Be My Wedding Guest: Dress Nicely…

The date of your friend’s weeding is happily circled on your calendar and you have started to scout for that perfect outfit. However, you still have no idea what to wear.

The etiquette for the right wedding attire for a guest over 40 can be very different depending on the wedding’s style. However, clues are available to help you make the right decision. An invitation that is formally crafted in an indication that the wedding you’ll be attending will also be formal. An invite with casual wording will call for nice casual outfit. The invitation can also have direct instructions.

The location of the wedding is also a good basis. A dress that easily gets caught in the wind will not be appropriate for an outdoor wedding. High heels should be avoided, as these easily sink in the grass or in the sand. A breezy dress will help keep you cool in a hot location rather that a suit. A more dressy and tailored outfit can be used in a wedding held indoors such as a five-star restaurant and country club.

Daytime wedding attire for guests

For the Woman over 40

• a dress with a floral design

• a sweater set coupled with slingback shoes and a nice skirt. A light colored suit – avoid anything that looks to formal.

• a beautiful hat that blends with what your are wearing.

For the Man over 40

• In weddings during the summer season a light-colored suit, especially seersucker or linen.

• Warmer clothing is appropriate for winter weddings. Selections include wool suits, a slightly dark blazer with charcoal pants, and possibly a sweater and tie below a blazer.

• A dress shirt, dress and tie pants can be used. A blazer can be used for added touch.

• A dark suit is best suited for a formal wedding. Tuxedoes should be worn before 6 pm.

Evening Wedding

Female Over 40

• Dress like as if you are going to dinner or theatre.

• Wear a not too sexy cocktail dress that is fun to dance in. Black is good.

• A cocktail suit or a dressy suit

• To look more sophisticated wear darker colors.

• Beads or sequins should be avoided if not specified especially if it is not a black tie affair.

For the Man Over 40

• Dark suits are always acceptable

• Blazer and slacks matched with a nice tie can be worn in a casual or semi-formal wedding.

Black-tie optional

Female Over 40

• A cocktail dress reaching the floor

For the Man Over 40

• A tuxedo is the perfect thing to wear in this occasion.

• The guest should dress as formally as possible.

THINGS NOT TO WEAR:

- Anything white is discouraged especially those that do not have prints. Those that choose to do so should make sure they do not upstage the bride.

- Anything dark during a daytime wedding

- Jeans

- Anything too revealing or sexy

- Anything with holes, stained or torn and anything too small or too big.

- Anything strapless or sleeveless in a no-no especially to a religious wedding. A wrap should be brought to cover bare shoulders.

Proper etiquette for Wedding Guests

• Never be late! Try to attend at least 15 minutes before the stated start time of the wedding ceremony. This will give you time to be get settled and find a seat.

• Guests should avoid taking photographs of the wedding. Professionals photographers have already been hired and it is important to preserve the sanctity of the ceremony.

• Bringing a gift during the wedding day is not required. Guests actually a full year to send their wedding gift to the couple. Bringing it will only create a problem for someone assigned to carry it.

• The gift is still a must even if you fail to attend the wedding.

• Bringing will only be allowed if it is specified in the invitation. Serving every person in the wedding reception will likely be expensive for the couple. Bringing uninvited guests is very rude.

• The wedding reception may be nice time to have fun having too much fun is very impolite. Avoid getting drunk and mingling too much people you barely know.

Making The Wedding Etiquette Announcements

Beginning on the day he proposed, there are certain wedding etiquette announcements to be observed. The couple should be aware of these wedding etiquette announcements or else wedding could fall into jeopardy.

There are wedding etiquette announcements to be observed when breaking the news to the parents. First, let the people closest to you know of your plans. The groom must ask the bride’s parents for her hand in marriage. It is traditional that men do wedding etiquette announcements to both families but modern times have changed this. Now, both of them can make the wedding etiquette announcements together personally.

The wedding etiquette announcements for friends can be personally by the couple. They can also plan a party for both their friends and turn it into an engagement party. The couple on this event can choose their maid of honor and best man.

Wedding etiquette announcements for sponsors should be done personally with the help of the parents. The sponsors can be chosen by influence, convenience, prestige, or by relationship. The important thing to remember is to get them to commit in being your sponsors and list them down in your planner.

The wedding etiquette announcements for wedding details can be overwhelming, which is why most couples hire a wedding coordinator. If your budget can fit in the fee for this person’s services, hire them. It will greatly lift the pressure of planning, organizing and supervising the entire event.

The maid of honor often performs wedding etiquette announcements for the bridal shower. The bridesmaids, mother and other women family members are invited to chip in and join the event. Depending on what they have prepared, the bride can expect something as elegant as a garden tea party or wild as a trip to the local men’s strip joint.

The best man makes the wedding etiquette announcements for the bachelor party or stag party. Stag parties require little preparation since most parties only require five things: the groom, food, drinks, music and entertainment. The entertainments have wedding etiquette announcements of using either a stripper or just a regular DVD player and watching x-rated movies.

There is a third option of making wedding etiquette announcements for a “couple” shower. Friends of both the bride and groom organize and celebrate this event. The best choice for this is to have a themed party, something with fantasy on it like a masque ball or have it done like Carmen Elektra and her husband Dave of Inxs where it was one big stripper party.

The wedding preparations:

The wedding etiquette announcements for the flowers should be booked months in advance. The same goes for the caterer, the arranger and the musicians. If the couple decides to hire a wedding coordinator, this will be an easier job for them.

The wedding etiquette announcements for the dress fitting is should also be made weeks in advance. Any adjustments to the dress can be done as the wedding date comes closer. For the men, their clothes are classic pieces so it is no problem for the coordinator. However, it is a must that the groomsmen have a neat hair cut prior to the wedding.

The photography and video documentation needs of the couple should be provided by the coordinator. As a rule, wedding etiquette announcements for photo and video coverage of the wedding can be open to bidders. This way they couple can sample the best work and hire the one they like most at a price that they can handle.

On the wedding event:

Within weeks of the big day, the wedding etiquette announcements for invitations should have already been mailed. Along with it are the wedding etiquette announcements regarding the attire, program, location of the wedding and a map to the reception.

The wedding etiquette announcements for the wedding program at the ceremony is usually printed and given to the guests as they arrive at the church. The couple can skip this if they prefer an informal ceremony.

With the solemnity of church celebration over, it is now time for everyone to relax at the reception. There is still another program in the event but most of it is well-wishes, thanksgiving and entertainment for everyone who attended the wedding.

Wedding Etiquette Advice for Guests

More often than not, it is the guests that we oftentimes hear complain about the outcome of the wedding, that the bride and groom violated wedding etiquette, and so on and so fort.

Guests seem to be forgetting that wedding etiquette is not just for the bride and groom. There is wedding etiquette too reserved for the guests.

We have outlined here some wedding etiquette advice for guests. These wedding etiquette advice are taken from different sources and may help you understand how to act and socialize with grace and manners in any wedding.

Wedding Etiquette Advice 1: Thou shalt respond to an invitation, immediately!

Invited guests who do not respond to an invitation are the major cause of headaches to the bride and groom. There are guest who will say regrets to the bride and groom just a day before the wedding day. While some guests will not reply to the invitation at all and then show up without notice to the wedding ceremony and wedding reception.

Wedding Etiquette Advice #1 says this act is totally rude! Today, the bride and groom pay for their own wedding. They rely on their savings and salary to fund their wedding. They are not asking their fathers anymore to host their big day.

So, with the limited budget that the couples have allotted for their wedding (of course they need to save some as a startup money). The couples need to know the exact head count so they would know if they will go over their budget. And failure of guests to reply to an RSVP will give the bride and groom headaches. They would not know how many guests should they book in the hotel or caterer. And also, if you aware of this fact, if the bride and groom add you to the guest list and they inlist you for a sit-down dinner, they will pay for your head even though you did not attend the wedding.

Please follow this wedding etiquette advice if you don't want to be called an unmannered brute. Reply to an invitation immediately if you must, or at least two week before the wedding day.

We, guests, expect the bride and groom to practice wedding attique, and so should we.

Wedding Etiquette Advice 2: Thou shalt be dress appropriately.

This wedding etiquette advice is not meant to promote fashion, although being fashionable is really good. This wedding etiquette advice came next to the wedding etiquette advice on responding immediately to an invitation. Because after you respond to an invitation, the next thing you will do is either buy a gift (if you still have some spare money to buy your bride friend a gift) or attend the wedding (if you do not have the money to buy a gift, you can skip the gift giving).

This wedding etiquette advice is for your own good. You would not want to look like a gate crasher in your friends weddign, or do you? If it is a formal wedding, you would not want to be caught wearing a jeans and t-shirt, right? You would definitely look like a gate crasher if you are not dressed properly. 

The wedding etiquette advice if the event is informal: please refrain from wearing jeans and tank top or t-shirt. For women, kindly wear a cocktail dress or a pretty Sunday dress. For men, please, if you may, wear your suit. Just forgo your tie. You can even roll up your sleeves and open the top button of your shirt to make it look less forma. You would definitely look dashing in a suit!

Wedding Etiquette Advice 3: Thou shalt greet the newlyweds.

Brides and grooms want to feel you are happy for them and your greetings will greatly be appreciated. This wedding etiquette advice is not hard, isn't it? All you have to do is go to the bride and groom and greet the bride, "Best Wishes" while the groom "Congratulations."

