HOW TO BE A GOOD WEDDING GUEST

 
JUN. 20, 2006 (www.nzgirl.co.nz)    -  Weddings are no easy business. They tend to bring out the stress-monster within us all – Bridezillas, anyone? Even being a wedding guest can be tricky. The age-old crisis of what to wear is magnified even more on such an occasion and don’t even get me started on all those insane traditions.

I attended my first wedding recently, and am eternally grateful to all the women who gave me advice on how to prepare for the occasion. Some of these tips have been compiled into a handy guide for the hopeless among us (think Weddings For Dummies: The Condensed Version for nzgirls):

When you receive a wedding invitation, the first thing you should do is RSVP. This may seem stupid if you know the person really well and see them often, but do it anyway. If you’re new to the whole wedding thing, etiquette is way more important than your average party. RSVP as soon as you can. This makes it easier for caterers and stops the bride getting freaky on your arse later down the track.

Unlike a birthday party, people often send presents to the bride and groom before the wedding. This saves the bride and groom lugging presents with them after the wedding, and it means you only have to carry a handbag on the day. It you’re stuck for present ideas, a lot of couples do bridal registries at department stores.

Most invitations will give some idea of how dressy the occasion is. As a general rule of thumb, day weddings will be less glamorous than evening weddings, so lay off the cocktail gowns and pearls. We know you love them – but would you really feel comfortable in a silver satin gown at 10am on a windy beach? Dress to the occasion. Save the evening gowns for evening weddings.