Twitter-inspired, this blog is full of wedding etiquette tips and ideas for how to handle sticky situations — or even the most common situations. Shared below is a list of 75+ of our favorite tips in one kick-ass wedding etiquette blog post…all in 140 characters or less.
- Parents taking over wedding decisions? Say “Thanks to your advice, we made X a priority. But to include it, we cut back on Y.”
- Who should I tell first that I’m engaged? First, tell your children, then parents, family, friends…then social media.
- What not to wear as a wedding guest: any shade of white, tons of bling or sequins, sultry sexy outfits, and jeans
- Should I bring a gift to an engagement party? Generally, gifts aren’t expected, but a nice card or small gift is nice.
- Give guests 15+ days between the invitation’s arrival and the RSVP date. Make the RSVP date 30 days from your wedding date.
- If I know someone can’t be at my wedding, do I send an invitation anyway?Not unless it’s a close relative who wants a keepsake
- The cake cutting ceremony ( or serving of dessert) is typically the signal to guests that it is ok to leave without being rude
- If someone asks me to be in their wedding, do I have to ask them to be in mine? No, but you could give them another task!
- What is the correct way to address a check as a wedding gift? There is no rule to WHOM, but don’t make it out to both people
- Am I expected to invite all my coworkers? No, but try to pick a logical division (your team), so people don’t feel excluded.
- Should I tip my wedding vendors? Not if you have a contract with them. A small tip for musicians, etc. & do pay for meals for your vendors.
- Are you obligated to invite a guest’s date to your rehearsal dinner? It would be a nice courtesy, but no.
- All guests 18 and older should receive their own wedding invitation.
- Bringing a gift to the reception requires babysitting. Have it sent to their home pre-honeymoon (Midwest etiquette may differ)
- Only bring a +1 to a wedding if your invitation listed you “and a guest”.
- Involve your groom. The honeymoon, rehearsal dinner, and the DJ/band playlist are great ways for your guy have extra input.
- Having fun table names for a seating chart? Add small numbers too. Guests will appreciate the navigational map of your room!
- It’s okay to send a “B-list” of invitations, but do it discreetly and quickly. No one wants to find out they were on list B.
- Sending a wedding gift? The general rule is 30/60: You can send it starting 30 days before the big day or up to 60 days after.
- Anybody invited to the engagement party should be invited to the wedding as well.
- A wedding website is a far better option than creating a wedding “fan page” on Facebook for guests to see info for your wedding
- Want a unique favor? On the Arbor Day Foundation website, you can buy a tree to be planted in your honor in a national forest.
- On envelopes, a medical doctor should have “Doctor” in front of his/her name; a PhD should have “Dr.” in front of his/her name
- At midwest bridal showers, it’s common to pass opened gifts & cards. A personal note to the bride could be seen by all!
- Should you include a gift registry on your wedding invitation? Our answer may surprise you. http://bit.ly/164FOot
- People used to think it was rude for the bride’s mother to host the bridal shower. New rules say anyone can throw your shower!
- No longer is the bride’s family supposed to foot the bill for the entire wedding. Your in-laws-to-be may want to help as well!
- When facing the altar, the bride stands on the left, the groom on the right and seated guests should follow suit.
- For honorary bridesmaids, choose an older relative instead of a close friend who didn’t make the cut. Save hurt feelings.
- If you get an engagement e-card from a couple, you are not required to get them a gift. A solid congrats in enough.
- The best man gives the first toast, followed by the maid of honor, the parents (if they wish), then the couple.
- If you’re invited to a wedding, but can’t/don’t want to attend, do you have to send a gift? No. It’s polite, but no.
- A lady as a groom’s attendant? She should’t escort female guests to their seats, but can be part of all other activities.
- If a lady is a groom’s attendant, she can wear a dress that’s similar color to the men’s tuxes or bridesmaid’s dresses.
- Place an inner envelope into your outer envelope with the names on the inner facing the back of the outer.
- At cake cutting, the bride’s right hand goes on the knife & the groom’s hand atop hers (or reverse so u can see the ring!)
- Expect to need one usher for every 50 guests. Ushers do not have to be official groomsmen, but groomsmen can be ushers.
- Hiring reliable wedding professionals is essential in keeping calm & can make all the difference in how much you enjoy the day.
- Some coast states don’t have a gift table at their reception. In down-home states like SD, it is acceptable.
