Wedding Inspirations ~ Ceremony Etiquette

A friend of mine always says, “Common sense isn’t so common.”

Fewer and fewer people even know or understand Wedding/Civil Union Ceremony etiquette. So I guess I have to cut straight to the chase and say what I mean.

• If you are the bride and groom…Be On Time!  There are many guests who had to arrange or rearrange many things to arrive on time i.e. babysitters, time off from work, travel arrangements. Having them rush to be on time only to have the bride and groom be late starts the Wedding/Civil Union Ceremony off on a sour note.

• If you are a guest.. Be On Time!  A Wedding/Civil Union Ceremony is a solemn occasion regardless of where it is held. If it is held at the reception site, or park or at home, it is still a solemn occasion. The couple plan for a perfect wedding only to have to wait for an aunt or other relative to arrive. Much worse is hearing the clopping of shoes across marble floors of late guests arriving during the ceremony. Be sure to arrive early to get a seat.  If you arrive late and during the entry procession, don't peek through the doors to watch because you'll be in the photos.

• If the Wedding/Civil Union Ceremony is held at the reception site, park or at home, there is a tendency for everyone to talk and mingle before  the ceremony. Be sure to be polite and be ready to be seated when given the signal to start. Alcoholic beverages should not be brought to your seat during the ceremony and conversations should be held until the party begins. Be a good guest.

• A wedding is an adult affair.  I suggest adding one of these phrases to the bottom of  the invitation reply card: “Adult Reception” A wedding costs thousands of dollars. Do not bring unruly children to the wedding even if they are invited to have them spoil a year long planned wedding. If they are wild and unruly, do not ask them to be in the bridal party. NOTHING is worse at a wedding than a solemn wedding procession spoiled with the ring bearer throwing the pillow with $1000 wedding rings into the audience and having to stop and look for them. 

• The only rings at the ceremony should be wedding rings, not cell phone rings. Turn the device OFF. Never ever talk on your device during the ceremony.

•  If the bride and groom hired a professional photographer, let him/her take the pictures during the ceremony and you enjoy the ceremony. Ask the bride for a copy of the professional photographer's pictures. Blocking the photographer’s view or getting up and walking around to get the same shot that the professional photographer is taking disrupts the ceremony.

So the bottom line is: use common sense, be polite and use the manners you were taught when attending a Wedding/Civil Union Ceremony.

Gosh…I sound like my grandmother!