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How to maintain your manners: Proper wedding etiquette (Part 3)

Read Part 1 and Part 2 first

 * Wedding Day Wardrobe: Dress as the style of the invitation suggests.  Casual or formal?  Well, if it’s an invite with flip-flops and seashells, it’s most likely a casual affair and it’s most likely not expected of you to wear a long silk dress.  On the flipside, if the invite is scripted and gives off a formal vibe, it’s probably not a smart idea to sport your casual cotton sundress.  Ask around to be sure of the dress code, perhaps a member of the bride’s family.  The bride herself is the last resort for this kind of questioning.  She has her own dress to worry about.

Never wear white Only a bride wears white on this special day.  So don’t compete with her or anybody else.  If you’re the type who is dying to show off your better-than-ever bod, save it.  A wedding is just not the time.  If you tend to have a more revealing or risqué personal style, tone it down a bit…especially for ceremonies held inside a conservative church.

 

 * Freeze your Frame.  Put a hold on the uploading of photos, especially to social media sites.  Brides can be very sensitive about their image and may wish to first look through photos first before anything is publicly shared online.

Taking pictures at the wedding reception is fine and encouraged…the more the merrier…but do less of the snapping during the ceremony.  The photographer is hard at work during this crucial hour, and you don’t want to get in their way and risk them taking faulty pictures when trying to capture these sentimental moments.

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So what makes the best manners?  MINDFULNESS.  The best manners come from the mindful person who is very aware of themselves and their surroundings, other people and the environment.

 

Etiquette stems from common courtesy, sense, and social graces, such as: When entering or leaving the room, going into or out of bathrooms, etc., hold the door open for the next person.  Be conscious of staying silent during speeches and announcements and be aware of the alcohol you are consuming and always practice sophisticated self-control.

The most important rule of etiquette in attending a wedding event is to enjoy the day in a classy manner and bringing your most lofty, positive energy.  The bride and groom planned this special day in celebration of a jovial affair and took their guests’ comfort and entertainment into heavy consideration.  Be respectful, be polite and be on your way to being a stellar guest…one who contributes to the memories being made, and to the pages in the storybook that makes the bride’s dreams complete.

And don’t forget to bring the most important thing along with you, wrapped up in your own aura and expanded into those of others around you

L O V E.