- Have a house-sitter while on your honeymoon. You have a house full of money, cards, gifts (and more arriving on your doorstep)
- Who should you invite to your rehearsal dinner? Family, wedding party, & out-of-towners.
- Try to send a bridal shower thank you note within 3 weeks and a wedding thank you within 3 months. (Not 1 year)
- Spell out everything in an address except Mr. & Mrs. Example: Street vs. St.; South Dakota vs. SD; Fifth vs. 5th
- Send your invitations out so they land in mailboxes 8 weeks before your big day. RSVP date: 3-4 weeks out.
- Give ushers a cheat sheet so they know where everyone is supposed to sit. Print out a list in case they forget!
- When preserving the top tier of your cake, use an air-tight container and wrap that in tinfoil. Put in freezer & enjoy in 1 yr!
- In a case where a couple’s names cannot fit on one line, place them on two lines with the second name indented
- If you have a receiving line, include these people in this order: MOB, FOB, MOG, FOG, bride, groom (MOH & BM optional)
- Destination Wedding Etiquette: For gifts, spread the word to “pack light!” & recommend no gifts at the wedding, but rather when you get home
- Only those invited to the wedding should be invited to bridal showers. Exceptions: work parties & some Midwest small towns
- The usher should offer the eldest lady in the arriving party his right arm. The remaining party follows behind.
- If your event won’t include a full meal, it’s courteous to say “join us for hors d’oeuvres” instead of “at the reception.”
- Wedding Invitation Etiquette Tip: If you don’t know a name, ask! Using the correct names will make people feel truly welcome and honored.
- Invitation Etiquette Tip: For divorced parents, put names on separate lines w/no “and” between. Mom always comes first. Use her married name
- Order as many wedding programs wedding as you did invitations (about 75% of your guest list). You can add a few more to be safe
- If the wedding ceremony & reception are in the same location, you can simply put “Reception to follow” on the invite.
- Wedding Invite Etiquette Tip: “And” in between two names implies that those people are married. Names of unmarried guests should be stacked.
- Women who are widowed should be addressed according to their late husband’s name, titled “Mrs.” (Mrs. George Brown).
- Include a pre-stamped postcard or pre-addressed envelope for your Reply card to increase response rate.
- When listing the ceremony time on your wedding invite, instead of “one-thirty, use “half past” or “half after two o’clock” all spelled out.
- No need to list the zip code of your reception location on your insert card. Venue and address is enough.
- Having a very formal wedding? You can address children under the age of 7 on your invitation as “Master Joel” or “Miss Anne”.
- If you want to mail your invitation for 1 stamp, make sure it weighs less than 1 ounce.(That’s about 3 pieces of card stock + envelope)
- If you’re marrying in a house of worship, use “the honor of your presence” on your invitation. If not, use “the pleasure of your company”.
- Etiquette: Send save-the-dates 6 months before your wedding date, send invitations 6-8 weeks early, & set RSVP response time to 3-4 weeks.
- If your divorced parents are both helping w/your wedding (whether remarried or not), list your mom first on the invite text.
- Wedding Envelope Address Etiquette: No punctuation, at least 10-point type, 1 space between city & state, 2 spaces between state & ZIP Code.
- Should you expect gifts when renewing your vows? Probably not. But having a wedding website where it’s listed is okay
- Gladiolus, rosemary, & pansies are flowers that signify remembrance in an arrangement at your wedding for loved ones who have passed.
- The proper place to list your return address is on the envelope’s back flap. Spell out all words here, too
- When listing the year, don’t include the word “and”. Example: “Two thousand thirteen” is the correct way.
- The groom uses the title “junior” if his father is listed as “senior”. Junior and senior should be listed lowercase.
- A priest should be addressed as “Reverend Father Robert Johnson“. A minister/pastor should be listed “Revered Kyle Harrison“
- Wedding colors have a 60-30-10 rule. 60% of your wedding should be 1 color, 30% another color, & 10% an accent color.
- Use the 2nd line of an invite/envelope to list children. Send a separate invitation to kids age 18+
- Wedding Invitation Etiquette: Stuff your envelopes with the insert cards in order of size, facing up, on top of your invitation.
- Invitation etiquette tip: Have a dark envelope color? Try a cute wrap-around sticker or metallic pen for addresses instead of printer labels
For more Wedding Tips & Tricks take a look at this Pinterest board!
Any other questions? Hitch is happy to address them! Contact us here.