Saying your greetings is not only a thumbs-up act, it is also a kind one.

Wedding Etiquette For Cancelled Weddings

The worst nightmare of any couple is the cancelled wedding. Despite months of preparation, things can still go wrong even at the moment of saying “I do.” From a cheating partner to having the extreme case of cold feet, one must remember to maintain wedding etiquette throughout the entire ordeal.
Depending on the seriousness of a cancelled wedding, one can still turn a failed occasion into a positive one. An obvious wedding etiquette procedure is to inform the family and guests that there will be no wedding celebration. If the wedding is cancelled a few days before the actual ceremony, sending cards to family and friends announcing the broken engagement is a suitable wedding etiquette.

All arrangements made for the wedding date itself should be cancelled. Some companies will ask for payment, an amount that could be equal to the preparations taken by the supplier. It is a wedding etiquette to handle all this with grace and finesse.
However, if the cancellation happens on the wedding date itself, the announcement must be made verbally and as soon as possible to avoid public humiliation. The family should use the wedding etiquette of comforting the one left at the altar and make it a point to shield him or her from other people since this is a sad situation.
Gift wedding etiquette should be followed. This means all the wedding gift items will be returned, including cash, appliances or properties. It will be hard to do but at least the aggrieved party will not be accused of impoliteness.
When calling off a wedding, it really is a proper wedding etiquette to do it months before the wedding date. That is what pre-marriage counseling is for. The wedding etiquette dictates that all couples should take marriage seminars to make sure that they are prepared emotionally and mentally for the huge responsibility ahead.
A broken engagement is embarrassing as it is but as a wedding etiquette, you have the freedom not to question the couple why they decided not to continue with the wedding. And being the couple, you also have the right not to tell anyone until you feel you are ready.
Not all broken engagements happen because of a lonely partner. When a relative’s death occurs, it is proper wedding etiquette to cancel the wedding. This shows wedding etiquette in respect to the deceased’s family and expresses sincere sorrow.
Proper wedding etiquette is to allow six months to pass before attempting to walk down the aisle again. And even if the couple decides to wed two to three months after the death in the family, one must be ready to simplify the ceremony to observe wedding etiquette.

Engagements broken by family members also happen. If this occurs, try to resolve the matter as discretely a possible. Wedding etiquette dictates that only the couple can decide on canceling the weeding or postponing it to a later date.

When a partner is left cold on the altar:
Things can become worse but you can also turn it into a positive one. If the wedding reception has been paid for, the person who paid for it can use the reception and continue on with the party for the guests’ benefit. Wedding etiquette may not require the aggravated person to attend but it is a better way to forget the embarrassment.
When the cancelled wedding occurs out of town, it is an important wedding etiquette to have a clear head and sort out the pre-made plans of the wedding. Things like the honeymoon trip and the hotel accommodations must be taken cared of. If the aggrieved party has paid for the trip, he or she can choose to take it as a getaway and period of reflection.

Bouncing back from the broken engagement:
The first few weeks are the toughest to face. Be prepared to here the question “Why?” and “What happened?” a lot. Wedding etiquette dictates that you have to face these people with a smile and offer as little detail as possible.
As attractive as the sound of revenge is, you must try to keep an open mind and be as civil about everything a possible. Remember that this person once had an important part of your life and part of a wedding etiquette is to respect their decision.

Wedding Etiquette on Tipping and Other Lost Wedding Etiquette

Even in our modern times, wedding etiquette still survives. The wedding etiquette that we have come to know dates back from the Victorian era. Victorians are known for their education, intelligence, social grace and manners.
The wedding etiquette on who should pay for the wedding has changed a bit although the old Victorian wedding etiquette, the father of the bride should host the wedding, is still being practiced today. Because of economic issues and that both couples are already earning their own money, the bride and groom today hosts their own wedding.
On social graces, some Victorian Wedding Etiquette still exists like having bridesmaids and groomsmen on your wedding and throwing the bride's bouquet for maidens to catch. But on the issue of wedding etiquette on tipping, does tipping of the hat to greet the newlyweds still exist?
Wedding Etiquette on tipping is an old Victorian social grace of which people from many parts of Europe also do practice. But as time has passed, the etiquette of tipping a hat to acknowledge a person or greet a newlywed is becoming an obsolete etiquette.
One of the reasons, according to some wedding etiquette specialists, is that the modern clothing has excluded hat as part of fashion. So, how would a person do a tipping when there is no hat to beging tipping with? American formal clothing does not include a hat, unlike in some European countries, a hat is still part of their fashion. This is the reason why the wedding etiquette on tipping from some European countries is still being practiced.
Wedding etiquette on tipping is not a big issue anymore in American society. In fact, most wedding etiquette books that we have now do not mention anything about wedding etiquette on tipping nor they have mentioned anything about it being an old custom of the American society.
But there are couples who wish that their guests would practice the wedding etiquette on tipping. These couples are those who celebrate their wedding with a Victorian era wedding theme, or the 1950's Casablanca theme of which fashion from these years requires a hat to complete an ensemble.
Aside from wedding etiquette on tipping, another lost wedding etiquette on our society is the choosing of bridesmaids younger than the bride and requiring them to wear a dress similar as that of the bride.
Today, this wedding etiquette, just like the wedding etiquette on tipping is completely lost. Brides now choose older and sometimes even married bridesmaid. This is not being scorned today, but yesterday, during the time when wedding etiquette on tipping is being practice, bridesmaids are young and really maiden.
The reason behind the Victorian wedding etiquette on young and maiden bridesmaids came from the old belief that a devil is tasked to abduct brides during their wedding day so that he could have her for himself before her groom can take her. The bridesmaids acted as decoy, being maiden and wearing dress that resembles the bride's dress will confuse the devil as to who is the real bride.

This wedding etiquette has been passed on from generation to generation until it evolved and became the wedding etiquette that we have now. According to wedding etiquette specialists, this practice has long been forgetten because people, through time, has become modernized and become less superstitious. Besides, the bride can now have her favorite sister or best friend, even if she is older than her or married, to be at her side on her very special day.
There are still lots of wedding etiquettes before that have been changed to fit our current culture and society. In fact, some of the modern wedding etiquette we have now may also become oblete in time, like the way the wedding etiquette on tipping and wedding etiquette on bridesmaids that our culture had before.

Wedding Etiquette: The Basics

People these days are thinking, does WEDDING ETIQUETTE still exist in our age wherein every rule that anybody can think of could be bent? In this rule defying age, it seems that WEDDING ETIQUETTE is just a thing of the past. But is WEDDING ETIQUETTE really now just part of history? I don't think so. And maybe even you and the rest of the population don't think so, too.
Every culture has WEDDING ETIQUETTE. Even if we think those who live in far flung areas are barbaric and do not know a thing about WEDDING ETIQUETTE, they have their own sets of rules and etiquette to follow. Their WEDDING ETIQUETTE may not be as proper as we think ours is, but for them their WEDDING ETIQUETTE is the proper WEDDING ETIQUETTE.
The WEDDING ETIQUETTE that we have come to know dates back from the 1800, at the time of the Victorians. Victorians are well educated, intelligent and well mannered. They value social manners and behavior. This is the reason why lots of social and WEDDING ETIQUETTE books had been published during the Victorian era.
The social and WEDDING ETIQUETTE practices of the Victorians has been passed on to us and became the basic WEDDING ETIQUETTE of the westerners. These Victorian WEDDING ETIQUETTE has been modified or bent to suit our current culture and lifestyle.

What are the basics of WEDDING ETIQUETTE? Should we follow every rule in Emily Post's famous WEDDING ETIQUETTE book?
WEDDING ETIQUETTE BASICS
In every all aspect of the wedding there is a WEDDING ETIQUETTE that should be followed. There's a WEDDING ETIQUETTE to follow when creating an invitation, sending it out, and replying to it; in attending a wedding, guests should abide to the basic WEDDING ETIQUETTE for guests; when sending out gifts there's a WEDDING ETIQUETTE too that must be followed. <

Here are some of basic WEDDING ETIQUETTE for the wedding parties and the guests:
For the bride and groom:
- Wedding invitation must be worded either formal or informal. It depends upon the couple. If they want a formal wedding celebration, they must choose formal words. If the wedding will be celebrated with closest family and friends, an informal wording on the invitation would do.
Invitation should be sent out four to six weeks before the wedding. If your wedding is a wedding destination, you may send a Save a Date card to your guests six to eight months before the wedding. Your guest also need to prepare themselves financially and physically for your wedding destination.

- A bride can now choose any dress design and color that she wants. But if she will be wed in a church with strict rules on dress code, she should abide to the rules of her church.
- A groom may wear either a suit or black tie. He could also wear a loose dress in beige pants for a beach wedding.
- The couples should not ask for cash gifts. As for wedding registry card, they should not insert it invitation. Just mention in your invitation that you have an online wedding registry.
- The stepmother may seat at the church's first pew only if the bride (if the bride is her stepdaughter) is closer to her than her mother. However, if the bride is close to both her mother and stepmother, she should seat her mother at the first pew.

