Should the groom dance with others?
Yes, with his mother, mother-in-law and the maids of honor.
(Source: galapartiesinc.com)
Are gifts brought to the reception?
No. However, many quests will still bring one so have a gift table area available at the reception.
(Source: galapartiesinc.com)
When should invitations and announcements be ordered?
Approximately two - four months prior to the wedding.
If this is a second marriage for the bride and first marriage for the groom, is it proper to give the bride-to-be a bridal shower?
Yes, it is proper to throw a shower for a bride even if it is a second marriage. The shower gifts are for both the bride and groom. Without a shower, the new groom would be missing out.
(Source: galapartiesinc.com)
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Best Man Pays For What?
The Best Man Expenses would consist of his wedding attire, his own transportation, a gift to the couple and he cannot forget the bachelor party!
(Source: galapartiesinc.com)
Bridesmaid pays for what?
There has been constant questioning about what does the bridesmaid pay for? Many brides ask me who should buy the bridesmaids dress. In a traditional American wedding the bridesmaid is responsible for her own wedding apparel. The bride would buy her a gift which usually is a piece of jewelry or a purse that goes with the dress. The bridesmaid is responsible for her own transportation, she should plan the bridal shower and also give the bride and groom a wedding gift.
(Source: galapartiesinc.com)
Bride pays for what?
The Bride and Family
Traditional financial responsibilities of the Bride and her family:
- Wedding Consultant
- Announcements/Invitations
- Brides wedding dress
- Flowers for ceremony/reception
- Wedding photographs
- Wedding Video Tape
- Ceremony/reception music
- Limousine
- Reception Fees
- Attendant presents from Bride
- Grooms ring
- Bridesmaid luncheon
(Source: galapartiesinc.com)
Wedding Etiquette for the Best Man, Groomsmen, and Ushers
Article from getting married news!
Undoubtedly, the groom will want to choose a few good men-often his brothers, college buddies, and best friends-to carry out all of the responsibilities traditionally assigned to the guys. Once your fiancé has picked his team, he’ll have to give them a few pointers on just what their roles and responsibilities are, so here’s the lowdown.
A Friend in Deed
Let’s start with the best man (the head groomsman) since his role is so crucial. The best man is an all-purpose kind of guy-friend, organizer, coach, confidant-with a lot of responsibilities.
In general, he must make sure that the wedding goes off without a hitch.
After the ceremony, he makes sure the wedding party lines up properly for the “wedding parade” through town, if one is planned. At the reception, he serves as the master of ceremonies, proposes the first toast, and remains on hand to ensure that all subsequent speeches are both short and sweet. His final duty is to return all the rented tuxes.
INCIDENTAL-In case it should happen that several notable people would like to offer a toast, here is the order of the speakers: best man, groom’s dad, bride’s dad, groom, bride, maid of honor, groom’s mom, bride’s mom, other friends and relatives.
And a Few Good Men
Of course, the other groomsmen or ushers are also important members of the wedding party. The are, in effect, the couples hospitality committee. Although groomsmen often do double-duty-serving as ushers before and after the ceremony-in may cases, at large weddings, for example, there are two sets of men: groomsmen and ushers. (The general rule is one usher for every 50 guests.) In these instances, it is the ushers who seat the guests, and it is they who make the first impression on guests as they arrive.
Ushers greet the guests and escort them on the proper side of the church. As tradition would have it, when a female guest arrives (whether she is alone or not), one of the ushers should step forward, extend his right arm, and escort her to her seat, followed by her spouse or date. (I am in favor of the more modern sentiment which suggests that this approach is incompatible with the whole concept of marriage and that the husband should not be relegated to trailing behind this temporary pair.)
Before walking toward the pews, the usher should ask which side of the church she would like to be seated on, the bride’s or groom’s. Generally, the right side of the church is reserved for the guests of the groom. Her relatives and friends are usually escorted to the right.
