Wedding Etiquette 101: Everything You Need to Know
Of all the special occasions in life, your wedding is one of the most special. From “Yes!” to “I do” and beyond, we look at weddings from the perspective of honoring tradition as well as moving with the times.
Engagement
While the engagement process is an exciting time for all those involved, certain guidelines exist for announcing the news and beginning the preparations for your future wedding. Be excited, but get ready to balance a good deal of planning. No doubt you will encounter many unexpected questions and concerns as you move through the months following your engagement, but with thoughtful consideration you will be able to answer them all.
Attire
There are many people in a wedding to consider when it comes to attire. And while your personal attire is ultimately up to you, it is important to consider the comfort of those in your wedding party when choosing their clothes. For those who are left to select their own outfits, be considerate with your suggestions and comments; remember, most people will be looking at the bride and groom anyway!
The Wedding Day
It can be stressful, no doubt. After all, you have put many months of planning, designing and fitting into a few emotional hours of action. Some things will happen just as you planned them, others may not. But when your big day comes at last, you will find that if you communicate with consideration, then most issues will be solved with a little creativity and calm.
Wedding Parties
Bridal showers, Bachelor Parties, Tasting Dinners, Rehearsal Dinners, Goodbye Brunch - It's a wedding season. Who hosts, who pays, who goes, when? And there are the vendors. There is lots to consider and often emotions are running high, but don't worry we've got you covered.
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Download: Wedding Budget Planner
The following planner, in a printable PDF file, may help you build your own budget worksheet.
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Wedding Planning: 12-24 Months in Advance
What to check off your list 1-2 years before the big day.
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Wedding Planning: 9-12 Months In Advance
What to check off your list just under a year out from the big day.
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Wedding Planning: 6-9 Months In Advance
What to check off your list no less than half a year before the big day.
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Wedding Planning: 3-6 Months In Advance
What to check of your list in the final six months before the big day.
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Wedding Planning: 1-3 Months In Advance
This is the final push. Don't forget to check these items off your list before the big day!
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Wedding Planning: The Final Weeks
The weeks before the Big Day are sure to be busy, so don't forget to check these items off your list.
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Ten Wedding Thank-You Note Dos and Don’ts
Finding time to write thank-you notes for wedding presents may seem overwhelming, but a few simple dos…
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Wedding Thank-You Note Stationery
I have note cards with my married initials on them. Should I use these to write thank-you notes for my…
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Thanking the Officiant
It's important that you express gratitude to the wedding officiant who made your special day possible.…
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Informal Wedding Invitation Wording
Informal wedding invitation wording is a chance for couples to reflect their own personal style. Not…
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When a Guest's RSVP Includes Uninvited Children
Friends returned their reply card with their children's names written in. I'm not having children at…
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Inviting an Ex to the Wedding
My fiancé is friendly with an ex-girlfriend and wants to invite her to the wedding. I'd prefer it if…
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No Gifts, Please
There is nothing my fiancé and I need. I read that it isn't appropriate to print "no gifts, please" on…
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Choosing Your Wedding Invitation Style
Your wedding invitation does a great deal more than inform people of the date, time, and place of your…
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Wedding Invitation Dos and Don'ts
A wedding invitation is one of the most important and treasured invitations sent or received. These tips…
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Addressing & Sending Wedding Invitations
Opening a classic wedding invitation is unlike opening any other piece of mail. Much care goes into addressing…
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Samples of Formal Wedding Invitation Wording
The wording of formal wedding invitations may vary depending on who is hosting the wedding. Here are…
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Formal Wedding Invitation Wording
If you are looking for the traditional wedding invitation wording your mother or grandmother would have…
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Wedding Invitation Replies
A guest’s first duty is to respond promptly to any wedding invitation. Check your schedule and consult…
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How to Word a Wedding Response Card
Response or reply cards are included with a wedding invitation to give you an accurate guest count for…
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How to Handle Missing or Extra RSVPs
Several of our friends have not responded to our wedding invitations. Plus, some who have responded have…
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Inviting Out-of-Towners to the Rehearsal Dinner
Is it necessary to invite all out-of-towner guests to the rehearsal dinner? We have so many I fear the…
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Wedding Guest Attire: What to Wear
You're invited, now what is a guest supposed to wear to a wedding? Wedding guest attire is pretty easy…
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Cell Phones at the Wedding Ceremony
Three ways to remind guests politely to turn off their cell phones before the ceremony begins.
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Navigating an Uneven Guest List
My family is huge... but my fiancé is an only child. How can I make sure that his family doesn't get…
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When Parents Want a Bigger Guest List
My future in-laws insist that all "their" guests remain on our invite list. What is the etiquette around…
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Destination Wedding Gifts
Is your presence your present at a destination wedding? Or should you send a gift?
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Choosing a Wedding Gift
Here are some answers to guests' top questions on wedding gifts and wedding gift etiquette.
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Is It Okay to Ask for Money?
My fiancé and I have all our household necessities and don't need traditional wedding gifts. What we…
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How to Signal "No Children" at Your Wedding
If you have decided not to have children at your wedding, how do you make this clear to guests politely?…
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Wedding Registry Etiquette
Registries are incredibly organized and helpful, and it is not "greedy" to register. Most wedding guests…
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All About the Receiving Line
Let’s start by setting the record straight: A receiving line isn’t required. However, the bride and groom…
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Bridal Shower Etiquette
Bridal showers are a wonderful tradition but, like most traditions, their modern applications raise many…
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Duties of the Best Man & Groomsmen at a Wedding
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Bridal Luncheons or Parties
All about how to throw a bridesmaids' luncheon.
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Common Bridal Dilemmas... Solved!