For the guests:
- Invited guests should reply to a wedding invitation immediately after receipt of the invitation card or not later than two weeks before the wedding. Couples need to be informed of the actual head count for the sit down dinner.
- Guests should be formally dressed if the invitation is worded formally even if there is no indication that the attire should be formal. Women are now allowed to wear evening dress for a formal wedding especially if their escorts are in black tie.
- Guests are not obliged to buy gifts from the registry. Invited guests who can't make it to the wedding are also not obliged to send gifts.
Gifts may be sent to the couple before or one year after the wedding. It will help the newlywed alot if the gifts will be delivered at the couples new address.

The Shower And Stag Wedding Etiquette

Being the maid of honor and the best man have a number of wedding etiquette duties. This includes the church responsibilities of handling the train, making sure that everyone is in their place and hosting the reception program.
One of the important duties for any maid of honor and best man is to arrange for the bridal shower and stag party. Wedding etiquette for showers or stags can be done separately or together. It is a traditional wedding etiquette for the bridesmaids to have their own celebration as well as the groomsmen for their stag party.

For the bridal shower:
Women have more finesse when it comes to bridal shower parties. The wedding etiquette for such events may require the maid of honor to come up with original ideas for the shower. The first thing to consider is the format. The wedding etiquette for formats can be from the formal (a dinner) or informal (strip club party).
Aside from that, there are other alternatives like going to the spa, spending a party at the circus or whatever the maid of honor thinks that the bride will appreciate. A bridal shower is thrown in honor of the bride and her friendship with the girls. Wedding etiquette only calls for all the bridesmaid’s help in organizing it and making it memorable.
A proper bridal shower observes the wedding etiquette of a program. A simple one will do. Depending on the theme, the program starts off with an introduction of the bride’s friends, a round of games for everyone, the gift giving (if any) and then dinner.
Gifts for the bridal shower are optional but are a great wedding etiquette to follow. The bride’s friends can chip in for one extravagant gift or each of them can bring a piece for the bride. The wedding etiquette gift for bridal showers can be as tame as matching monogrammed towels to something naughty like lingerie.
The wedding etiquette for games is to celebrate it as a fun reminder of the bride’s single days or something about her current relationship. It is acceptable to have games purely for fun. But what the maid of honor has to remember is the shower giveaways.
Already considered as an art form, the giveaways or gift bags are a wedding etiquette must have. The bags should contain a souvenir (any object of choice chosen by the maid of honor), a thank you card for making the event and maybe a picture of the couple for remembrance. Yes it sounds corny but it is about the bride and groom.
Another wedding etiquette to remember is the timing of the bridal shower. An event like this should be celebrated weeks before the wedding date. This will allow the bride enough time to relax and truly enjoy the shower. And should she get drunk then, there is a lot of time to recover from the hang over.

For the best man:
A stag party is usually celebrated weeks before the wedding celebration. It is bad wedding etiquette to hold it the day before the ceremony. Things can go wrong what that happens. Imagine the groom arriving with a big headache.
All the stag party is concerned is the budget of the event. If the best man can get as much funding from the other groomsmen, the event can go well underway. Most wedding etiquette for a stag party is not followed but the concept is there.
Hosting is a wedding etiquette that the best man has to perform. Unlike the bridal shower, this process is very informal. The hosting job may only go as far as introducing the other groomsmen and then inviting in the strippers.

The wedding etiquette of providing food and drinks still apply though. If the stag party is held at the hotel, room service can be ordered up to their room. If they decide to celebrate in a bar, the menu is easily available to them.
The groomsmen can get as frisky as they want with the hired strippers but as a wedding etiquette rule, the groom should have self-control. The saying “Look but don’t touch” applies. Or if it is unavoidable, “Touch but don’t squeeze” will do.
Stag parties are different from bridal showers because men view this as their last hurrah. The most important wedding etiquette rule or both parties is to never ask what transpired that night. It will only open up suspiciousness and could cancel a wedding. Brides, just be glad that your man made it to the altar. By him showing up there and meeting you means that nothing further happened.

Wedding Etiquette: Destinations

You might have heard of a couple wearing an alien suit for a wedding dress or a couple who get wed in a pink cadillac in Las Vegas wedding strip. Although it sound like fun, many still don't get the wishes of couples to celebrate their wedding this way.
If you want to have an exciting wedding, you can get wed in an extraordinary way without looking like a psycho for getting married in an alien suit. Destination Wedding is gaining popularity these days because it satisfies the wants of adventurous couples without being a clown.
Destination Wedding is for couples who want to get wed on the sandy beach of Fiji Islands or at the romantic canals of Italy or at the Eiffel Tower.
Wedding guests for Destination Wedding usually are the closest families and friends of the bride and groom. Of course, only those who love you the most will take the time, energy and money just to get to attend your wedding day.
But do you know that there is a list of Destination Wedding etiquette to follow? Destination Wedding Etiquette is just an enhancement of wedding etiquette that we have come to know.

-- Basic Destination Wedding Etiquette
* The very first Destination Wedding Etiquette that you should know is that you should tell your guest in advance, at least six months, of the when and the where of your Destination Wedding.
This Destination Wedding Etiquette is important because it will give your guests an ample time to decide whether or not they should attend your wedding. Your guests also needs to check-in in a hotel and fly just to get to your Destination Wedding.
You may ask, should you pay for the travel expenses and hotel accommodation of your guests? Destination Wedding Etiquette tells that you should not. You are not responsible for their tickets and hotel fees. You would go broke if you do. Your guests know this fact and they should not ask you about it in the first place.
If any of them ask you the awkward question of, "Would you I pay for the tickets and hotel fees?" You could answer this way so as not to hurt his or her feelings: "Oh, I would love to treat you for a vacation but our budget is so limited that I could only accommodate your dinner after my wedding." You have better lines than this. Use it using your friendly voice.

* The second most important Destination Wedding Etiquette is to provide your guests with information about the place. You should also scout for the cheapest hotels in the area where they could stay.

You can create a Destination Wedding Information, a brochure type info kit, that contains the basic information about the town of your wedding venue and the scenic places that your guests can go before and after the wedding. Remember that Destination Wedding is like a honeymoon wedding? Think of the best honeymoon places and vacation spots in the area so that couples and singles alike will enjoy the place.
Also, create a map of the area so that your guests would know how to navigate the area.

Other Destination Wedding Etiquette
- Destination Wedding Etiquette allows bride to wear any wedding dress that they would like to wear. Of course, if you are a fashionable bride, you would like to wear a simple yet elegant wedding dress even without looking at Destination Wedding Etiquette books. For chic and fashionable brides the fabric and design of the bride's wedding dress must conform to the location.
For example, if you are getting married at the sandy beaches of the Fiji Islands, you should wear chiffon and even semi-translucent wedding gown in white or other colors like aquamarine. This kind of wedding dress will look very sexy on the beach.
- Bring insect repellant lotions, sunblock and face hydro spritzer like Evian to make your guest feel comfortable in your wedding reception and ceremony which would be held in an unroofed venue.
This is not necessarily one of the rules of Destination Wedding Etiquette. This is just your way of saying thanks to your beloved family and friends who took the time and have spent fortune just to witness you getting tied with your one true love.

Wedding Etiquette on Victorian Weddings

Thanks to educated Victorians with their lustrous names, intelligence and writing abilities, they have passed on to us what a mannered person should do in all social situations. In the 1870's to 1880's there were at more than sixty (60) etiquette books that were published of which includes Victorian wedding etiquette. These Victorian wedding etiquettes became popular before and are still popular in these days.

Victorian wedding etiquette focuses on manners, culture and dress before, during and after the wedding ceremony and reception. Victorians also have etiquette rules on courtship and engagement.

-- Victorian Wedding Etiquette on Marriage Ceremony
For Victorians, the marriage ceremony varies with the fortunes, desires and wishes of the wedding parties. According to Victorian Wedding Etiquette, a bride and couple may have a very lavish and expensive wedding if they can afford it or they can have a small gathering of closest family and friends celebrating the wedding with them.

As to the form of right, Victorians have no specific directions as to how the wedding rite should be done, but they should follow rules of their churches of the proper wedding rite.

Victorians who are to be married by their ministers, wedding etiquette calls them to study the form or proper wedding rite of their particular church. For Victorians who will be married in a Methodist church should study Book of Discipline. Episcopalian Victorians, on the other hand should read the Book of Common Prayer. Catholic Victorians are invoked to know the basic Ritual in a Catholic Wedding Celebration.

In Victorian wedding etiquette, couples must do wedding rehearsals. The rehearsal of the ceremony is always made in private. Victorians believe that with this way, the bride and groom and the wedding parties could understand better the necessary forms and rites.

-- Victorian Wedding Etiquette General Rules
Victorians have general rules in wedding etiquette. They are interesting to learn and to note especially if you are planning to have a Victorina wedding theme.
Bridesmaids and groomsmen are expected to assist in the preparation of the wedding and even during the wedding especially if the wedding is not private. Wealthy Victorians held weddings for public and with many guests that were expected to attend (even from nearby towns), the hired help won't be able to accommodate the guests.

Although this seems funny nowadays, but Victorian wedding etiquette is clear on this matter: bridesmaids should be younger, yes you read it right, younger than the bride. If you have an older sister who you love you dearly, you won't be able to make her a bridesmaid if you were born during the time of the Victorians.

Victorian wedding etiquette on bridesmaids clothing is also peculiar. Bridesmaids should wear dresses that look like that of the bride. It was believed before (even before the time of the Victorians) that a devil is on the loose everytime there is a wedding. This devil is tasked to kidnap the bride, take her away from her groom, and take her virginity from her. So, bridesmaids are selected, those that look like the bride, younger or of her age, and must dress the way she dresses so as to confuse the devil who should be taken.

