This week, I’d thought I’d touch on some wedding planning
etiquette. Today you will find some common questions with tricky answers. I am a stickler for etiquette in
general, so it’s no surprise that I often find myself floored by what some people
deem appropriate for a wedding. That being said, in the end it’s your
wedding: your day, your way.
Question #1
How do you let guests know where you’ve registered?
There are a few gentle ways to advise your guests of where
you and your fiancé are registered. One solution is to put your wedding website
on the save-the-dates, and include a page or section of your wedding website to
reference your registries. Please,
please, please, do not include your registry info on the save-the date or formal invitation. This is considered poor taste. Let whoever is throwing your bridal shower(s) know where you
are registered, so they can include your registry information on the shower
invitations. Word of mouth works great! Let your parents/siblings and bridal party know where you’ve
registered, and the word will get out, guaranteed.
Question #2
Speaking of our wedding registry, is it okay to “register” for cash?
Absolutely not.
It’s tacky. (cultural traditions
and money dances excluded)
You will find that many guests
will give money, anyway, simply because it’s easy. However, if you’re crossing your fingers for some cold hard
cash to immediately put towards your honeymoon, take a look at the following
websites. Depending, on where you
plan to honeymoon, these websites allow you to register for specific honeymoon
related items or activities that your guest can pay for online.
Honeymoon Wishes http://www.honeymoonwishes.com/
Question #3
Do we have to
include a Plus One for guests that do not have a significant other?
This is always a tough. Just for example purposes, let’s refer
to the subject guest in question as your college roommate. I’m a believer that every “single” adult
guest should have the option of bringing a plus one, because having a “buddy”
or “date” to sit with at the ceremony, chat with at dinner, and dance with all
night makes for a lovely time. On
the other hand, there are many reasons why you may not want to include a plus
one option on your old roommate’s invitation: tight budget, small venue, they
haven’t been dating very long . . . . .
A good rule of thumb is that if attending your wedding
requires one or more of the following, then your college roommate should be
able to bring a plus one: a plane
ticket, train ride, rental car, over 1 hour drive, overnight stay in a hotel. Also,
if your “guest” is a part of your wedding party, it’s a given that he/she
should be allowed an escort to accompany them to your wedding.
Often "single” guests may not even want to bring a date
because they want to catch up with family and party with old friends without
having to worry whether or not their date is having a good time, but you should
at least give them the option.
Ultimately, if you aren’t comfortable allowing someone to bring a plus
one to your wedding, then perhaps you should rethink including him or her as
part of your guest list.
I could go on on, but I’ll stop here (for now!). Check back next Wednesday for answers
and solutions to even more precarious questions.
