WEDDING GUEST ETIQUETTE
Yvonne Salas
September and October
are considered the Peak of Wedding Season in the United States. Therefore, it
is now a good time to have a short refresher on Wedding Etiquette if you are
invited to attend one.
Being invited to a wedding
is a fun and exciting event because you will be sharing a memorable day with a
family member or a dear friend. You are very much appreciated by at least one
member of the couple getting married, otherwise they would not have invited
you. Right!
So, as their guest,
there are some basic etiquette rules that you must abide by in order to be a
good “Wedding guest”
First of all, read
the invitation, carefully. It will have all the information you need to
navigate attending with the appropriate response, dress and attitude. This
means to be in the lookout for whom was the invitation addressed to. Does it
include your significant other, or your children? If they are not mentioned in
the envelope, then they are not invited. Pretty simple, so don’t make the
mistake of assuming that if they invited you, you can bring along others. You cannot!
Secondly, RSVP
promptly. Let me remind you that RSVP is
French “Répondez S’il Vous Plait” and simply means Please Answer -It is important that you reply as soon as you
can once you have confirmed that you are available to attend on the set date.
Couples are waiting for your reply in order to give headcounts, assign guest table
seating and all the details of the gifts for the attendees. It is basic
courtesy to confirm and then to show up. The only excuse not to go to the event
is a medical or family emergency and then you will let the couple know as soon
as you find out!
Lastly, for now I
remind you to follow the couple’s Dress Code, if indicated on the
invitation. If it has not been expressly stated, use your good judgement by considering
the venue and the time of day that the ceremony will take place.
There are many other
aspects to consider for a good guest but we will discuss them in a future blog.
Enjoy the wedding
season and always display your good manners.
