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29 Wedding Etiquette Tips and Traditions

With wedding season just around the corner, I thought it was a good time to share some “Did You Know?” wedding etiquette tips and traditions. Some of these you will know and others might surprise you!

Here we go:

Before the Big Day

1. It is not necessary for a groom to present his bride with an engagement ring when he proposes to her. Many couples shop for their ring together.
2. A save-the-date card is a notice sent in advance of invitations requesting patrons to leave that date open for the wedding.
3. When inviting your single friends to the wedding, you should send a separate invitation if you decide to invite their guests.
4. Invitations should be addressed by hand, not with a professionally printed mailing label.
5. Parents of the bride and groom usually appear on the top of the wedding invitation.
6. Wedding announcements are sent to those not invited to the wedding.
7. The bachelor party should be held one week before the wedding, not the night before.
8. The groom may see the wedding dress before the ceremony if the bride is not wearing it.
9. The rehearsal dinner is the appropriate place to present the attendants with their gifts.
10. A soon-to-be bride should send thank-you notes for gifts received before the wedding within 2 weeks.

The Big Day

1. The groom should distinguish himself from his groomsmen by wearing a unique boutonniere.
2. The prelude music should begin 30 minutes prior to the ceremony.
3. All men in the wedding, including the groom, wear the exact same formal wear.
4. The pleats on a cummerbund should face upward.
5. It is acceptable for the bride to wear a bracelet over her formal gloves.
6. It is not acceptable for a bride to carry a small handbag during the wedding ceremony.
7. It is proper for the bride to wear white, nude or ivory hosiery on her wedding day.
8. The maid of honor holds the groom’s ring during the ceremony.
9. In ancient times, the responsibility of the best man was to protect the bride from abductors.
10. Wedding guests that are invited to the marriage ceremony should also be invited to the reception.
11. If the bride chooses to carry a handkerchief, it is considered to be a sign of good luck.
12. The mother of the bride is the last person to be seated in the wedding.
13. All guests should stand for the bride’s processional if the bride’s mother stands.
14. The best man is responsible for paying the officiant with sealed envelope after the ceremony.
15. It is appropriate for the bride to change her shoes for the reception.
16. Get comfortable and have a good time!
17. The mother of the bride is expected to be the hostess of the wedding reception.
18. The bride always takes the first bite of the wedding cake. 10% of the total liquor bill should be the bartenders’ tip at the reception.
19. The lucky guy who catches the garter is believed to be the next to marry.

– Margaret

Quote of the Month

Soulmates…two halves of the same soul joining together in life’s journey.”

~ Author Unknown

Posted by Margaret Page in Newsletters.