Wedding Etiquette

What is Wedding Etiquette?

Stationary

What is wedding etiquette?  Another word for all the rules one needs to know regarding weddings; the dos and don’ts when planning to tie the knot.

In this my first article on wedding etiquette, I will briefly give some insight on the stationary required for such occasions, in future articles I will look at all of the key wedding etiquette questions, and answer them. Questions like: Who pays for what? How long do you have to send a thank you card? Do you have to hand out wedding favoursto your guests at the reception or when they visit you at home?

Invitations

Depending on how you design your invitations, will give an early indication on how grand or bland your wedding is going to be. Whether beautifully elaborated, elegant, sophisticated or just plain, invitations must be hand written accompanied by hand written envelopes. Another must is timing. If you decide to post your invites, hand deliver them or send a tuxedo wearing white gloved valet messenger to deliver them from door to door, is entirely up to you and your budget. When it comes to etiquette though, one has to keep in mind that invitations should reach the guests by not later than three weeks prior to the ceremony.

Invitations should state clearly who is getting married and to whom, date, dress code, venues and times of the ceremony and the reception, as well as indications to venues and RSVPs. Addresses and indications of days and times when the guests can visit the bride’s and groom’s residences respectively and bring their gifts.

Sometimes you need to invite guests to the reception only. Some cultures specify that only the immediate family should attend weddings, or else you may need to limit your wedding ceremony guest list due to your ceremony location, or simply for personal preference. In such cases and especially if you are inviting people to the reception and not the ceremony, the most cost-effective solution is designing an invitation for the reception only. Send a small, matching card with the ceremony details and include this card with the reception invitation for those invited to both the ceremony and the reception.

Along with the invitation one can put a note card stating where the couple have placed their registry of gifts and if and where necessary they can state that monetary presents would be more appreciated.

Thank you Cards

Thank-you cards should always be hand-written. The easiest way to make sure that you'll have enough appropriate thank you cards is to order them with your invitation package. Your printer should match all your wedding stationery. No gift should go unacknowledged. Send thank you cards the week after the wedding or guests might be wondering if their gift was appreciated.

Guest Book

Another item that goes under your wedding stationary is the guest book. Something the couple will always cherish it is a testimony of all their guests and it will make for a great read after the wedding.

Mass Hand Book

Ceremony mass hand book is a must nowadays; it gives your wedding it shows your attention to details and gives it that touch of class it deserves. This book will contain all the names of the participants including the priest/s celebrating the mass, the witnesses, the ushers, the readers and all the readings of mass itself.

Place Cards

Place cards are needed when the reception you are planning on is a sitting down elaborate dinner or luncheon. These cards serve a specific purpose and are very useful in the organisation of the proper seating of your guests. The menu is an essential part of this type of reception and it is a necessity to inform guests on what they are going to be served and also adds a touch of elegance on the table, plus serves as a keepsake.

Souvenirs Holders & Tags

Some souvenirs need packaging, boxes, cases or wrappers. Whatever your choice of housing for you gifts, even if you decide to use small sachets of potpourri, you will need small tags with your names and the date of your wedding.

No detail is insignificant in any special event especially in this one, your wedding, so make sure you get all your stationary in order and in theme with your wedding scheme.