Wedding Invitations

Are you planning a wedding and found, very quickly, that it’s all so overwhelming? Many engaged couples today are opting for a simple getaway, or destination, wedding.

Some folks look at it as a way to combine wedding ceremony and honeymoon into one, while others feel that the intimate and relaxing atmosphere of a destination wedding is the ideal part. Countless island resorts and cruiselines are definitely making it easier for the couple wanting a destination wedding – many such places even have an in-house wedding coordinator to make everything all that much easier on the bride and groom.

One area of destination wedding planning that isn’t necessarily easier for the bride and groom is putting together the guest list. Space for guests is typically very limited but at the same time, it’s all too easy to run the risk of offending friends or family by not sending them an invitation, even if they weren’t going to be able to attend. Although destination wedding etiquette is a fairly new concept, your guests will surely appreciate any efforts, large or small, that you might make towards their comfort and enjoyment.

For the bride and groom who want an extremely intimate wedding (in other words: just the bride, the groom, the officiant, and the photographer to prove it happened), it’s an especially delicate wedding etiquette dance to explain to friends and family who expect to be able to attend.

As you can see, a destination wedding may not be as simple, relaxing, and ideal as you’d like to think it is! But it can definitely be a lovely way to start a life together.

Sometimes we receive gifts that we just don’t know what to think about. Sometimes we receive gifts that may come across as insulting. With this in mind, let me share some stories…

Story #1
A dear friend of mine often puts together a gag honeymoon basket as a creative wedding gift, for her friends and family. Some of the items are very useful, while others are meant as a joke and not really intended to be used. (Although, the couple can if they want to). The main gag gift was often handcuffs. Everyone thought it was hilarious until the last couple she gave it too. Apparently the bride had a traumatic experience in the past and the gift triggered an anxiety attack. That was a lesson to my friend and all of us, to be extremely careful when choosing a gag gift.

Story #2
In this next story, Becca and her husband had received a belated wedding box filled with little gifts from her parents (his in-laws). The little gifts each included clever little phrases that went with it. Unfortunately the comments on his gifts seemed to be written with bitterness and insulting. For example, the tape measurer said something along the lines of “measuring up” to his in-laws expectations. For most people, it would sound cleaver, but it was no secret that his in-laws disapproved of him. So this came across very critical.

So as gift givers, if you choose not to get something from the recipient’s gift registry, a big wedding etiquette must is to stop and think twice about how your gift may be interpreted.

It looks like Santa needed some extra help at the North Pole last Christmas. That or perhaps he’s opened a North Pole resort for honeymooners.

Last year at the beginning of December (in some very snowy region of the world), some newlyweds were surprised to find Santa waiting for them outside the church, instead of their limousine. Apparently the relative in charge of organizing the couples transportation, called “Santa” instead of calling the limo company. It was actually a surprise to everyone except for this particular relative. Needless to say, the kid’s jaws dropped to the ground when they saw this.

Now from what I understand, we’re talking a “real authentic Santa” with a real authentic looking sleigh, with real reindeer (not horses). How this was arranged, I have no idea, but there’s more to the story.

As the newlyweds were riding to their next location, people in cars who were just as surprised, started honking their horns in support and excitement for the happy couple.  Unfortunately, the deer were not used to that kind of sudden noise and Santa had a hard time keeping them under control because the honks were spooking them. So some wedding etiquette advice…before honking your horns at horses or reindeer, think about the spooking factor. Someone could accidentally get hurt if you cause the animals to bolt. Luckily in this case, they were OK.   

I will look for more exciting wedding stories for you, so stay tuned.

On Friday we learned an important wedding etiquette tip in being nice to your fellow hairdresser, through someone’s unfortunate but well deserved experience.

There is yet another person behind the scenes that we need to be nice to. Today I am going to share with you some funny stories from a wedding photographer who posted his experiences for our online enjoyment.

Humans are funny creatures and can be a little too prideful at times. Not sure what I mean? Well, here’s a story to help you understand what I mean….

While the newlyweds were in their honeymoon, the father of the bride privately met with this photographer. Dad wanted to have a rush put on the photos so he could send some to family members back home. That was no problem. Then dad further requested the photographer digitally edit in some hair onto the groom. He didn’t want the family back home to know his daughter married a bald man. :0) The photographer wouldn’t edit the pictures without the daughters permission and it was never brought up again. I’m guessing dad never mentioned it to the daughter. I’m betting the whole reason behind the rush and private meeting was so the daughter wouldn’t find out.

So what if they are bald, have bucked teeth or even look like a monkey. It’s what’s inside that counts and everyone is capable of loving and being loved.

Hope you enjoy your day.

Have you ever known (or had) a parent or future In-Laws that could not stop meddling during the wedding planning? Did you think “gosh, if they are like this now, what is it going to be like after the marriage?” OR…Are you the meddling parent or in-law?

There are different kinds and different degrees of meddlers. There’s the kind that make you feel like they have no faith in you and belittle you. Then there’s the kind who are just so stinkin’ excited, they can’t help but want to help. (Hopefully this is the kind they are.)

I’ve heard of situations where one set of parents were so controlling and meddling they made conditions that they would not financially help unless their son/daughter used the church, reception hall and even honeymooned where the parents chose. Not exactly good wedding etiquette.

Every situation is a little different and you’ll need to use your best judgment as both the engaged or the parent. Perhaps the below notes can help.

Note to the engaged:

Know that your parents love you and want you to be happy. They may not even realize they’re meddling. Keep the lines of communication open and always put yourself in their shoes before getting upset with them (so you don’t say anything you’ll regret). Be thankful for all they do.

Note to the Meddler:

It’s ok to help (and offer whenever possible), but know your boundaries. You want your child to have the opportunity to grow from this experience. If you feel you need to give them space, go with your gut feeling and remember to say “I Love You”.

Consider giving the bride funny gag gifts or romantic items to bring on her honeymoon, such as scented candles, sexy lingerie, a book about sex (with illustrations!) flavored body and massage oils, exotic bubble bath, or silly sex toys.

Dress the bride in a candy necklace from a gumball machine and, throughout the evening, have men you encounter bit off one candy at a time. Photograph these moments.