
It’s that time of year again – WEDDING SEASON!
If you’re lucky enough to be invited to the Wedding of a loved one this season – now’s the perfect time to brush up on your wedding etiquette or, as we like to call it “Wediquette”. Every happy couple planning their weddings goes to A LOT of effort to make sure their wedding is memorable for them and their guests, and you can do you your bit to make sure it’s memorable for all the right reasons with our easy guide to being the PERFECT Wedding Guest:-
Let’s start with RSVPing on time! As soon as your receive the invite – get planning. Apply for your annual leave if you need to, sort out a babysitter if it’s required and make sure you RSVP before the deadline date (especially if you expect the happy couple to cater to dietary requirements etc). The couple will need to give an accurate headcount to their caterers, their planners, they might be putting together a seating chart – all this takes time. Don’t be the guest they need to chase!
Is there a Dress Code? Then stick to it! If not – you can take your cues on how casual or fancy the wedding is, or if there are any colours to avoid, from the invitation. If the invite is formal – chances are the wedding is too – and if a specific colour or colour palette is featured on the Wedding invite – might be a good idea to avoid wearing that colour so you don’t accidentally look like a member of the Bridal Party. Take note of where the Wedding is being held and consider if you need to dress modestly to be respectful of religious customs or traditions. And never wear white. Ever. Unless the couple specifically request it, white, all shades of off-white, cream, ivory or any super pale colours that could mistaken for white, should be left at home in your wardrobe.
Be on time – if the invite says 3pm – get there 15 minutes before. 3pm is the ceremony start time – not your arrival time. You want to be seated well before the happy couple start their walk down the aisle. On the off chance disaster strikes on the way to the wedding and you don’t make it there on time – stay at the back, watch from afar and don’t disrupt the ceremony.
Is there a Seating Plan? Respect it – it doesn’t matter if you don’t know or don’t like who you’re seated beside, if you don’t think you have a good view of the couple, or are too close to the bathrooms/too far away from the bar. The couple have spent time arranging the seating plan to best suit the needs of their guests as a whole and will likely have communicated the seating position of anyone with specific dietary requirements to the catering team – don’t, whatever you do, ask someone to swap seats.
Put your phone away. Once upon a time we use to go to weddings and watch them and then wait till the couple shared their photos and videos of the day with us. Now everyone has their phones out watching one of the most precious moments of their loved ones lives on a 6-inch screen. Put it away and enjoy the moment. Let the professionals do their job. Oh – and while you’re at it – put it on silent, or better yet, airplane mode, for the ceremony.
Enjoy – but don’t overindulge. Enjoy the open bar if there is one, dance, celebrate, jump in the photobooth and savour every bite of the meal and the cake. But don’t overdo it – don’t get sloppy drunk and fall over or create drama for the couple. Don’t go mad at the buffet – it’s not an all you can eat situation – and if you happen to be passed the mic to make a toast. Make it short, make it sweet and pass it back before asked.
Celebrate the key moments. Don’t be tempted to leave early and miss the speeches, the cake cutting or the first dance. Don’t go for an extended smoke or vape break and miss out on one of the key moments of the day. Respect the happy couple, show your support and be there to share in the memorable moments of their day.
Let’s be honest – there’s no such thing as the perfect Wedding- but you can do your little bit, by following our wediquette guidelines to make the day smoother and more enjoyable for the couple. And you never know – you might end up having an amazing and memorable day too!