Wedding Invitations

So in the past we’ve discussed the wedding etiquette of breaking off an engagement or canceling a wedding from the bride and grooms standpoint. Today however we are discussing the wedding etiquette of how to respond to a cancelled wedding as a guest. 

Hopefully you’ve received the news of the cancelled wedding with enough time to cancel any reservations you may have.  Hopefully you were notified period. I always hear of horror stories where people weren’t notified at all.

How you respond to the cancellation notification will depend on how you received it.  For example, if it’s the bride herself notifying you via phone, chances are she doesn’t really want to go into the “why” details with every single person she calls. She’s already going to be emotional so it’s best to simply be a listening ear and avoid asking questions that will wind her up. If she wants to talk about that’s fine, just be careful not to add to the negativity of the situation (ie. gossip, bad mouth, or complain). Also just as important, be sure to thank her for letting you know.

If you received the message via a letter in the mail, be sure to respond so they know you got the message, otherwise they’ll be fretting over it. Last thing they want is unhappy quests who showed up. In this case simply write a card back, thanking them and sending your best wishes. Same rules apply as the phone call, don’t say anything negative.