Planning a wedding is a fun and exhilarating project because you are able to put your own personal style into creating a memorable and joyful occasion. Before you start thinking about wedding themes, though, the first thing to do after getting a ring on your finger is to start practicing proper wedding etiquette that begins now until after the wedding.
Some etiquette rules become outdated while others reflect modern times. To avoid making any wedding faux-pas, the wedding florals experts here at Rose Hill Flowers are providing you with the most up-to-date wedding etiquette rules for you to follow.
7 Wedding Etiquette Rules for 2021 & Beyond
1. Slow the Post
Becoming engaged is one of the biggest and exciting moments of your life, and you no doubt want to share the news via social media as soon as possible, with amazing pictures, of course. Before posting anything, though, share your engagement news with close friends and family first. People who are in your inner circle deserve to hear personal news directly from you, not from your social media feed. Think ahead to your wedding day and those are likely to be an important part of it. These are the ones you should deliver the news to first before pressing any “share” buttons.
2. Small Is Good
Smaller weddings have risen in popularity, so limiting your guest list shouldn’t leave you feeling guilty about not inviting everyone. Friends and family who you are not that close to or haven’t seen in a couple of years are perfectly ok to leave off the list. It’s more common now for couples to invite only a handful of people and focus instead on the venue, upscale food and drinks, and gorgeous wedding flowers. For those who would still like to partake from afar, provide live streaming of your wedding which is also becoming more common.
3. Follow Invitation Rules
Anyone invited to your engagement party, bridal shower, bachelor or bachelorette party should also be invited to your wedding. If you are having a small wedding with a limited number of guests, then you may need to keep your pre-wedding activities to a minimum number of people as well. You can always host a large post-wedding party if your heart is set on celebrating with a wider group of friends.
4. Have a Gift Registry
A gift registry allows you and your guests to follow proper etiquette rules when it comes to gifting. The registry keeps things simple by offering a selection of items, in a variety of price ranges, for guests to choose from. This is preferable to sending money via an app (like Venmo, Zelle, or PayPal), which is an etiquette no-no. If there is no gift registry, it’s perfectly acceptable to send a check enclosed in a card, but not gift cards. In lieu of a gift registry, it’s perfecting fine to provide links to sites where guests can donate money to a charity or a honeymoon fund.
5. Communicate Expectations
Keep your wedding fun and stress-free by managing guests’ expectations about masks, test results, or vaccinations requirements. Also, if there will be limited cell service or any other unusual situation that might cause alarm, make sure they are clearly communicated in a timely manner so guests can plan accordingly.
6. Use Both Email & Snail Mail
It’s still customary to use snail mail to send printed Save the Date cards and wedding invitations. For any wedding updates or small changes, it’s fine notifying your guests with a phone call or email.
7. Handwritten Thank Yous
This is one tradition that is not going anywhere soon, which is sending Thank You cards with a hand-written message within. Put cards into the mail as soon as possible after the wedding and definitely before six weeks have passed.
Following the above etiquette rules will help ensure you have a smooth wedding planning experience so you can focus on having fun on your big day.