The material for bridesmaids wedding dresses are usually light and flowing fabric that allows graceful gait, and must have lots of ornament. Dresses should not be necessarily expensive.

The bridesmaids should assist the bride (thus the name brides' MAID) in dressing her, receiving company, holding her things, etc. They should stand at the brides left side, with the first bridesmaid or the maid of honor holding the gloves and bouquet.

As for the groomsmen, he should receive the clergyman and present to him the couple to be married. The first groomsman or the best man should stand upon the right side of the groom during the ceremony.

Victorian wedding etiquette has not been changed much. They are still the basic wedding etiquette that we have today. We can follow Victorian wedding etiquette's general rule as is without looking or making ourselves outrageous. Some of victorian wedding etiquette are just bent a bit, such as a wedding dress, to accommodate the wishes and desires of the bride or the groom or of a relative special to the hearts of the couple.

The Top Responsibilities of the Maid of Honor

Modern weddings are full of symbolic rituals and a number of key players are assigned particular assignments or titles for the wedding. Basically, the principal players in every wedding are the bride and the groom. They are the ones who assign people to other players or symbolic titles.

The groom’s best friend and best buddy is named the best man. His counter part, the bride’s reliable maiden friend, is the maid of honor. Why maid of honor? Because in the old wedding traditions, brides are expected to be virgins. The old and conservative world had it that virginity equals honor. Thus, maid of honors are people who help the bride retain the big V, which in the old times should be given as a primary gift to the husband.

Responsibilities given to the maid of honor
All little girls dream to brides someday. Some want to be maid of honor first before finally hitting it big to be brides. Being maid of honor can be a fashionable experience. However, there are some responsibilities or expectations from her. The following list will enumerate 17 of the most common duties the maid of honor should hold accountable to during weddings.

1. You should help the bride address and distribute all wedding invitations to guests. Sometimes, maid of honors are also required to attend wedding announcements.

2. In adherence to traditional wedding etiquettes, maid of honors must try to attend to all the prenuptial parties. Of course, she should not be there during stag parties, unless she has totally gone nuts.

3. If possible, it would be sweet if the maid of honor organize a couple’s shower for the soon-to-be bride and groom.

4. Wedding etiquettes have it that the bride should be assisted by the maid of honor when going away to buy the wedding dress.

5. As a sign of good breeding and professionalism, maid of honors are expected to come on time during fitting appointments and rehearsals and any other dates assigned by the bride.

6. Deal with florists for the supply of rose petals that would shower the bride and the groom as they leave the church or the altar. The maid of honor also makes sure that the flower girl is present and knows what she will do with the flowers.

7. On the wedding day, it is strictly written in all wedding etiquette guides that maid of honors arrive at the wedding venue, usually a church, on time or earlier so she can still assist the bride and the brides maids when they are dressing. Be at least 2 hours ahead of everyone.

8. She should brief the best man about his responsibilities.

9. The maid of honor, as wedding etiquettes have it, should take care of the bride’s train during the wedding and when she goes to the receiving line.

10. The maid of honor should be kind to hold the wedding bouquet when the ceremony gets to the part when the bride and groom exchange rings. Do not, however, forget to hand back the bouquet after that part.

11. During double ring ceremonies, which seldom happen, she should carry the groom’s ring and hand it to the officiating minister.

12. Maid of honor follow traditions and wedding etiquettes to coordinate with the official wedding photographer and assist him in identifying the entourage. Candid shots can be ethical as long as the shots are not hilarious to put the persons involved in compromising and awkward situations.

13. She should be the witness in the signing of the marriage certificate.

14. The maid of honor is expected to stand with the couple in the receiving line. As a sign that she knows anything about wedding etiquettes, she should traditionally stand to the groom’s left side and the bridesmaids should stand to her left.

15. Cooperate and coordinate with the best man, and help the bride and the groom depart, at least during certain symbolic rites in the ceremony.

16. The maid of honor should make sure and help out see that the bride’s demands or designs suggested for her dress is executed by the tailor. Parting words
You, the bride’s maid of honor should remember that you have a great responsibility in making sure that the wedding would be wonderful for the bride. Your own maid of honor would do the same when its time for you to be the bride. Good luck!

Sending Thank You Notes to Wedding Guests

After the wedding is over and the hot steamy honey moon is almost done, you will have to pause and think about the people who showed up to your wedding day.
Thinking of those people will never be sufficient. Adhering to wedding etiquettes, you should appreciate them and show your appreciation through a material token.
That is where thank you notes come into the picture. Wedding experts and society or lifestyle gurus advise married couples to send out tokens of appreciation or simple thank you notes to their wedding guests at least two weeks after the event.
Thank you notes should or must be sent especially for those friends or guests who showed up with wedding gifts. Wedding etiquette will also have you send thank you notes to people who were not able to come to the wedding, but sent in their gifts, or even to people you have invited but did not show up at all and did not even bother to buy you any gift.
To outdo wedding etiquettes, it would be better if the couple will send out personalized thank you notes. If it would not be too expensive, thank you notes bearing pictures of the couple with the particular guest would be a really, really good gesture of sincere appreciation.
It is not against wedding etiquettes to buy thank you note templates, but be sure to personalize it by adding your personal hand written notes of appreciation. Some couples also prepare thank you notes along with wedding invitations to save time and money.
When you opt to do this, just be sure you order enough or plenty of extra copies to so you will never run out in case too many people show up.

Etiquette when writing thank you notes
A couple of do’s and don’ts will help you get away from troubles that may arise in writing wedding thank you notes. It is not enough that you show up efforts to sincerely thank and appreciate the presence and gifts accorded to your romantic wedding.
Wedding etiquettes have it that thank you notes should be written appropriately. Even the paper used for the notes should be written on white or ivory-colored paper. Some couple prefer to have their thank you notes monogrammed, but others feel its just okay if everything is handwritten.

Here are some guidelines that adhere to wedding etiquettes when it comes to sending out thank you notes:
o Remember to send thank you notes to relatives and people who coordinated showers and parties for the both of you. It would be okay if you thank them for the efforts within the same card sent to them for their gifts.
o Wedding etiquettes suggest that you appreciate each gift you have received. That means each and every gift should be recognized through its own thank you note. If a person sent you two gifts, for example, send two thank you notes for each gift. The same treatment should be given to gifts received during the shower or even stag party.
o Advanced wedding gifts or gifts that arrived before the wedding you must be immediately responded to so you will never have the chance to forget sending out thank you notes for them.
o It might be time and money saving, but it is not advisable to send out preprinted thank you notes. Sending preprinted cards will give the person receiving the thank you note the impression that his or her effort or gift was not totally appreciated.
o Personalize your thank you note by handwriting the message. Warm but short thank you notes are better than longer but non-personalized or insincere notes.
o Write your thank you note message in blue or black ink. It is for the simple reason that the colors are far more readable.
o It is in accordance to proper wedding etiquettes that you put or include your new return address on every thank you note you have sent. The recipients will greatly appreciate the gesture if he or she is informed or posted of your new and correct address.
o Never start the thank you note with the pronoun “I.” To create a good and lasting impression use “You” as often throughout the note instead of “I” or “me.”

Huge Love In Small Weddings

An elegant small wedding is one of the most beautiful weddings that can be organized. The budget is not too high, the attendees are all relaxed and will likely have a good time and nuances such as children running around and making noise will be avoided. A wedding without too much frills makes sure that the love between the couple is the focus of the ceremony.

Etiquette in a small wedding
ATTIRE: Guests are only advised to wear clothes comfortable to them. A dress from a closet selection, a white one or even a sundress is appropriate for a small wedding. A bridesmaid can wear a white dress or even a pantsuit. The groom can go for khakis, or even jeans paired with a shirt and a sport coat.
SETTING: A small wedding can be held in a community center, a local park or even your parents’ backyard. Holding ceremonies in a unique location such as a rooftop, a barn, an art gallery can clearly speak about the personalities of the couple.
INVITATIONS: Invitations in a small wedding can be handwritten on handmade paper. Send them like writing a note to a close friend. It is important to note that attendees should be in casual attire.
FLOWERS: Simple bulbs such as hyacinths or tulips can serve as alternatives for floral flower arrangements. Using these will generate huge savings for the couple. Gerber diaries inserted in a flat container filled with wheat grass can serve as an attractive centerpiece.
MENU: The menu of a small wedding can be very diverse. A party can be set a few months before the wedding and the guests can be asked to bring their favorite recipes. The couple can choose their favorites and use them as wedding food. It is also good to acknowledge whose recipe it is by putting a label in front of every dish. Besides a party, a barbeque or picnic fare can be held.
REGISTRY: Common retail stores such as Sears or Target can be used as gift registries. Couples can specify what they want to receive in order to avoid the usual gift of expensive China that will likely collect dust in a cabinet.

Costs, costs, costs
Tradition dictates that the bride’s parents are responsible for paying off the wedding regardless if it is small or big. However, expenses have become an issue due to the challenging times. The etiquette in requesting for money is by gathering both families and discussing how to share in the wedding expenses, as the couple will unlikely have enough to cover all of their needs.
The budget will be a major basis on what type of wedding will be held. The couple needs to meet with everyone who will be attending. However, the couple cannot force their parents to shell out money that is not available.

