Do’s & Don’ts
We’ve covered this before, but with a new wedding season in full swing and the second half of the the “busy” season just about underway, it’s so important to cover it again. The Dos and Don’ts of attending a wedding are easy to overlook because sometimes they seem quite obvious.
In the last 3 months of weddings, I’ve had a quick refresher on things that are highly inappropriate for guests to do before, during and after a ceremony & reception. Check out my complete list below.
Don’t Show Up Late. If the invite says ceremony begins at 3 p.m., don’t show up at 3 o’clock on the dot. From the coordinator’s perspective, I’m sending grandparents down the isle to be seated at 2:55 so the bridal party is starting their entrance at 3.
Do be timely. You don’t need to be 45 minutes early. That’s a little ridiculous, too. At that time, family and the bridal party are finishing up photos, eating their snacks and lunch, and taking the 20 minute break that they get in the hustle of the day. Aim for 15-20 minutes early. If you’re running late, be polite and wait in the back of the ceremony until the bridal party AND BRIDE is in and the ceremony is underway.
Don’t keep your phone on loud. Actually, don’t have your phone out at all. I don’t care if you’re the mother of the bride, groom or the best man. Do you know how much a photographer costs? It’s one of the biggest expenses of the day. Do you know why? Because they are the ones that are capturing EVERY. SINGLE. MOMENT. Of the day. They’ve got it under control.. I promise you. I’ve yet to come across a photographer that didn’t stop everything in their tracks to be sure to get their best photos.
Do let them do their job. Get out of the way. Stay seated at the ceremony and reception. Don’t be the person with your phone in the photo.
Don’t create distractions. This is pretty obvious, but it needs to be said. I get it, I have a one year old, wild only child. She’s not afraid of people or anything. She wants to be the center of attention. This doesn’t mean you let your child - whether they’re one or 21 - be the center of attention.
Do sit back and enjoy. The day is planned to every minute - trust me, I have a 5 page document to show it. Just enjoy the day and don’t make the day about you.
Don’t allow children or anyone on the dance floor during special dances. Does this make it sound like I hate children? Far from it. I LOVE kiddos. They’re the life of the party, but a photographer and videographer can only do so much to edit those special moments.
Do your best to contain everyone just for those 5 minutes of special moments.
Don’t eat off the bride and grooms cake. You think I’m talking about children? Nope. I’ve seen NO kiddos do this, only full grown adults. It’s clearly a special cake for the lovely new couple. Don’t ruin it for them.
Do eat the dessert they provided for you and the other guests.
Don’t go rogue.
Do follow the signs. Sometimes wedding days, venues and timelines can get a little chaotic. When that’s the case, there’s almost always signs and if not, find someone with a binder (aka me) to help you find where you need to go or what you should be doing.
Oofta. Rant over. I really do want the most of the bride and groom, which makes this dos and don’ts come off as a little controlling. But that’s my job. Unfortunately, that makes me look a little rude, but if you put yourself in the bride & groom’s shoes - you’d want the best of the day too. It’s an EXPENSIVE, but oh so memorable day. It’s your job as a guest to help them make sure that happens.