How To Be: A Perfect Wedding Guest

By Author: Schamburek
Total Articles: 13
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If you will be a guest at a wedding at some point in the near future, you might like to take a look at a few ways in which you can be the best behaved guest involved in the celebrations by reading about a few important rules of wedding guest etiquette.

First things first: reply to your invitation in good time. No one appreciates a late RSVP, especially with so many things to plan and organise in the months running up to the big day itself.

On the day itself, as with all important engagements in life, it is vital that you arrive on time. Whilst it may be acceptable and even traditional, for the bride to arrive fifteen minutes behind schedule, that is because she is the one at the centre of the day''s celebrations; not you. If, under the most extreme circumstances, a late arrival is simply inevitable, try not to walk in on any crucial ''If anyone know of any reason why?'' moments!

Let your dress reflect the tone of the occasion. If there was ever an excuse to be flamboyant in your outfit choice, a wedding is certainly the right one. Flowers, bow ties, colourful shirts, skirts, lipstick and corsages all help ...
... to add to the sense of festivity that every wedding should ooze.

Thankfully, the horrific task of purchasing wedding gifts has been made easy by the regular provision of gift lists compiled by wedding companies and department stores. However, if you want to go beyond the usual guest etiquette, you could make a small but personal gesture as well as buying off the list, in order to express your heartfelt happiness for the bride and groom.

You may be dreading the table arrangements for the wedding reception, fearing being placed with a group of total strangers or a host of girlfriends past (Four Weddings and a Funeral style). However, approach the event with optimism and attempt to remain the life and soul of the party throughout. Adopt your best table manners, offer everyone everything first and be sure to keep everyone''s glasses brim full and no doubt conversation will soon start to slow.

As a guest, you have a totally different perspective on a wedding compared with those around whom the ceremony is based. As such, it is a nice touch to take lots of photos and send any keepers along to the newlyweds when you get them developed. If there are any special moments they may have missed, being caught up with photos and celebrations of their own, they might like to see how the rest of the day panned out.

Last but not least, a thank you note is always greatly appreciated, so don''t forget yours once the day itself is over. Schamburek is the author of this article, they like writing about wedding gifts. To find out more visit the Not on The High Street website.