Understanding Proper Wedding Etiquette

Planning your wedding can be stressful for both you and your fianc . More often than not, planning a wedding can end up in family arguments and disagreements. One of the best ways that you can avoid this headache while planning your wedding is to follow the proper wedding etiquette. Your mother may have a very different idea about planning a wedding than your future mother-in-law. On the other hand, perhaps you may want to have a nontraditional wedding, when your fianc wants something formal and traditional. Wedding etiquette can help you make sure that nobody gets left out were offended when planning your wedding.

Who Pays for What

One of the first things that you may consider when planning your wedding is who is supposed to pay for what. If you look at traditional wedding etiquette, it states that the bride s parents should be responsible for almost every aspect of the wedding, while the groom s parents should pay for the rehearsal dinner. Times however, have changed and this traditional wedding etiquette is not always the case for every couple. The proper way to plan your wedding is to sit down with both your parents and your fianc 's parents and decide on how the wedding will be paid for. Many couples choose to pay for their wedding on their own. This is especially common for older couples getting married for the first or second time.

Invitations

Your invitations to your wedding can also prove to be a headache. Proper wedding etiquette states that the bride's parents name should be listed on the wedding invitation. However, how about the grooms parents, or even stepparents? Luckily, the days of extremely traditional weddings are over, and you can get away with wording your invitations however you choose. Many brides and grooms choose to list all parents on their wedding invitation or if they are paying for the wedding themselves, they will not add their parents names at all.

Thank You Cards

Of course, another important part of proper wedding etiquette will be your thank you cards after your honeymoon is over. You should always take the time to hand write. Thank you cards to anyone who gave you a gift, no matter how small or how large. It is inconsiderate to not take the time to send a thank you card. Proper wedding etiquette states that you have one month to send a thank you cards after your wedding.

When you understand proper wedding etiquette, you can make sure that you are planning your wedding properly and that nobody feels left out or hurt.