetizers, had a nice free dinner, took free portraits, drank more free booze but didn't bother to mail us a measly card.
Disregard Assigned Seating
Photo By: Something Turquoise
Trust me, no one creates a seating chart just for fun. It’s absolutely awful, but super important to ensure that family sits close to the wedding party, that guests with disabilities have close access to things, and many other factors that you won’t understand until you have to make your own seating chart. Your opinion of where you should sit doesn’t matter. You can make small talk with strangers for one (free!) dinner.
Not Wait to be Called for Dinner
If you do a buffet-style dinner reception, it’s common for the DJ or wedding coordinator to let different tables know when it’s their turn to get up and get food. This is done in waves so that a large line doesn’t back up. Typically, elderly people, family and people in the wedding party go through the line first. So, if you cut the line or the table order, you’re basically saying you’re more important than the bride’s octogenarian grandmother. By all means, cut her in line because you had too many drinks during cocktail hour and you’re starving. She won’t mind standing a bit longer even though she has a bad hip. It’s no big deal.
Go Rogue on Their Menu RSVPs
Photo By: GettyImages/LElik83
Most RSVPs have a section for reception food where guests can list food allergies and select an entree option. Those options aren’t just for fun. Couples use RSVP totals to determine how much food to order. So if you’re not really gluten-free but just feel like grabbing the gluten-free option because you read in a magazine that your favorite celebrity is now anti-wheat, you’re preventing someone else in the line who actually has Celiac disease from having that meal. True story: I’ve been in line behind a woman who decided she didn’t like the chicken she requested in her RSVP and thought the steak looked better. The patient caterer tried to explain to her that because she already had chicken on her plate she couldn’t have two entrees but this lady caused a whole scene in the line and the bride had to get involved. That is the type of stress you absolutely don’t need on your big day. Rule of thumb (and I honestly can’t believe this has to be said): stick to your RSVP order.
Complain They're Missing a Sports Game
Photo By: GettyImages/TARIK KIZILKAYA
If you have a wedding on a Saturday in the South in the fall, be prepared for some guy to complain that he’s missing some important college football game. I even had a guest tell me he’s bummed to be here because he’s missing his fraternity’s homecoming alumni mixer for this wedding. I wish I could stop sports people from saying dumb things like this, or worse, streaming games from their phones during a ceremony, but it will happen. Just keep your head up and say "Well, thank you for coming. I’m so glad you chose to prioritize my wedding and I hope you can watch a recording of the game later." And then walk away to a guest who actually prioritized your wedding.
Clink Glasses Until You Kiss
Photo By: Shutterstock/GARP
So, apparently, there’s a thing where guests clink their glasses with knives during the reception and they won’t stop until the couple kisses. This isn’t just rude, it’s downright tacky. You shouldn’t demand a performance from the couple. This is their day. If they want to kiss, they’ll kiss. If this happens to you, I’m so sorry. The only advice I can offer is this: If you give in and do it once, it will likely happen more throughout the evening, especially as people enjoy more cocktails. So, nip it in the bud. The first time it happens, have your wedding coordinator, DJ, or someone from your wedding party explain that the couple won’t be doing on-demand kisses but that they hope everyone will join them for their first dance, cake cutting, etc.
Bring Children
Photo By: Enmrique Ramos Lopez/ EyeEm
Personally, I feel like babies should never be at weddings, especially the ceremony. They are ticking time bombs of crying — bringing that to a wedding ceremony is just plain rude. But these days you have to plainly indicate to people not to bring their baby. Now, here’s where the etiquette for this gets a little passive aggressive. The way you let your guests know that you’re having a child-free wedding is by not addressing all members of a family on an RSVP envelope. So, instead of saying The Smiths, you say Ryan and Ashley Smith, and you do not mention their children’s names. But, this is pretty old school and you shouldn’t assume a guest will understand this anymore. If you have guests with babies or toddlers, you should talk to them and explain that you are having a child-free wedding and that you would be more than happy to help them find babysitting resources should they need help.
Congratulations!
Check back for more great ideas from your friends at Interior Design.
Your kind contribution will allow us to continue sharing great, no cost and low cost decorating ideas and delicious recipes. Click the "Donate" button below to make a contribution. Thank you!
Live well,
Yvonne
No comments:
Post a Comment