Wedding Etiquette for Brides

Photography: Diamond Photo & Video Design & Decor: Unique Rose Events & Designs

Whether we admit it or don't wedding etiquette is still an important issue to many of us. We’ve all complained about weddings that we’ve attended. Or maybe you’ve heard some friends who have attended a wedding ceremony and learned after the ceremony that he or she was not invited for the wedding reception. Although it is acceptable and is within the wedding etiquette standard to invite some guests only to the ceremony and some only to the wedding reception, the guests should be informed of this fact before hand.

Basic Wedding Etiquette for Brides

What to Wear. Modern wedding etiquette allows a bride to wear any design that she wants in any color. Brides are not limited to wearing ultra white wedding dresses that have sleeves. They may wear a tube, halter or spaghetti strapped wedding dress in creme, beige or pastel colors. The world is your oyster. For the sake of wedding etiquette, the bride should also consider her cultural background and the church’s dress requirement. If your church requires you to wear a shawl over a tube wedding dress, then you must do so. If the minister or priest thinks that your red wedding dress is inappropriate for the church and asks you to replace your $10,000 designer wedding dress for a white wedding dress, then you should adhere to his request or choose another venue.

Who to Invite. It is basic wedding etiquette for a bride to talk to her groom about she would like to invite. It is the two of you who will get married, not only you. It is a violation of wedding etiquette if you invite someone your groom does not want attending the ceremony and reception. If it is your second marriage, you should not invite your ex-spouse or your ex-parents-in-law. Even if you two are in good terms with your ex, wedding etiquette dictates that you should not invite them. This is to avoid unnecessary confrontations or wedding drama. The only reason you should consider to allow your ex to be in attendance is if your children request your ex-spouse to be present, then you should talk about it with your groom. If he agrees, then invite your ex to be in attendance.

Pro Tip: If your groom disagrees with your ex being in attendance at the ceremony and reception you can invite your guests for a dinner at your home after your wedding or honeymoon. This private dinner is more quiet and will save you the trouble of explaining to your father and mother and other close guests why your ex-husband is in your wedding.

Gift Giving and Registry. It is a big wedding etiquette no-no to ask for cash gifts from your guests. Although it is a reality that newlyweds need cash as startup money, you don't want to ask for cash. Let your guest decide what to give. If he or she have decided to give you cash, be grateful. Do not ever ask your guests to fund a mortgage or fund a charity that you will establish as a wedding gift. Registry cards are acceptable. Wedding etiquette specialists recommend that you put up an online registry card and inform your guests through invitation that you have an online registry.

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Photography: Diamond Photo & Video Design & Decor: Unique Rose Events & Designs

The Responsibilities of the Maid of Honor

Wedding Planner: Soirees By Lee Photographer: Tara Harp Photography, Florist: Unique Rose Events & Designs

Weddings are full of symbolic rituals and a number of key players are assigned particular assignments or titles for the wedding.

The principal players in every wedding are the bride and the groom. The bride and groom are the ones who assign everyone to their symbolic titles.

The groom’s best friend is named the best man. The best man’s counter part is the bride’s most reliable friend, the maid of honor.

Why should you have a maid of honor? In old wedding traditions, brides were expected to be virgins. Maid of honors were people who helped the bride keep her virginity, which in those days was given as a gift to the husband.

Wedding Planner: Soirees By Lee Photographer: Tara Harp Photography, Florist: Unique Rose Events & Designs

Responsibilities given to the Maid of Honor

Being the maid of honor can be a fashionable experience. However, there are some responsibilities or expectations for her leading up to the wedding and on the wedding day. The following list is 17 of the most common duties the maid of honor should be held accountable for during planning and day of the wedding.

1. The maid of honor should help the bride address and distribute all wedding invitations to guests. Sometimes, the maid of honor is also required to attend wedding announcements.

2. According to traditional wedding etiquette, maid of honors must try to attend to all the prenuptial parties.

3. If possible, it would be nice if the maid of honor organizes the couple’s shower for the soon-to-be bride and groom.

4. The maid of honor will assist the bride when going to buy her wedding dress.

5. To keep the bride-to-be stress level to a minimum, the maid of honor is expected to be on time during fitting appointments, rehearsals, and any other dates assigned by the bride.

6. The maid of honor will deal with the florists, purchase the rice, or any other supplies that will shower the bride and the groom as they leave the wedding venue. The maid of honor also makes sure that the flower girl is present and knows what she will do with the flowers.

7. On the wedding day, it is strictly written in all wedding etiquette guides that maid of honor arrive at the wedding venue, on time or earlier so she can assist the bride and bridesmaids while they are getting dressed. The maid of honor should be at least 2 hours ahead of everyone.

8. The maid of honor should brief the best man on his responsibilities.

9. The maid of honor, as wedding etiquettes have it, should take care of the bride’s train during the wedding and when she goes to the receiving line.

10. The maid of honor should hold the wedding bouquet when the bride and groom exchange rings. Do not, however, forget to hand back the bouquet after that part.

11. During double ring ceremonies, the maid of honor should carry the groom’s ring and hand it to the officiating minister.

12. Maid of honor follows traditions and wedding etiquettes to coordinate with the official wedding photographer and assist him in identifying the wedding party.

