How To Be A Great Wedding Guest

Some Do's & Don'ts of attending a wedding:

Do NOT under any circumstances wear white!  Even if the bride has opted to not wear white, white is still considered "bridal", it would be in very poor taste to wear white to a wedding.

Do NOT dress inappropriately for the event.  This day is about the bride and groom, not you.  Save your club attire for the club.  Think about how you would feel if a guest at your wedding was trying to upstage you?  You wouldn't be too pleased.

DO wear comfy shoes!  There's potential that you could have to stand for a long period of time, plus, all that dancing!  Or, if you must wear those great stilettos, bring an extra pair of shoes with you, your feet will thank you later!  Bonus if it's a summer wedding and you can just stuff a pair of flip flops into your pocketbook!  :)

Do NOT give a super long embarrassing speech if you have been chosen to speak during the reception.  This is a wedding, not a roast, be respectful.  It's fine to be funny or reminisce about the past, but there's a fine line, try your best not to cross it.

Do NOT make a scene.  No matter what is going on, it's so important to remember that this is a day for the Bride and the Groom.  It doesn't matter if you are sat near someone you don't like, or if the sun is in your eyes, or you're too hot/cold/hungry/thirsty, etc.  Those needs will be taken care of, they are probably all things that have been taken into consideration before the big day...so please don't burden the bride or groom with your minor issue.  Let them enjoy their day!

Do bring tissues, you might cry!  Happy tears of course :).

Do NOT add more guests to the reply card than the ones who were invited.  It a bride has decided not to give you a plus 1 or not invite your child(ren), it's not because they don't like them or don't want them there...it has more to do with the money factor.  Please don't take it personal.  Weddings are so expensive, and if every single guest got a plus 1, that's a lot of extra cash to spend!  Same goes for kids, if one child is invited, they pretty much all have to be.  Respect the wishes of the bride and groom and do not add on names of those who were not invited.  The bride and groom didn't "accidentally forget" them, they probably feel really bad about it, and are just trying to have a great wedding without going into major debt.

Do bring a gift.  It's poor etiquette to show up to a wedding empty handed.  Actually, etiquette says you have up to a year to give a wedding gift, so you don't even have to give a gift the day of the wedding, but you certainly should give a gift soon after.  Brides and grooms keep track of gifts in order to properly thank guests...so they WILL notice if you stiff them.  If you can't afford a gift, you have a couple of acceptable options.  Tell the bride or groom your situation, 99% of the time they will tell you that they would much rather have you in attendance than receive a gift.  Saying nothing and giving nothing is rude...explaining your situation is perfectly acceptable.  Or, you can politely decline if you can't afford a gift and don't want to say so.