You’ve been invited to a wedding. Whether you intend to accept the invitation or not, there are some things which you can do, in order to show respect for the ones who invited you:

1. Call back as soon as you get the invitation and confirm or deny your participation. Weddings require long time to prepare, so the host must know how many guests will attend the event, in order to make sure everybody has a place at the table, and there’s food and drink for all.
2. Ask about the dress code if it is not mentioned in the invitation. You need to know what clothes to prepare for that day.
3. Check some weather reports for the wedding day, especially if the wedding ceremony is going to take place outside.
4. Don’t arrive late. It is very rude to show up in the middle of the party, or worse, toward its end, and excuse yourself unconvincingly.
5. Don’t be the first to leave. Most probably you’ll be followed by a big bunch of guests who were just waiting for somebody to take the first step. If you insist to be the first person leaving the ceremony, make sure you stay at least after the wedding speeches, because it would be rude to leave just before the guests are preparing for them.
6. Eat something before you leave home. The church ceremony can be long, plus they might organize a photosession immediately afterwards, so you’ll get very hungry by the time when the real party starts.
7. Don’t ask the hosts to change your seat. If they allocated you a place at a certain table, just sit there and try to enjoy the company of your table neighbors. If you ask to be moved, you’ll force the host to move also other guests to make place for you, and they might get very upset.

In rest, just enjoy the party and don’t forget to ask for photos.

Filed under: General