Couples can make various compromises if their budget falls short. For example, less expensive rings can be used. A more expensive replacement can be acquired in the future. Some couples do not even have wedding rings at all. Those living in a nice climate can have the reception at home and hire catering services. To help control costs, a butler can be tasked to pass around hors d’ oeuvres and refreshments.

The parents of the groom traditionally pay for the following items:
Boutonnieres for groom's attendants
The bride's bouquet
Officiate fee or donation
Rehearsal Dinner
Lodging and transportation expenses of the rabbi or minister
Corsages for every family member
Transportation of the Groom and Best Man going to the wedding
Giving tips is a nice way of rewarding those that have given good service but it is not a requirement. A tip given to a minister can be seen as a gift for marrying the couple. Tips can be given to servers, drivers and musicians but still, this is not a requirement.

The etiquette in service fees
Couples should make sure that they are comfortable with the people that are helping in the wedding whether it is the wedding experts, the photographer and even the florists. They should share the same vision on how the wedding should come out and not merely focus on how much money will spent.
A couple may receive possibly the lowest price but if the rendered service does not meet what was promised, the value is useless, even if it is a small wedding.

Second Wedding Etiquette

Just a decade ago, there is this popular thought in the way second wedding should be celebrated. People say that couples should not be extravagant and formal in celebrating their second wedding, most especially if the bride or the groom was divorced from his or her first spouse. Second wedding should be celebrated quietly, in a smaller and intimate party.
Nowadays, however, this is thought does not hold true to many of us. Couples who will celebrate their Second Wedding should not hide their emotions and love for each other. They could celebrate their Second Wedding in any way they want it to be celebrated. Be it an intimate or quiet one or extravagant and formal the way they have celebrated their first wedding.
Don't think what other people would say about you being too extravagant for a Second Wedding. If you and your groom have the budget to finance a feast wedding, then do as you please! It is not everyday that you will find a person who would make your heart beat the second time. And finding the real Mr. Right for you (which you failed to find from your first spouse) is enough a reason to host a feast.
But do you know that Second Wedding also has its list of Etiquette? So, if you want to avoid seeing raised eyebrows on your wedding day, try to know some basic Second Wedding Etiquette and avoid committing Second Wedding Etiquette blunders.

-- Second Wedding Etiquette - How to Announce Your Engagement
If you have children from your first marriage, getting married for the second time will be a bit hard for them. So, even before you announce your Second Wedding to people that you know, take the time to sit down and talk to your children first about your plans to remarry. This is the most important Second Wedding Etiquette that you must remember. If you failed to tell your kids in advance about your plans of remarrying, you are taking your second marriage in an uneven road even before you, your second husband, his kids and your kids live in one roof.
Second Wedding Etiquette requires you tell your parents of your engagement before you inform your ex-spouse. If you don't have any children with your ex-spouse, you would not violate second wedding etiquette if you won't inform you ex-spouse about your engagement.

-- Second Wedding Etiquette - Wedding Dress Issue
Lilac or lavender is the color of wedding dress for widow brides who are getting married for the second time. But this Second Wedding Etiquette is not obligatory; widow brides may wear any color of wedding dress that they wish to wear.
This fact holds true to divorced brides who will be having her second wedding. Divorced brides can wear white wedding gown. But it would be best if they would leave out the veil and tiara. A flower headress would be the best alternative.

-- Second Wedding Etiquette - Should You Invite Your Ex?
When planning for your second wedding, you should list the people who you would like to invite. Your groom should have his own list too. Then you and the groom should sit down to talk about who should and should not be on the list of guests. This is the proper Etiquette for Second Wedding.
For Second Wedding Etiquette, it is advised that former in-laws and ex-spouses should not be written on the guest list even if you are on good terms with them. Your guests may feel a bit awkward around them.
Even if your groom agrees on the idea of inviting your ex-in-laws and ex-spouse (just to show that he hasn't any bad blood for his ex), you should not agree into it. You won't know what would happen if the former and current in-laws and spouses meet. It's better to be safe than sorry. The proper Second Wedding Etiquette for this scenario is to invite your ex-spouse instead for a dinner after the wedding and honeymoon.

The Rules For Second Wedding Etiquette

There are instances of second weddings and for these times, second wedding etiquette will asked to be observed by the couple. It entirely depends on whose experience is complicated by matters of the former wedding.

Before the wedding:
It is a second wedding etiquette to acknowledge the former wife or husband. If the relationship is amiable, announcing the engagement is best done over dinner. Second wedding etiquette requires a courtesy to be extended to the former legal partner.
If the previous relationship is not so good, the future bride or groom should inform them of their intentions through the telephone. Some second wedding etiquette can also be extended to the former partner’s family, if they are very close.
If the couple has children to think about, it is second wedding etiquette to inform them of their decision. Regardless of their children’s protests, this should not be skipped or done at the last minute. Children have a longer time to adjust and accept certain realities. One of them is the thought of having a new mom or dad.
Therefore, a second wedding etiquette requires mom and dad to make their engagement known to the children first. If the relationship is good between the kids and the new mom or dad, they will respect their parent’s wishes and support their union.

The wedding details:
Having gone through the entire wedding process before, this will be easier to handle the second time around. The couple should remember the second wedding etiquette of holding a smaller event and inviting only their close friends and family. It is rude to ask for the former partner to attend but if there is no problem, they can do so.
The couple can discuss second wedding etiquette regarding the budget for the wedding. It is normal that expenses are shared. The question of who will pay for what can be decided among the bride and groom privately.
For most second weddings, a lot of them prefer to celebrate out of town. Perhaps because of their higher disposable income, they now have the luxury to have the wedding in a foreign place. Second wedding etiquette is much the same as the first wedding which considers the guests and who can afford to travel that far, like Hawaii, for the event.



The wedding location and reception:

As a rule, second wedding etiquette requires the bride and groom to not celebrate their marriage in a place reminiscent of the past relationships. Second weddings are sensitive occasions for both parties since there is an unspoken expectation from the partner regarding the first marriage.
Choosing the theme, the wedding location and where the reception will be held is a matter for both parties to discuss. The locations should be accessible to the family and guests.
Regarding the color of the dress, it is all right for the bride to wear a white wedding gown. The groom and groomsmen can wear a tuxedo. For a second wedding etiquette, you can still pretty much follow the traditional color palette.
The couple as a second wedding etiquette should also provide for the transportation of everyone. It is allowed to ask beforehand who will bring a car so that the number of rented automobiles can be estimated. Doing so will save the couple money and time.

Second wedding as a family affair:
Not all second weddings are about building new families. The second wedding etiquette can be used to celebrate a renewal of vows to each other. This is usually done to mark a marriage’s longevity like the 25th year or the 50th year anniversary.
Weddings like this are more private and solemn than the first wedding and perhaps more joyous. Reaffirming one’s vow made to their wife or husband is such a beautiful thing. The second wedding etiquette for the couple is to invite their closest friends and family to the event and keep it as simple as possible.

For guests:
It is proper second wedding etiquette to bring a gift for the couple. Though using a bridal registry is optional, second wedding gifts are often those that the couple can appreciate and use. Money is still accepted and the second wedding etiquette of handing the envelopes to the family members is still practiced.
The rules for second wedding etiquette are not at all hard to follow. All the couple has to do is be considerate of the other’s feelings and decisions in whatever part of the wedding. And as a second wedding etiquette rule, the honeymoon should be as sweet, if not sweeter, than the first wedding.

A True Gift Of Love: The Wedding Gift

iving plenty of gifts to a newly betrothed couple has been tradition for many centuries and is the main reason why the wedding gift business has remained profitable despite changing business conditions. A wedding gift is a tangible representation of support and love for the couple to help them start their new life on a positive note.
Wetting etiquette dictates that guests officially invited to the wedding ceremony and reception are required to send a gift, regardless they attend or not. However, those invited but live very far and have not been in close contact with the couple for several years have the option not to follow the tradition.
A guest requested to attend a shower should present a gift but does not have to if he/she cannot attend the event. A close family member of friend will likely send something despite not attending.

Engagement gifts are never compulsory but have started to become a requirement in some parts of the world. A guest who is not sure whether or not to present a gift to an engagement party may consult the hosts for guidance.
Ideal wedding gifts can range from expensive china, gift certificates, camping equipment, gardening tools and household appliances. Choosing a gift should be an enjoyable activity except for those "shopping-challenged". The gift registry is very helpful in determining what to give the couple. Starting to become popular is the move of couples registering gifts with two or more retail stores, online shops or even brokerage houses and travel agents. Registry information is informally spread to guests and should not be inserted in a wedding invitation. Putting a gift registry in an invitation is major turnoff for guests, as it will give more focus on the gift and less on the thought of inviting to the wedding. The guest’s should have the choice whether to give a gift. Sometimes the most memorable and sentimental gifts are those carefully picked surprises.

Normally, should be delivered to the bride’s home before the wedding addressed to her. Gifts sent after the wedding should be addressed to the couple’s new home or the house of the bride’s parents. Some cultures require the gift to be brought to the wedding home instead of sending it ahead of the ceremony.
Guests may send the gifts immediately after they receive the invitation. Doing this gift giving practice will spare the couple from worrying about how to transport huge packages coming from the reception site. Proper etiquette dictates that the couple should immediately write a thank-you note to the sender upon receiving the wedding gift and before the fourth month after the wedding at the most.