There are a variety of dilemmas most brides will face during their wedding planning process. From asking…
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Wedding Ceremony Aisle Walk FAQs
The bride's aisle walk is a special moment in a wedding ceremony. But who should walk the bride down…
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Ring Regulation: In what order should you wear your rings?
What is the proper way to wear your wedding rings? At the ceremony, the wedding band is placed by on…
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Grooms
There was an old saying, “A man never knows how unimportant he is until he goes to his own wedding."…
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Countdown to Proposing
From the ring and flowers to what to wear and how to ask, Peter Post gives advice to get through the…
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The Groom's Traditional Duties
Although one mother-of-the-bride told her future son-in-law, “You only have one job: show up on time,”…
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The Bachelor Party
Gone are the days of necessarily over-the-top, overindulgent bachelor parties. Today’s bachelor parties…
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The Groom's Toast
What every groom needs to know about making a toast at his wedding.
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Mother of the Groom: How You Can Help
With so much emphasis on tasks for the bride and her mother to do, it may seem like there is little left…
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Traditional Wedding Expenses of the Groom and His Family
Traditionally, the groom and his family pay for a segment of wedding expenses: usually costs related…
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Tips for Mom: What Does the Mother of the Groom Wear?
What should the mother of the groom wear? Is it true that she has to wait to choose a dress until the…
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For Parents: Setting a Budget and Splitting Expenses
It used to be that parents of the bride were expected to bear the entire cost of the wedding. That’s…
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Wedding Attendants
Being asked to be a member of the wedding party is an honor. As an attendant, whether you are a bridesmaid…
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Wedding Website Tips
A comprehensive guide to what you should put on your wedding website - and what you definitely want to…
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Wedding Photography Styles
Each photographer has his or her own distinct style, which is reflected in the photographer’s portfolio…
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Ten Basics for Remarriage
Ten guidelines for encore weddings.
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21st Century Wedding Trends
Trends don't always become traditions, but these current wedding customs seem to have real staying power.
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Congratulations—You're Engaged!
From sharing the news to meeting the parents to setting the date, there is plenty to do once you've said…
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Wedding Ceremony Seating Arrangements
Who sits where at the wedding ceremony? How do you handle wedding ceremony seating for complicated family…
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Wedding Expenses: The Traditional Division
Traditionally, who pays for what? Here is a list of the traditional breakdown of wedding expenses for…
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Who To Invite to The Wedding & Parties?
Information to help you decide who to invite to your engagement party, how to build a wedding guest list,…
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Wedding Expenses: Who Pays for What?
Keep in mind that these days, all of the following guidelines for family expenses are variable—depending…
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Wedding Tips for Moms: They're Engaged!
Whether they are deeply involved in every aspect of planning the wedding or not, it's likely that the…
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All About Registries
Get all the details about registries and how to use them in one place. What is a registry? What parties…
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Announcing Your Marriage
Who receives wedding announcements, and when are they sent out?
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Meeting the Parents 101: Tips for a Positive Experience
If you haven't yet met the parents of your daughter or son's fiancé(e), that meeting should be arranged…
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Wedding Email Dos and Don'ts
The first thing to remember about email is that just because you can send an e-mail, doesn’t mean you…
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Wedding Attire: Tips for the Moms
The old concept that both moms are supposed to look matronly was retired long ago, along with the colorless…
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Vermont Vows: The Toast!
While some people are complete naturals at giving toasts, others need a little help, whether they raise…
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Vermont Vows: Golden Rules of the Receiving Line
A receiving line isn't required. However, the bride and groom do have to greet and thank every one of…
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Vermont Vows: Planning
In this age of technology it's no surprise that more and more brides and grooms are going online to start…
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Vermont Vows: Who to Invite?
The various parties and celebrations that take place between the engagement and "I do" are all important…
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Vermont Vows: Out-of-Town Guests
Every couple planning their wedding is faced with the question of what to do with their out-of-town guests—the…
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Vermont Vows: The Registry
Once upon a time, a wedding registry was just for letting guests know your china, crystal, and silver…
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Vermont Vows: Showers in the Forecast
The bridal shower is the ultimate "girl" moment of the pre-wedding process, summoning up images of tea…
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Vermont Vows: Wedding Attendants
The ring is sparkly, you've said "Yes!" and you're off on a whirlwind of planning for the big day. Chances…
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Vermont Vows: Here Comes the Groom
There was an old saying, "A man never knows how unimportant he is until he goes to his own wedding."…
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Inside Weddings: Celebrating Your Engagement
Engagements are clear cause for celebration, and what better way than with an engagement party! From…
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Inside Weddings: Registry Rules
For all that many couples still register for formal items, there is now a much broader mix of fun and…
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Inside Weddings: Wedding Attire
What to wear to your wedding? Anna Post's advice on choosing your bridal gown, the bridesmaids' dresses…
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Inside Weddings: Modern Invitations
Invitations are the first glimpse that guests receive of your wedding. They set the tone and begin to…
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Inside Weddings: Multicultural Weddings
People today are finding each other across all kinds of religious and cultural divides, and the rise…
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Inside Weddings: Printed Items for Your Wedding
Charm and convenience are often misaligned these days, but not so at weddings. From programs to seating…
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Inside Weddings: Handling Your Guests With Grace
Everyone involved in a wedding has a part to play—and that includes the guests. And I’m not just talking…
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Inside Weddings: The Wedding Party
Unless you elope to Las Vegas or slip down to City Hall for a quiet ceremony, you don’t get married on…
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Inside Weddings: Dividing Wedding Expenses
One of the biggest questions about wedding etiquette comes at the intersection of tradition and wedding…
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Pandemic Wedding Etiquette
With many questions and concerns during unprecedented uncertainty couples around the world are struggling…