Tuesday, May 11, 2010

Wedding Etiquette

A bride recently asked us how to let her guest know that she wanted them to all dress in black or white or a combination of both. Her theme of a black and white wedding was going a bit far. Our answer to her - there is no way. On doesn't tell people what to wear anymore than you would tell a hostess what food to provide. One can control the dress of the wedding party, but that is all. Just because she had heard that "It's the bride's day" doesn't mean everyone must bow to her wishes. Frequently the guidelines of etiquette and common sense take priority. Another bride wanted two hundred and fifty guest to attend her wedding, but she planned to walkaway from the ceremony and meet forty-five of her favorite guests for a sit down dinner. She wondered what we thought. Our advice was DON'T DO IT. It would be far better to serve light refreshments to all guests following the ceremony. This gives everyone a chance to extend their best wishes to the couple and socialize with others in attendance. If she wished to celebrate later withe a special group of friends, that should be done after the official reception. The guiding principle here is that a couple should never do anything to show preference for one gust over another.

Happy Planning,
Kim