FAQ’s on proper wedding etiquette on gift giving

When does the gift should be sent?
The gift for the bride should be given before the wedding or shortly after the couple. If the gift cannot be sent anytime soon, it must be sent before three months after the ceremony. This goes against hearsay that it can be sent even shortly before the first year anniversary of the newlyweds.

Are the gift options limited to those listed in the registry?
No, a registry only serves as a guide for the gift giver. Any wedding gift will as long as it comes from the heart.

Is there an ideal budget for a wedding gift?
The budget is entirely up to the gift giver. One’s love for the bride and groom should serve as the basis on how much a gift should cost.

Is money an appropriate gift?
Money is the traditional gift in some cultures. Giving a gift certificate to their favourite store is a nice option if you are comfortable giving cash.

What if I did not receive a thank you note from the bride and groom?
While it is an awkward thing to do, the best move is by calling the bride and groom and asking if they have received your wedding gift. If the gift came from a store, call your contact salesperson and verify if your purchase was delivered on time and to the right recipients. Become concerned only if the thank you note does not arrive within three months after the wedding.

Proper Wedding Etiquette At Rehearsal Dinners

Proper Wedding Etiquette At Rehearsal Dinners
Most couples who are about to get married face the problem of staging a rehearsal dinner because they have no idea of the proper wedding etiquette at rehearsal dinners.
This articles hopes to provide some enlightenment to the couple regarding the proper wedding etiquette at rehearsal dinner. Enumerated below are some of the usual questions that couples ask regarding the proper wedding etiquette at rehearsal dinners.
Though rehearsal dinner planning is making couples go crazy, they need not worry, a few rules to observe is all they need before actually staging the rehearsal dinners.

The Guest List
Couples must remember that there are really no rules involved in staging a rehearsal dinner. The proper wedding etiquette at rehearsal dinners is as plain as the wedding day itself.
Firstly, the proper wedding etiquette at rehearsal dinners suggests that the couple choose wisely and pick out the members of their guest list. It is really up to them who they will invite.
The proper wedding etiquette at rehearsal dinners really has no restrictions as to how many the guests are. It can be simple as the couple only, can include their immediate families, and also those guests at their wedding party with their spouses or their significant others.
The proper wedding etiquette at rehearsal dinners also has no regulations on what a couple intends to lay-out a motif or theme for their rehearsal dinner. Either they make it a bash or they can invite all their out-of-town guests.
A rehearsal dinner is a very good chance or opportunity to be able to maximize what quality time that you have with your visiting friends and your relatives. Proper wedding etiquette at rehearsal dinners suggest this as the most proper time to be able to chat with your friends and relatives, unlike the wedding day itself, rehearsal dinners give the couples more relaxing and quiet time.
The proper wedding etiquette at rehearsal dinners also advises couples not to worry about not having the proper surprise for them. The guests usually do not go to the actual ceremony rehearsal. The ceremony is usually for the wedding party and their parents.

The Fiance's Family
Sometimes, the family of a fiance has no idea that they are supposedly hosting the rehearsal dinner. Usually the parents can not afford all of it and still suggest the couple invite everyone to go to a catered party.

The proper wedding etiquette at rehearsal dinners are usually recommending that the family of the fiance shoulder all the expense for the rehearsal dinner. Most people are ignorant of this rule, however, they should be properly notified of this proper wedding etiquette at rehearsal dinners.
The proper wedding etiquette at rehearsal dinners also tells us that it is not advisable not to invite the families. The couple must note that no matter who or what they are, they are still the fiance's parents and will soon near enough be the in-laws.
No matter what they have done or they act. A couple must remind themselves to start off on the correct foot by giving out invitation to the fiance's family. Trouble might brew if they will not be included in the rehearsal dinner.
The proper wedding etiquette at rehearsal dinners suggest that though the fiance's parents does not realize that they are the ones who should be hosting the rehearsal dinner, its up to the couple to bring the subject up.
The couple can always opt to host the dinner themselves. The proper wedding etiquette at rehearsal dinners can remind them that the rehearsal dinner does not have to be a big rehearsal dinner. The rehearsal dinner can be as big as a take home pizza party or simple grilling burgers at the backyard.
The proper wedding etiquette at rehearsal dinners reminds couples to look at the situation as a possible way to kick back just before the wedding. The couple must instead concentrate on the family, on each other and the wedding party.
The proper wedding etiquette at rehearsal dinners also can be said that rehearsal dinners are a good time to present the guests with the thank you gifts.
Instead on dwelling on what the parents might do during the rehearsal dinner, the couple must instead be happy that at this very special moment of their life, their families are together.

Exercising Proper Wedding Etiquette

There comes a time when the any couple decides to commit themselves to one another and express this by getting married. Along with family and friends, all those who care for them share their wedding day. Proper wedding etiquette is required for different aspects of the wedding. From taking care of the invitations, to the transportation, reception details, location and the church, everything has a corresponding proper wedding etiquette to follow.

The engagement:
Proper wedding etiquette should already be observed during the engagement. The news should be announced to immediate family first. A gathering of both families should be arranged. Proper wedding etiquette dictates that if either one has not met each other’s parents; they should break the news to one family at a time.As for friends, the proper wedding etiquette is to announce to them personally after the family.

The wedding preparations:
The wedding theme is the first thing the couple must agree upon since all the details following it will be affected. If the couple chooses a beach wedding, proper wedding etiquette says that everything will be patterned after that. There are wedding planners who can coordinate everything for the couple and is a great help for the bride and groom in organizing their special day.
The question of when and where the wedding will be held is an important topic to consider. The couple must also decide what kind of ceremony they want to have. Will it be a church wedding or a civil one? The proper wedding etiquette is to consult the religious preference of the couple. Sometimes even if they share the same religion, a couple can still insist on the informality of a civil wedding.
The location for the reception is the next thing to decide on. As proper wedding etiquette, the couple must be considerate of the guests. Proper wedding etiquette dictates that the reception area should be close to the wedding location so that the guests and the couple won’t be too tired when they get there.
Transportation is another factor to consider. Apart from the bridal car, it is proper wedding etiquette to provide for those who have no cars from the wedding location to the reception area. The couple can ask guests beforehand on who will bring their own transportation so they can estimate how many automobiles they will have to hire for the group.




The reception details:
Of course, a big part of this event is the reception. Even though the atmosphere is more informal, one cannot forget the proper wedding etiquette of having a program. It should really be about the couple, wishes from their family and guests, a time for gratitude and a celebration of the new life ahead for the newlyweds.
The menu, cake, table décor, centerpieces, sound system, and entertainment should be arranged months beforehand. The proper wedding etiquette is to follow the allotted time frame for each element. All of this will entirely depend on the couple’s taste and budget.

The dresses:
Proper wedding etiquette for any traditional wedding is a white gown for the bride and a favored color for the bridesmaids, entourage and sponsors. However, times have changed and other color palettes are now available for the bride.
The groom and groomsmen usually do not have trouble with their clothes since they wear what is appropriate to the theme and whatever the couple has decided on for the design.



The budget:
All this preparation will go to waste if the couple cannot provide for any of the wedding items. As proper wedding etiquette, the question of who will pay for what is divided between the bride and groom’s family.

Traditionally, the proper wedding etiquette is for the bride’s family to pay for the reception costs, the church fees, the groom’s rings, the invitations, flowers for the ceremony and reception, music, transportation and lodging for the bride’s party. The groom’s side takes care of the rehearsal dinner, the bride’s ring, clergy or officiator’s fee the bride’s bouquet the flowers for the entourage, transportation and lodging for the groom’s party.

Nowadays, a couple can decide what obligations they will handle. But the proper wedding etiquette is to share the expenses, as this will be the sign of their future together. It is tough job to handle all the wedding details but proper wedding etiquette must be observed at all times. Sometime we tend to forget these simple but very important gestures. We must realize that by following proper wedding etiquette, we help make the event more elegant and memorable.

Glory At Morning Weddings

A good advice for making a wedding romantic and truly special is to make the ceremony debt-free and low-key as possible. Couples should save their money and not pay much attention to wedding advices features in magazines. Love is basically between the couple that will be getting married so its best they focus on each other.
A morning wedding followed by a luncheon reception is ideal, as it will give the couple enough time for their honeymoon, starting a new life and have enough energy to perform immediate post-wedding activities. Over 200 guests waiting at an expensive sit-down dinner will not add anything special to the romance.
A morning wedding will also help the couple save money and their eager energy and more than half a day to savor the moment of finally getting hitched.

Etiquette in a morning wedding
A morning wedding can be formal, semi-formal or informal. The bride can be outfitted with a short wedding dress or suit. In a formal morning wedding, the bride’s gown should touch the floor and veil fingertip or slightly below the middle knuckle of the mid finger. A fingertip veil becomes more attractive when it is used with an elbow length blusher. For a semi-formal morning wedding, the gloves and blusher veils are optional.
The groom’s attire is typically composed of a business, sportcoat or morning suit in accordance to the level of formality. In a semi-formal morning wedding, proper etiquette dictates that the groom can sport a dark stroller or suit without black or gray tails. In a formal wedding, a morning suit, which is composed of gray pinstripe trousers, ascot, gray vest and a cutaway coat, is suffice. The groom also has the option to wear a tuxedo if he wants to.
The groom and bride’s attire should complement each other. If the bride is wearing a casual short wedding dress, then the groom should wear a business suit or sportcoat instead of a tuxedo.
Regardless whether the wedding is during the morning or late in the evening, there is a certain etiquette that should be followed in the ceremony.
- Bridesmaids and groomsmen should assist in the ceremonies if the morning wedding is not held strictly in private.
- The bridesmaids should not have dresses that is not too eye-catching but will match the wedding dress. In addition, they should be younger than the bride. The dresses can contain more ornaments and should consist of light, graceful fabric. Flowers should serve as the main decoration.
- The wedding dress should be simple but elegant and can be decorated with few ornaments or jewels that come from the parents or the bridegroom. The dress needs to have an attractive veil and garland.

