Wedding Etiquette - Formal can be fun - You only get one wedding so getting it right is really important. The trouble is, with only doing it once, you have no experience to draw on when it comes to the formalities of the day. By paying a little attention to wedding etiquette, your own day can be made even more memorable, and your guests will get a wedding experience that will live in their memory. The following topics can only provide a brief guide, so it is well worth doing some additional reading. There is a wealth of written material on the subject, some are listed in the further reading guide. In any event, our team has a wealth of experience in arranging weddings and on the day there will always be someone on hand to offer help and advice as needed. The Receiving Line - Being welcomed formally by a full receiving line starts the reception for your guests. It is a statement of your commitment as good hosts and gives guests a chance to offer personal congratulations. The receiving line comprises: - Bride’s Mother - Bride’s Father - Groom’s Mother - Groom’s Father - The Bride and Groom - The Best Man - Bridesmaids and guests of honour may be added to the line after the best man. The guests form a queue in order of arrival. Moving along the receiving line, guests introduce themselves, shaking hands with each person in the line. Top Table Seating - From right to left, facing your guests, the seating of the top table is as follows: - Best Man - Groom’s Mother - Bride’s Father - The Bride - The Groom - Bride’s Mother - Groom’s Father - Chief Bridesmaid - Guests of honour may also be seated at the top table. Table Layout - As your wedding day draws closer, table layouts evolve, and there is a lot to consider. Getting a good social mix is vital. With friends and family from both the bride and groom coming together all in one place for possibly the first time, this takes a lot of thought. With a wide range of ages and abilities within family groups, consideration needs to be paid to seating arrangements for example, placing older or less able relatives closer to entrances and facilities, making sure that guests with very young families have good access, and so on. Your wedding co-ordinator will help with this as the day approaches. When the seating plan is finalised, there are a few handy hints that can help us make sure that everyone is seated quickly looked after properly. - Make an alphabetical list of guests and table numbers - Place named place cards in sealed envelopes, one per table - Write the number of guests for the table on the envelope - Mark special requirements on the place card, e. g. vegetarian, child, disability etc. - Speeches - For more help with speeches, handy hints and links to sources of bons mots, quotations and useful resources, see our wedding speeches page. Traditionally, only three speeches are made after the wedding breakfast, the bride’s father, the best man and the groom speak along the following lines. The Bride’s Father talks briefly about his daughter, usually offering an anecdote from her early years. He goes on (preferably not on and on and on) to express his pleasure in his new son in law, then toasts the health and happiness of the bride and groom. The Groom Thanks the Bride’s parents for the reception. If both sets of parents have contributed, he thanks his parents after thanking those of the bride. He then thanks the bride’s parents for their daughter, thanks the guests for attending and for their gifts, then thanks the bridesmaids and proposes a toast to them. The Best Man replies on behalf of the bridesmaids, talks briefly of the bride and groom then may go on to read telegrams and cards from those unable to attend. This aspect of wedding etiquette is changing with our more emancipated society. Often now, the bride and the chief bridesmaid will also contribute speeches. Wedding Cake - Your wedding cake should be delivered to the venue on the morning of the wedding so that it may be assembled and put on display in the reception room. Most professional suppliers of wedding cakes will deliver your cake to us, or if the cake is being made by friends or family members, usually an usher can be relied upon to deliver the cake for you. The cake stand and knife will be provided and ready for use when the time comes. Traditionally, the bride and groom share a grip on the knife, then pause momentarily to let everyone get photographs before plunging the knife into the lower tier for the first cut. We will be happy to wrap slices of your cake for guests to take when they leave, or for posting to those who were unable to attend. Entertainment - Choosing entertainment for weddings can be difficult with the widely ranging ages and tastes found within a family group. If you need any help in choosing, just ask. Our weddings team has access to an incredible range of entertainers from disco and karaoke to comdedians and magicians. All our wedding reception rooms are equipped with state of the art sound and lighting systems, so whatever style of entertainment you choose, your listening and viewing experience will be second to none. Etiquette Links - Book Wedding Etiquett by Pat and William Derraugh. Available at AmazonThe BBC h2g2 website Not as stuffy as you may expect from Auntie Beeb, good content, especially interesting bits about weddings in other countries. Book Emily Post’s Wedding Etiquette and Cherished Traditions Available from Amazon. Book The Everything Wedding Etiquette Book available from Adams media. Book Mojo London Wedding Etiquette BookBooks At Best Book Buys there is a huge selection of books on this subject. Book The New Book of Wedding Etiquette How to combine the best of tradition with today’s flair. Website Emily Post visit the site of the woman that wrote the book on wedding etiquette. Website Practical Etiquette Not just for weddings, this site offers advice for every aspect of polite living. There are many more sources of information out there in book or e-form. If you have a particular favourite, why not share the news with us and we will add it to the list. Don’t forget to think about: Accessories Aromatherapy Balloons Beauticians Bridal Gowns Cakes Candles Caterers Chair Covers Chocolate Fountains Comedians Confetti Creches Dance Lessons Decorations Doves Dress Makers Entertainment Evening Buffets Favours Fireworks Florists Furniture Hire Gifts for the Bride and Groom Guest Houses Hair Hair Treatment Hats Health Health Spas & Clubs Hen Nights Horse & Carriage Hotels Ice Sculptures Insurance Invitations Limousine Hire Linen Hire Lingerie Magicians Make Up Marquee Hire Menswear Mobile / Portable Toilet Hire Mobile Bars Mobile DJs Mobile Fun Casinos Mother of the Bride Nail Technicians Novelty Wedding Transport Personal Wedding Website Photographers Reception Venues Second Hand Dresses Skincare Speech Writers Stag Nights Stationery Suit Hire Table Decorations Tanning Tiaras & Veils Toastmasters Videographers Vintage Cars Wedding Car Hire Wedding Planners Wedding Venues Wine & Champagne