No wedding is without its fair share of mistakes and hotspots and the bride and groom are invariably on tenterhooks until the whole thing is over. Weddings are meant to be enjoyed to the full and not fraught with difficulty. If the bride‟s hopes for a beautiful dream wedding are not to be shattered, you need to pay heed to the common mistakes detailed below.
The main mistake and unfortunately an all too common one is the bride and groom leave the wedding reception early. In fact in some Asian customs the bride and groom do not leave the reception hall until the last guest has left. When you leave the reception early it is an insult to your guests. There will be time enough to begin married life with your partner and you will have the rest of your lives together. Spend the few hours of the reception with your guests, move around the hall thanking them personally for coming and let them know how much you appreciate the effort.
Arriving late to the reception is another big „NO‟ in the wedding etiquette book. Have a structured reception timeline and stick to it. Soon after the wedding ceremony guests start heading to the reception venue while the bride, groom and members of the bridal party go off to take photographs. This picture taking session can easily last for over an hour so make sure your guests are well taken care of in the interim period. You could consider arranging for music to be played and cocktails to be served. You could also do most of the picture taking before the wedding ceremony to cut down on time away from the reception. Bride and groom should not meet before the wedding according to tradition, so have the individual family pictures taken.
Seating is important and it is best to observe the rules when drawing up your seating plan. Keep squabbling relatives apart and the older people away from the music. Don‟t seat anyone but the bridal party at the head table to avoid controversy.
Choose a selection of music that is eclectic enough to cater to diverse tastes so people don‟t get bored listening to one type of music all evening long. If you have friends or family who sing well, get them to do some numbers and try to get people involved in putting on a little entertainment.
Try to get the cake cutting and speeches over with as quickly as possible because it is traditional for the bride and groom to start the food line. Your guests will be hungry because no one eats a big meal before attending a wedding reception dinner.
Finally, do not get drunk – it‟s your wedding and you are the hosts of the party!