- The bride needs to be assisted by her bridesmaids in wearing the wedding dress, receiving visitors and locate themselves at her left side. The first bridesmaid for easy access should keep the bouquet and gloves.
- The clergyman should be received by the groomsmen and led to the couple that will be married. They will also serve as assistants for the bridegroom, during the occasion.
- Guests should wear something light and fresh. A breezy dress or a light-colored suit would be appropriate. Those who are fond of hats are in luck in a morning wedding, as wearing one will complement the ease and energy of the ceremonies. Dark suits and dresses should be avoided.

The Wedding Breakfast
If the bride appears during breakfast proper etiquette dictates that she sits beside her husband at the center table, while the father and mother occupy the top to bottom and greets the guests coming in. Once the cake has been cut and every one has eaten, which include offering a toast to the new couple and giving acknowledgements, the bride and groom meet with their friends and eventually exit from the ceremony. The newly-married couple can start in their wedding journey at around two or three o’clock, while the rest of the guests and family member depart from the reception area shortly after.

Miss Manners on Wedding Etiquette for Brides

Emily Post is the well known Miss Manners on Wedding Etiquette. But there are many Wedding Etiquette specialists these days that followed Ms. Emily Post's footstep and became Miss Manners themselves. If you are getting married anytime soon and you want to know some tips from Miss Manners on Wedding Etiquette, here are some Wedding Etiquette basics for you, the blushing bride.

* On Wedding Dress
Miss Manners says Wedding Etiquette of our age is not very strict anymore. Today, Miss Manners allows brides to wear non-conventional color for a wedding gown. Aside from ultra white, creme, and beige, Miss Manners says that it is not against Wedding Etiquette to wear pastel colored wedding gown, especially if the wedding is a Destination Wedding. For a beach wedding, brides can now wear turquoise or aquamarine colored wedding dress to match the color of the dress with the aqua-blue freshness of the sea waters.

* On Wedding Shoes
Miss Manners says Wedding Etiquette allows brides to wear open toed and ankle strap wedding shoes. According to the modern Miss Manners too, white is not anymore the basic color for wedding shoes. You can go with beige, creme, ivory or even red to match an ultra white wedding gown.
Miss Manners says that shoes should be comfortable and stylish. Rhinestones are good and does not defy Wedding Etiquette. But for the sake of taste, Miss Manners recommends that brides should go for less ornamented shoes.

* On Announcing the Engagement
Miss Manners says that first time brides may announce their engagement in newspapers or if they have the fortune to host an engagement ball, then they can announce the engagement in the said party. If you do not have the money to throw an engagement party, Miss Manners says that you can announce your engagement to close family and friends during a dinner.
For second wedding, Miss Manners recommend to brides with second marriage to talk to their children first before making the public announcement. Then the next person that they should talk to is their parents before the ex-spouse. Miss Manners says that a bride, who does not have any child from her ex-spouse, fails to tell her ex about her engagement does not violate a Wedding Etiquette. According to Miss Manners, the bride have no obligation to her ex-spouse unless they have a children of which they have joint custody.

* On Who to Invite
Miss Manners says that it is the bride and the groom and the host (in case the parents will co-host the wedding) has the say on who are or who are not to invite. But the last say, for Wedding Etiquette's sake, is always upon the lips of the bride and the groom since it is their big day and it is them who are the center of attention.
If the bride or the groom don't prefer to invite an ex-boyfriend who is one of the best employee of the bride's father, then the bride's father cannot command her daughter to invite the old flame even if it is the bride's father who have hosted the wedding.

* On Wedding Registry and Cash Gifts
Miss Manners says no to Cash Gifts. Asking for cash gifts is a Wedding Etiquette blunder. Miss Manners says that asking for cash gifts makes the bride and groom look greedy. Even if the couples want to donate the cash gifts to charity, Miss Manners is still against for couple who will plead for cash gifts. Whichever way one may look at it, people will think that couples who ask for cash gifts have a mark of greed on their foreheads.
Wedding Registry card is okay to Miss Manners, except that you should not insert the registry card on the invitation. Better put up an online registry and tell your guests, through your wedding invitation that a registry is currently online for those who wish to give the couple gifts under the couple's wishlists.
This way, according to Miss Manners, Wedding Etiquette is preserved and you won't look too pushy to your guests.

Gift Giving Cash Wedding Etiquette

A wedding of an acquiantance is going to be held some time soon. You are now thinking of what gift you should give the newly wed. But do you know that there are gift giving wedding etiquette? Yes, there is such a thing. If you are contemplating on giving cash as a gift, read on first the gift giving cash wedding etiquette before you do such a move.

Gift Giving Cash Wedding Etiquette Fact 1:
If a guest who receive an invitation can't make it to the wedding, they are not obligated to send gifts and much more cash gifts. Wedding etiquette dictates, however, that those who are unable to attend should send a congratulatory card for the groom or for both couples or a simple best wishes note to the bride.

Gift Giving Cash Wedding Etiquette Fact 2:
Cash gifts or any gift items may be sent to the bride or groom's home before the wedding or to the couple's new home one year afterwards. This is a way of guests to lessen the burden to the newlyweds, such as how would they transport heavy gift items. Couple need not worry about renting a truct to transport the gifts to their new home. Also, your cash gift will be a great help to couples within their first year of marriage who are still in the stage of raising their own savings.

Gift Giving Cash Wedding Etiquette Fact 3:
Giving cash gifts are not a violation of wedding etiquette. Couples need cash as a start up money for them. They need to rent a new apartment, bigger than their bachelor pad, if any of them has one, buy toiletries and groceries for the two of them, buy appliances and furniture that the two of them needs. These are just few among the many expenses that a couple would face in the first few months of their marriage which is why gift giving cash is a good idea to do and does not violate any wedding etiquette.

Gift Giving Cash Wedding Etiquette Fact 4:
So how much should you give if you decide to give the couple cash as a gift?
It is a horrible idea that the amount or price of one’s wedding gift should equate to what the couples had spent on your dinner at the wedding reception. It is untrue. You can give as much as you want and as less as you want, if your budget is really tight. But in gift giving cash wedding etiquette, a guest's transportation does not count as a cash gift to the couple.

Gift Giving Cash Wedding Etiquette Fact 5:
Also, don't stop yourself from giving cash gifts if the couple has listed their preferred wedding gifts in registry. Buying gifts from the wedding registry list are optional; you can either give the couple the gift of their choice or don't.
So, the gift giving cash wedding etiquette fact # 5 is that you can give cash gifts eventhough the couples have a wedding registry.

Here are gift giving cash wedding etiquette for couples:
Wedding registries are gaining popularity these days. But there are limitations on how much the bride and groom may direct gift giving. Gift giving cash is a wedding etiquette violation. You should not tell your guests that you prefer cash than gift items or request donations in cash to pay up a mortgage or ask them to give you cash to fund your honeymoon or that gift giving cash is preferred because you will send the money to charity.
Whether you like it or don't asking for gift giving in cash will make you look greedy, even if you claim that the money will go to charity. Also, your guests will fell less generous.
Gift giving of cash is an option to guests. They may opt to give cash as a wedding gift but wedding etiquette tells that you should not, ever, ask them for gift giving of cash. You may use the cash gifts in anyway you want.
If the bride and groom receive cash from guests, accept it and say your thanks, write them a thank you note the way you would do after opening a gift item.

How to be a Good Guest on Evening Weddings

How to be a Good Guest on Evening Weddings
Weddings were almost always held during daytime in the past. But like evolution, the customs and norms on weddings have also evolved over time.
Most couples nowadays find evening weddings more romantic and ideal. Evening weddings have increased popularity over time.
People see weddings, especially receptions as a perfect time to mingle with old and new friends and generally socialize. However, only few know that several wedding etiquettes do exist for evening weddings.
As for almost any issue hounding etiquettes on weddings, you will be surprised how evening wedding etiquettes mainly revolve around the most basic issue and concern on weddings--- attires.
For the bride and the groom, it is surprising that not much is expected during evening weddings. Evening weddings, according to several etiquette books and guides, should be treated as if they were daytime wedding. But take note, the case only applies to brides and grooms.
Being a nice and good guest, you are expected to follow several practical and unwritten guidelines. You would not want to create a bad impression to people, don’t you?
To illustrate the most common dilemma encountered by guests, who really try hard to be good guests, read on for a sample situation that you may have encountered in the past.

