Wedding Etiquette

Cultural backgrounds and individual convictions heavily influence the decision-making in Wedding Etiquette. Nevertheless, the following is a general guide that should be construed as such... and adopted as you deem fit:

Who Pays For What?

Responsibilities of the Wedding Party

Maid of Honor:
(Usually special friend or sister of the bride.)
Helps bride with shopping, invitations and other details as requested.
Attends all pre-wedding events
Pays for own wedding attire
Witnesses, signs wedding certificate
Helps bride in arranging veil and dress at ceremony and reception

Bridesmaids:
Purchases and completes fittings of gowns
Performs tasks as assigned by bride
Attends rehearsal and rehearsal dinner

Best Man:
(Assists groom with all details of the wedding day.)
Pays for own attire
Transports groom to the church.
Supervises the grooms men, regarding their dress and duties at ceremony
Takes care of bride's and groom's rings until ceremony.
Presents the clergyperson with fee.
Signs and witnesses the marriage certificate
Offers the first toast to the bride and groom.
Dances with the bride after the groom and both fathers have danced with her
Prepares the honeymoon car, packs suitcases in car.
Holds for safe-keeping, any tickets, keys, etc. for the groom.

Groomsmen:
Pays for their own wedding attire
Attends rehearsal and rehearsal dinner
Attends bachelor party
Escorts bridesmaids during the ceremony

Ushers:
Pay for own wedding attire
Distribute wedding programs
Seat guests on appropriate side of church.
Assist elderly guests to seats.
After all guests are seated, unroll aisle carpet.
Check church or synagogue for any items left behind.

Rules of Etiquette for Mother’s Attire

1. Tradition holds that the mother of the bride chooses a dress first, followed by the mother of the groom. Their dresses should complement each other, as well as the bridal party. For instance, having one mother in a floor length dress and another in a mini-skirt is a major no-no. Likewise, your mother wearing an orange dress next to your bridesmaid’s light green ensembles are bound to make your wedding pictures look tacky. While your moms shouldn’t be wearing the same style and color, their dresses should coordinate.

2. Generally, at formal weddings, your mother and mother-in-law should be in floor or tea-length dresses. Semi-formal or informal weddings allow them to get more creative with the length, but they still need to make sure they are complementing one another.

3. Unless your bridesmaids will be wearing black, a mother of the bride or groom should avoid this color. Until recently, black at weddings was considered a social blunder and many guests will still look at the color choice with suspicion. Steer them away from choosing a color that will raise eyebrows as to whether or not they approve of the marriage.

4. Don’t forget to finish the look with a matching corsage or a small bouquet.