Wedding Eitquette
Wedding etiquette is an important part of the whole wedding day and common courtesy dictates what wedding etiquette should be observed. The order of giving wedding speeches and having them done in an orderly manner is part of the wedding etiquette and not only must the hosts abide by these rules but the guests must observe proper wedding etiquette as well, ( for some that can mean abject starvation while waiting for the dinner bell to sound).
Many wedding etiquette rules are unwritten, just understood that they must be observed; as who is seated by whom or at what table at the reception, who will be the speech givers, and in what order will the wedding speeches be given. Most people put on their best face and best behavior when at a wedding and are more than willing to observe wedding etiquette to the letter, but there is always that totally rude person who is fidgeting and talking and tapping on the table while the speeches are being given, or the uncaring rube who is constantly checking his/her watch to see how much more he/she has to endure until it's over.
A gesture of honor and also a time worn tradition, is that the father of the bride is the first to speak. Wedding etiquette is such that it is something he must do as the person paying for the whole occasion and he must welcome everyone to the wedding reception. Wedding etiquette also says he must do the honors first in toasting the new bride and groom, and then the honor is turned on him as a gesture of acknowledgement for all he has done to bring the day to fruition.
Wedding etiquette now dictates that the groom must follow the father of the bride in the speech giving department, and he must thank his new father-in-law for the reception and all the accoutrements that go with it. There are other forms of wedding etiquette which enter in here, but some of them can be mixed up with wedding traditions and often are. Let's look at some examples.
The first people on the dance floor and opening the dance floor to all the guests, is done by the bridal couple. This is what is considered proper manners and therefore is part of wedding etiquette. Conversely, a tradition would be the father and daughter having their dance together which is not wedding etiquette nor considered necessary, but in this case is considered a tradition. Added to these would be two more traditions which are just that, and not part of the wedding etiquette and that is cutting the cake, and throwing the bouquet, or removing the garter........these are wedding traditions and need not be observed if not wanted, or can be done in any way the bridal party chooses.
But wedding etiquette is different in that it dictates what must be done and when to observe wedding etiquette rules. There must be a receiving line for all the guests to speak to and be acknowledged by the bridal couple and the entire bridal party including the immediate family members of the bride and groom. And wedding etiquette also states that thanking the guests for coming to the reception must be observed and done as common courtesy.
As the day of the wedding draws nearer, there is a list to be made of the traditions to be followed and close attention paid to the observance of wedding etiquette rules. If you remember that wedding etiquette almost always deals with proper manners, social niceties, and common courtesy and wedding traditions are more on the fun side.......then you should have no problems keeping them separate.