13. The maid of honor should be the witness in the signing of the marriage certificate.

14. The maid of honor is expected to stand with the couple in the receiving line. She should traditionally stand to the groom’s left side, and the bridesmaids should stand to her left.

15. Cooperate and coordinate with the best man.

16. She should help the bride and the groom with departure from the wedding ceremony and final departure from the reception.

17. The maid of honor should make sure and help out with the bride’s demands or designs suggested for her dress that is executed by the tailor.

Wedding Planner: Soirees By Lee; Wedding Photography: Tara Harp Photography; Decor & Design: Unique Rose Events & Designs

The maid of honor should remember that she has a great responsibility in making sure that the wedding is wonderful for the bride. The best maid of honor who will put aside all of her needs to ensure that this is a memorable day for the bride.

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5 Tips For Choosing Bridal Accessories When Planning a Theme Wedding

Photography: Tara Harp Photography

Theme: Art Deco

Bridal accessories are a must! From diamond filled tiaras to monogram dance floors, accessories matter! Here are 5 tips to consider when choosing bridal accessories when planning a themed wedding.

Tip 1: Know your theme. If you plan a theme wedding, you want to plan everything down to the honeymoon. Planning a theme wedding requires a little browsing before you define the theme. If you pick a theme that is hard to shop for, you will have a hard time finding bridal accessories. You want to find something that is easy to shop for and something that is easy to put together. You do not want to pick something that will consume all your time. Planning your wedding takes time enough without adding a theme that requires any more time.

Photography: Tara Harp Photography

Tip #2: Ensure your dress, shoes, headpiece and flowers match the theme. If you are planning a theme wedding, you do not want to buy a dress and shoes that will not fit the theme of the wedding. If you plan a themed wedding, you need to also look at dresses, shoes and headpieces to fit the theme. After all, this is the entire idea about a theme wedding. Your flowers should also relate to the theme of your wedding. If you are having a tropical wedding, you are not going to use calla lilies. Match the flowers to the theme.

Photography: Tara Harp Photography

Theme: Art Deco

Tip #3: Ensure your ceremony matches the theme. Many brides have themed weddings to move away from traditional ceremonies and to have a different type of service. If you have a beach theme, you are not going to want the ceremony to have a traditional service. Your guests will appreciate your creativity more if you keep the ceremony in tune with the theme. You can have traditional vows or some couples make their own vows, which add to the beauty of the theme wedding.

Photography: Tara Harp Photography

Theme: Art Deco

Tip #4: Ensure your reception continues the theme. Since your wedding is represented by a theme, you want to keep the reception as close to the theme as possible. You may have a Great Gatsby theme or a fairy tale theme, either way, you want to have table decor, decorations and wedding favors that match your theme wedding. There are twists to every theme wedding, but if you plan everything down to the honeymoon, you can be assured you will have the best themed wedding ever. This is the main reason for having a themed wedding.

Cake: Cakes By Lameeka

Tip #5: Continue your theme to the honeymoon with your bridal accessories. Although you will be spending it somewhere other than the reception hall, you might still want to carry out the theme. Whether you have a hotel room or your own home, you can add some decorations to the room to carry the theme into the next day. Many brides plan such themes for the honeymoon right down to the type of lingerie they will wear. Keeping these five tips in mind should help you plan a great themed wedding and assure you that you will find all the bridal accessories you need to have the perfect wedding.

Do you need help planning your themed wedding? We want to help you! Click the contact us button at the top of the page to schedule your consultation.

Great Grace XOXO

Photography: Tara Harp Photography ,Planning, Design, Decor, Uplights & Florals: Unique Rose Events & Designs , Cake: Cakes By Lameeka, Day of Coordinator: Soirees By Lee, Dancing on a Cloud Fog & Cake Spotlight: Uplight Your Event , DJ: DJ E-Rock , Venue: Cha’le Gardens

Choosing a Professional Wedding Planner

Planning your own wedding can be fun, but sometimes it can be just too overwhelming. This is when you should take advantage of a professional planner.

There are many places that you can find professional wedding planners or event planners. You can search the Internet or social media to find a wedding planner. We recommend researching reviews on each wedding planner that you choose. Shop around so that you can get the best estimate. Create a list of planners you like would like to do a face to face interview with. A face-to-face interview is extremely important because you and your wedding planner will become very close. You must have synergy.

Be sure to ensure that the wedding planner you want to hire has good recommendations. Experience and testimonials are very important when you hire any service, but your wedding planner is the most important service that you will be hiring, so you want to be very sure that you are hiring the best.

Apart from recommendations, try to check to see if the wedding planner has experience and get as much information about them as you can before you hire them. If you can find others who they have worked for, try to contact them and find out what sort of job the wedding planner has done for them.

A wedding planner can be quite expensive but is well worth the money. This is especially true when you have a large wedding to prepare for. Sometimes you have to hire someone to help you, or you will get overwhelmed. Remember, you cannot be a bride and planner on your wedding day. Do your research and hire the best wedding planner that you can afford. At the same time be careful to read the contract carefully before signing so that there are no misunderstandings. When you exercise caution and check out everything, you will be able to find a great planner who will make your wedding a special day for you.