Wedding guest often doesn’t know how to react in certain situations but he/she still wants to leave good impression on the happy couple. There are tons of questions that can pop-up such as: would it be inappropriate to skip the ceremony and attend only the reception? Is it considered rude to leave right after dinner?
In this Ask Martina series, our wedding planning professional won’t be answering bride’s questions, but rather give advices to all of you attending a wedding as guests. The idea was born during an office-talk with one of our co-workers who isn’t involved in wedding planning and didn’t know how to react in a couple of situations as a wedding guest.
In our previous post on this subject, we talked about wedding gifts and whether you should bring it to the reception venue. This time, Martina will give advices regarding appropriate times to come and leave the wedding.
IS IT OK TO ATTEND ONLY THE WEDDING RECEPTION?
No, it is certainly not a good etiquette to skip the ceremony and just show up for the reception. Ceremony is the official part of the wedding day and it shouldn`t be optional.
And yes, the bride will notice if you weren`t there. (Brides notice everything!)
Another piece of advice related to the general one above is to arrive on ceremony spot before the bride. That might seem like the obvious thing to do, but believe me, I`ve seen more than enough guests rushing in just before the bride walks down the aisle.
WHEN IS IT APPROPRIATE TO LEAVE THE WEDDING?
The general rule is to remain until the wedding cake is served. Make sure to say good-bye to the couple before you leave, express your gratitude to be a part of their wedding and congratulate the families.
Don’t miss out on advices from our wedding planning expert Martina. You can even send her the questions you would like to get the answer to.