In a Jewish ceremony, this seating arrangement is reversed. And if one side appears to be filling up and the other side has noticeably few occupants, then this rule should be abandoned for the sake of appearances.
Incidentally, in keeping with the spirit of the occasion, ushers should not escort guests to their seats in total silence, as if this were a solemn affair.
This is a time for a few casual and friendly, yet dignified and quiet remarks.
Pews are filled from front to back, leaving the first several reserved for family members and close friends of the bride and groom. Just minutes before the ceremony is scheduled to begin, two of the ushers should escort the groom’s mother and then the bride’s mother to their seats. After the ceremony, they escort these ladies down the aisle.
It is the groomsmen who should be available to assist the bride’s mother with any last minute details. Just before the bride makes her entrance, they should unroll the aisle runner. Another important duty of these men of chivalry is to arrange for transportation of the bridesmaids to the wedding site.
After the ceremony, as everyone heads off to the reception, it is their responsibility to ensure that no one is left behind. And, because they are largely responsible for making sure that a good time is had by all, they are expected to introduce guests to each other.
Modern day armor
What the groomsmen wear is largely determined by the formality or informality of the ceremony, and to a lesser extent by considerations such as location and time of day.
These days, most grooms, groomsmen and ushers rent their formalwear. The groom and his men should order their tuxes at least three months before the wedding. If possible, they should select a local shop, just in case last minute alterations are needed.
The groom and his men usually wear the same attire. To set himself apart, the groom may select a different colored tie, vest, pocket square, or boutonniere.
Sometimes the groom will present a memorable gift, such as cufflinks, studs or, if he can afford to splurge, monogrammed shirts, to be worn by these men of honor at the wedding. Given all that they are expected to do, the groom should indeed go out of his way to show his appreciation, even in advance, for a job well done.
(Source: galapartiesinc.com)
Wedding Addressing Etiquette – Some Simple Tips
Article from getting married news!
If you are looking to carry out your wedding planning and arrangement correctly it is important to understand that there are rules of wedding addressing etiquette that apply to the way your invitations should be presented. Given that this is a vital part of any wedding plans we thought it might be helpful to provide you with some tips. The etiquette surrounding the addressing of invitations is comprehensive, so we have chosen to talk about the most likely problems that will come about in an average invitation.
Inner and Outer Envelope
You may have chosen not to use an inner envelope and that is very much modern practice, but here we assume that you have adhered to the tradition of inner and outer envelopes. There are distinct differences in wedding addressing etiquette for each. For a married couple the outer envelope should be addressed thus:
Mr and Mrs John Smith.
The inner should simply read:
Mr and Mrs Smith.
This is standard practice and should come naturally.
When one of the couple has an occupational title they will take precedence, regardless of sex. For instance the outer should be addressed:
Dr Julie Morris and Mr John Smith.
The inner will simply omit the Christian names.
Unmarried Friends ‘plus Guest’
This is one of those wedding conundrums that always baffles – how to address an invitation to a single friend who is entitled to bring a guest? The answer is quite simple – you address the outer envelope to the named friend, and the inner with the addition ‘and Guest’.
More complex is the method of addressing same sex couples, an occurrence more common these days. The correct manner for male same sex couples is:
The Messrs. John and David Smith
For female same sex couples it would be:
The Mesdames Julie and Rachel Morris.
Families
The trick to getting the wedding addressing etiquette for a family correct is in remembering who you are inviting! The outer should be addressed as already outlined to the parents; the inner should include – additionally – the names of the children.
If children are not invited then a tricky situation arises. It is customary to leave the names of children off any invitation where they are not invited, and the implication should be apparent to all.
Some extra tips
Do not feel that you need to engage an expensive calligrapher to produce your invitations; the modern computer and printer can easily be used to produce attractive and interesting wedding invitations and it is a perfectly acceptable method.
Finally, keep it simple. The rules of wedding addressing etiquette may be set in stone, but there is no reason why you should not simply use common sense.
(Source: galapartiesinc.com)
