Some parents assume that offering to pay for the wedding means they get to make the final decisions. When money issues arise it can be better to keep the peace and accommodate some of their requests as long as they don’t interfere with the overall vision for your wedding. To be on the safe side, establish a budget up front so all parties know what they will be paying for.

Guest list woes

Etiquette dictates that you are open and honest with your guests about decisions such as not inviting children or only inviting family members.

It’s your guest list, but you need to be clear about the decisions you make. If you’re not inviting children, good etiquette would be to contact any guests who have young children to explain, and give them plenty of notice to organise childcare. You also need to be consistent. If you say ‘no children’ don’t make any exceptions. If you’re inviting your nieces or nephews let people know that only children of family members will be invited.

Wedding gift etiquette

We all love to receive gifts, but when it comes to wedding gifts there is certain etiquette a bride should follow to avoid insulting any of her guests.

It’s poor etiquette to assume your guests will give you a gift, so you should never mention gifts or your gift registry on your wedding invitation. If you have a wedding registry these details should be on a separate piece of card and can be included in the envelope with your invitation.

It is inappropriate to ask for cash instead of a present and recommend using a gift registry that offers ‘alternative’ choices for you guests such as a honeymoon registry or gift vouchers instead.

On Wedding dress tradition

Wedding Etiquette of our age is not very strict anymore. Today, brides can wear non-conventional color for a wedding gown. Aside from ultra white, creme, and beige, it is not against Wedding Etiquette to wear pastel colored wedding gown, especially if the wedding is a Destination Wedding. For a beach wedding, brides can now wear turquoise or aquamarine colored wedding dress to match the color of the dress with the aqua-blue freshness of the sea waters.

On Wedding Shoes

Wedding Etiquette allows brides to wear open toed and ankle strap wedding shoes. According to the modern wedding manners, white is not anymore the basic color for wedding shoes. You can go with beige, creme, ivory or even red to match an ultra white wedding gown.

Bride's shoes should be comfortable and stylish. Rhinestones are good and does not defy Wedding Etiquette. But for the sake of taste, brides should go for less ornamented shoes.

On Announcing the Engagement

Wedding Etiquettes says that first time brides may announce their engagement in newspapers or if they have the fortune to host an engagement ball, then they can announce the engagement in the said party. If you do not have the money to throw an engagement party, you can announce your engagement to close family and friends during a dinner.

For second wedding, brides with second marriage should talk to their children first before making the public announcement. Then the next person that they should talk to is their parents before the ex-spouse. And if a bride, who does not have any child from her ex-spouse, fails to tell her ex about her engagement does not violate a Wedding Etiquette. The bride has no obligation to her ex-spouse unless they have a children of which they have joint custody.