Wedding Reception Etiquette for Guests
As a wedding reception guest, your focus should be to shower the bride and groom with warmth and well wishes and have a great time. However, in order to make the event more enjoyable for you, the wedding party, bride, groom and other guests, it's important to keep social etiquette in mind.
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RSVP
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Wedding guests should respond to invitations as soon as possible, so the bride and groom can ensure that there is adequate seating and food at the reception location. It is best to confirm or respectfully decline attendance the week that the invitation is sent, although proper etiquette suggests that respondind by the RSVP deadline (printed on the invitation) is acceptable.
Bringing Guests and Children
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As a wedding reception guest, it is not proper etiquette to bring additional guests, unless the bride and groom have indicated their approval of this in the invitation. If a place card is supplied for guests to fill out their names and the names of their guest(s), the card should be completed and returned to the bride and groom before the RSVP date. If calling or e-mailing an RSVP, it's essential to indicate the number of guests that will attend with each invited guests. If the wedding ceremony and reception is not intended for children, it is in bad taste to bring little ones to the event. Asking about whether children are allowed is best before sending an attendance confirmation.
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Dietary Restrictions
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Guests who have dietary restrictions such as food allergies and intolerances should inform the bride and groom of this before the wedding reception. Some couples include meal preference cards in their wedding invitations so that guests can select their entrees when confirming their attendance. It is not in good taste to inform family members of the couple or reception servers of food restrictions at the reception.
Gifts
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If a guest has not attended the wedding shower and presented the bride with a gift, etiquette suggests that a gift should be brought to the wedding reception. Gifts should not be given to the bride and groom; a table or section of the reception site is usually reserved for gifts. Cash gifts are acceptable as well and should be given inside of a card and envelope. If there isn't a place to leave the gift, it is proper etiquette to ask the bride's parents where wedding presents should be left.
Saying Goodbye
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It is proper etiquette to thank the host or hostess of a social gathering for the invitation before leaving an event. In the case of a wedding reception, the hosts are technically the bride's parents in most cases, although the groom's mother and father can host the event as well. If possible, guests should thank the bride or groom's parents for a lovely reception and wish the newlywed couple well before leaving.
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References
- Photo Credit wedding reception image by Mat Hayward from Fotolia.com