An evening wedding situation
Annie was invited to the wedding of a high school friend. The event poses a lot of excitement to her because she sees it as an opportunity to touch base and catch up with old high school friends.
Thus, Annie wants to make sure she will create a good and fashionable impression on that night. She wants to show everyone how she has improved and gotten prettier and foxier over the years.
However, one concerning factor about the wedding was that it is an evening wedding. Annie has attended just a couple of evening weddings before, and those were informal events, unlike this forthcoming one.
The invitation sent to her clearly and boldly emphasized that the guests are expected to come in formal attire. Ahh, Annie thought. That would be to her advantage. She will more exuberate radiance through a beautifully made gown.
The wedding night of her friend turned out to be disaster for Annie. Why? Because with her utmost desire to ‘dress to impress,’ she found that she over did it.
Annie wear a very beautiful and radiant fire-engine red gown. The dress accentuated her figure, and no wonder, she was really beautiful.

If she was beautiful on her gown, what went wrong? What happened in the evening wedding that made Annie want to run out instantly from the event?
Apparently, Annie unintentionally stole the bride’s wedding thunder. Since she came in flaming red and beautiful gown, all eyes were on her during the wedding. Some people, to her dismay, also came to congratulate her, mistakenly identifying her as the bride.
It can never be flattering. Not all eyes were smiling to Annie. The bride’s eyes were flaming red, with anger! All the bride’s maids, and almost all the ladies in the ceremony showed those disgusted and unwanting looks to Annie. She thought, she should never have attended that evening wedding.

Dress for the occasion
Evening wedding invitations that bear the phrase “black tie optional,” indicates that the evening wedding is meant to be a formal gathering and the hosts intend the guests to appear formal.
Men are expected to appear in their tuxedos and women in their evening ball gowns.
For the burden of the ladies, they should first find out about the wedding colors and motifs before showing up at the wedding. Otherwise, they, for sure, would not want to catch hot and daunting eyes during the entire ceremony until the reception.
For the ladies, remember not over do it. Do not steal the thunder from the bride. Do not out do the bride’s maids, the maid of honors and the bride’s mom as well.
Dress down. Find a suitable color and design of the gown that can attract attention, but not too much to the extent that all eyes are totally fixed on you. Remember, it should be the bride who should stand out on her much-awaited moment.

Emily Post Wedding Etiquette Book

Emily Post Wedding Etiquette Book
The Emily Post's Wedding Etiquette book is a very comprehensive book on wedding etiquette. The wedding situations depicted here are full of every situation in which a expecting couple will need to do or just say the right thing.
The Emily Post Wedding Etiquette book has every answer to every question b couples regarding the proper wedding etiquette. Also, included in the Emily post Wedding Etiquette book are very valuable advice on how a couple will set up either a traditional or a non-traditional wedding ceremony.
The Emily Post Wedding Etiquette book also includes the right and efficient way to dress and depends on the level of formality of a couple's wedding, aside from this, the Emily Post Wedding Etiquette book teaches the couple how wedding invitations will be written, etc.
The modern couples who originated from different kinds of backgrounds need the Emily Post Wedding Etiquette book. The Emily post Wedding Etiquette book is also needed by the brides and grooms that have entered their second marriages. Aside from this, the Emily Post Wedding Etiquette book is needed by children from a divorce.
Finally, the Emily Post Wedding Etiquette book is needed by anyone who needs to make sure that will be able to get everything that are just right for their wedding!
To give the reader a sneak peak, here are some of the possible topic or subject that they could read about in a Emily post Wedding Etiquette book:

1. Expenses Handled by the Flower Girl/s in a Wedding
The Emily Post Wedding Etiquette book will usually inform the reader that a flower girl is usually picked as before the age of six years old.
The Emily Post Wedding Etiquette book will tell the reader that the families of the flower girl or flower girls are expected to cover the expenses for their flower girl dress, for their other attires, and also their travel expenses.
The Emily Post Wedding Etiquette books also tells us that the flower girls are not usually expected to bring along a shower gift to bridal showers that they may attend.
If the parents of the flower girl or flower girls do attend, the shower gift expectations will be just the same as the other bridal shower guest. If the flower girl or flower girls do attend more than one bridal shower or bridal party, they are expected of bringing only one bridal shower gift.
The flower girls are really not responsible for helping out financially with the bridal shower.

2. Expenses Handled by the Best Man

The Emily Post Wedding Etiquette book will tell the reader that the best man will usually handled the expenses for his own formal wear along with his accessories. He will also handle the travel expenses, as well as one shower gift and one wedding gift.
The Emily Post Wedding Etiquette book will also share in the cost of the bachelor party.

3. Expenses Handled by the Groomsmen or the Ushers
The Emily Post Wedding Etiquette book will usually note that the groomsmen aged sixteen years and below are not expected to help out with the cost of the wedding.
The Emily Post Wedding Etiquette book will tell the reader that the groomsmen or ushers will shoulder the expense of their own formal wear as well as their own accessories. The covered expense will also include travel expenses, one shower gift and one wedding gift.
Aside from this, the Emily Post Wedding Etiquette book will teach the reader that the groomsmen or ushers will share with the cost of the bachelor party with the best man.

4. Expenses handled by the Ring Bearer and the Trainbearer
The Emily Post Wedding Etiquette book will also teach the reader that the kids under the age of six are okay to be the ring bearer or trainbearer.
The families of the ring bearer and train bearer, however, are expected to shoulder the attires, and the travel expenses of the ring bearer and the train bearer.
The ring bearer and and train bearer is not really expected to bring along any gift to any kind of pre-wedding parties that they may like to attend.
If the parents of the ring bearer or train bearer do attend, the expectations for the gifts will still be the same as with any other guest. If the ring bearer or train bearer do attend more than just one party, only a single shower gift is expected.

Doing the Wedding Invitation

Doing the Wedding Invitation
Weddings should be well-planned. Any bride or groom will not want the one important event in her and his life to be just ordinary. That is why it is important for would-be-wed couples to be enlightened and follow several wedding etiquettes.
A lot of mistakes, misdeeds and bad gestures almost always ruin or spoil weddings. Be it on the part of the bride and the groom, the parents, the guests or even the bride’s maids and groom’s men, there are wedding and proper etiquettes that could be adhered to.
Wedding etiquettes are important so people can show to others that they have been raise well and with good and proper breeding. People’s actions also speak a lot about a person, and most uf us want others to speak good of us.

Wedding etiquettes: From the top
Wedding etiquettes are followed even during the initial stage or phase of the wedding---the planning and short listing of guests.
Today, soon-to-be-wed couples are almost always hiring wedding planners to take care of even the smallest details of the forth coming wedding.
But there are still several aspects where the couple should attend to personally. For one, doing the wedding invitation should not be left to the wedding planners.
The soon-to-be-wed couple should make sure that their wedding invitation is personalized. Of course, they are overjoyed in their coming blissful matrimony, and it should show and be conveyed through the wedding invitation.
Sincerity of wordings and aesthetic style of the wedding invitation will certainly do a lot of wonders.
There are a few other mediums the couple could use today to convey invitations to short listed guests. For one, the guests can be reached through e-mail.
E-mails are almost always informal. Through this, the language used is more personalized, thus, sincerity can be truly and freely conveyed.
Another informal channel if conveying wedding invitations is through word of mouth, or the gossip factory.
Words spread faster than we know. Through this, the invitation is conveyed in the third person manner. For example, a forth coming wedding of John and Gina is conveyed through the following word of mouth entry: “Hey, John and Gina are tying the knot this Saturday, 6 pm at the Imperial Suites. I heard the couple’s wedding would be strictly formal.”

Doing the formal wedding invitation

Most wedding experts and life stylists still recommend formal wedding invitations over other forms of invites.
Formal wedding invitations will convey sincerity, style and seriousness. But did you know that the words used in wedding invitations will equally hold a great weight or bearing as that of the message itself?
In adherence to numerous and multiple wedding etiquette guides, the words in the wedding invitation should be written in the third person. Meaning, the pronouns used should be he, she, him, her, their, them.
The invitations, bearing the third-person writing format should strictly be printed on heavyweight cream, white or ivory paper. Even the font style should be paid much attention to. According to several wedding etiquette books, traditional and formal wedding invitations should be using classic style letter fonts like Roman.

More on wordings for wedding invitations
In our modern times, the couple usually pays for all the costs of the wedding. But did you know that traditionally, it is the bride’s parents who carry the burden?
Western wedding etiquettes have it that the parents of both the bride and the groom can shoulder the expenses for the coming wedding. This may not be economical and likely on the part of the parents, but that is wedding etiquette, and the tradition must live on.
Usually, since the parents are the one covering the wedding and the reception, wedding invitations are written, still in the third person style, but as if the parents are one the inviting the guests.
To illustrate clearly how wedding invitations should be worded in accordance to wedding etiquette guidelines, check on the following examples:

Traditional third-person wedding invitation styles
---when the bride’s parents are the hosts:

Mr and Mrs Robert Murdoch
Request your honorable presence
At the wedding of their one and only daughter
Cheryl Murdoch
to
Mr Joseph Stokes

---when both the bride’s and the groom’s parents are hosting:

Mr and Mrs Robert Murdoch
and
Mr and Mrs Ronnie Stokes
Request your honorable presence
At the wedding of their one and only daughter
Cheryl Murdoch
to
Mr Joseph Stokes

The examples above show clear and formal invitations in the third person style.

So there. If you are planning to get married, pay attention to the invitations you would be distributing. Remember, the wedding invitations should be the first statements you would be releasing as a couple to a number of guests, relatives and friends.