Florida-Central Florida

etiquette

I've never been a fan of etiquette. I know it's there to make others more comfortable but I am usually not bothered when people do things that do not follow etiquette: I don't give a s*it if you put your elbows on the table, don't say excuse me when you burp or eat with the wrong fork, etc. 

So, what wedding etiiquette irritates you?  Regardless of whether you're going to follow it or not, what irritates you?

There is plenty of wedding etiquette that I will follow because othe people say I have to but it definitely irritates me.

The number one thing that irritates me is not being able to list your registry anywhere.  If I'm invited to a wedding, I'd like to ask that all brides and grooms just put the damn registry info in the damn invite. I don't want to be bothered to call you and ask or have to go look it up.  I'm going to buy you a gift off of your registry anyway and it's there for my convenience so why do i have to go hunting for it? This is the stupidest rule ever.

2.  Not asking for cash.  Also stupid.  I think you should be able to put that you need a down payment for a house, etc, on your registry if you fucking want to. I mean really.... do you really need a blender or fine china more than a house?  I think people should give gifts that are needed and wanted not gifts for the sake of etiquette.  I don't really care about the rules here. If someone told me they needed money for a honeymoon or a down payment really badly then I'd just give em cash. I mean, the point of a gift is to make the person happy. 

3.  The way you have to list names on an invite.  I really dislike being called mrs. Man's first name, man's last name. I didn't take on his first name too.  I'd like to invite people as first and first last name.  women have first names and identities other than being a wife. 
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Re: etiquette

  • edited December 2011
    1. Not listing registry info.  We did not follow this.  People were asking about it constantly after we sent the Save the Dates, so we listed it on the back of our information insert.  People thanked us.

    2. Also the naming conventions.  We didn't follow this either.  We addressed them how we wanted, or how we thought they would prefer.  Some were "Lastname Family"  some were "Mr & Mrs Lastname" and some were "First & First Lastname"  Hell, some were just "First & First" lol

    3.  Separate invites for children over 18 even if they live at home.  We didn't follow this either lol.  Why waste another invite? Its ridiculous.  The only one we sent a separate invite to was a recently divorced BM that is temporarily living with her parents.  She got her own because it had additional info in it about the rehearsal etc.
  • Theresa626Theresa626 member
    First Comment
    edited December 2011
    totally agree with you on the children's invite rule. We are so not doing that.
  • edited December 2011
    ROFL Theresa you crack me up.

    1. Paper RSVPs - not doing it. Everyone on our guest list, save a few elderly aunts and uncles, uses a computer and a phone. In the interest of being 'green' we're doing e-mail or phone RSVPs and telling the guests to see the website for that info. The technophobes will have paper RSVPs but that will be like three people. They'll also get a print-out of the guest info on our website. Everyone else can go look themselves.

    2. Registry info - definitely posting that on our website, loud and clear. I hate having to pussyfoot around to find that stuff for other people, so I'm not making my guests do that for us. 

    3. Tossing the bouquet and fishing for the garter. Um... no? Neither one of us want to have all these people watch as FI hitches up my skirt and throws undergarments and a bunch of dudes. Also, hardly anyone attending is single so both traditions are kinda pointless. 

    That's all I can think of right now.
  • edited December 2011
    My family is old-south and so is DH's. We were raised with etiquette and we both really appreciate it. That being said, the one thing we threw out the window was separate invites for kids over 18 living at home. If you're not enough of an adult to live on your own then you're not enough of an adult to merit your own invitation. Nor are you enough of an adult to bring a random 'date' to my wedding. We also stuck to a No And Guest rule, which is frowned upon in many etiquette circles. As far as we were concerned, everybody invited knew at least one other person at the wedding besides us so if we didn't know your significant other through marriage, engagement, living together, or steady, committed, one-year-plus relationship, we did not include the nicety of an 'and guest' on the invitation.
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  • cjbwifey2010cjbwifey2010 member
    First Anniversary First Comment
    edited December 2011
    OMG i love this post! Theresa you crack me up!

    1. I HATE the whole not giving info about your registry to ppl. the majority of the ppl coming for our wedding will be from out of town so they wont be getting the registry info anyway (since we want them to give us cash) but for the people who live in Florida...they'll be getting a little insert of BBB and macys thank you very much.
    2. Not telling people you need money?! r u serious? we need it! Apparently my mom said there is a way for us to write it in french that lets everyone know what it means, but the thing is that I dont know if FI's family will understand what it says... so for those coming from Canada "corbeille nuptiale" will be written and they will get the point. For the rest of them...i guess word of mouth, we havent figured that one out yet.
    3. Inviting people because they live together...listen, if you moved in last month and i never met you...i really dont want to have to pay a 45 dollars plate for you... why do i need to invite you?!
    4. Sending an invite because you are over 18 but still live with your parents?ummm u live with your parents... the invite they get is the invite YOU get too! LOL

    Thats all i can think of right now.
  • SarahSmile23SarahSmile23 member
    First Comment
    edited December 2011
    i agree with some of those, but i really really really don't think you should ask for money. if you want money, don't register for anything. people will get the hint. i don't think it should be acceptable and i would never do it.
  • janedoe1113ajanedoe1113a member
    5 Love Its Combo Breaker First Comment
    edited December 2011
    In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/local-wedding-boards_florida-central-florida_etiquette?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Local%20Wedding%20BoardsForum:66Discussion:c84349fb-6412-462a-8c5a-f3f5a9be3dd8Post:f5fef73a-20ae-402c-9a32-88a2145d219f">Re: etiquette</a>:
    [QUOTE]i agree with some of those, but i really really really don't think you should ask for money. if you want money, don't register for anything. people will get the hint. i don't think it should be acceptable and i would never do it.
    Posted by SarahSmile23[/QUOTE]

    I agree 100%.
  • squirrlysquirrly member
    Name Dropper First Anniversary 5 Love Its First Comment
    edited December 2011
    There are certainly some etiquette rules that I think need to be thoughtfully considered, and applied such that they fit your situation. 

    I agree that I don't care about elbows on tables or what fork you use, but I find burping pretty gross, so I'd hope you'd try to prevent that and if you couldn't - at least be embarassed and appologize. 

    Listing the registry - I understand the practicality of your thought process, but I also know many, many people view that as a request for gifts.  It's a tough balancing act.  Fortunately, theknot, weddingchannel, and google make it pretty easy to find my registries when I'm a wedding guest. 

    Asking for cash - I can't think of a way to do that without it sounding like you're asking for people to give you money.  At least with a registry you're publicly announcing what you otherwise intend to buy yourself as of a set date (your wedding), and your guests are merely given the option to beat you to it if they wish. 

    To me, if you really NEED cash, you should scale back your wedding, find less expensive living accomodations, etc.  I understand WANTING it, but NEEDING it is different, to me.

    The naming I think should be done to suit the recipient's preferences.  I do think some people forget that Mrs. John Smith means "wife of John Smith."  It isn't an attempt to use your name - it's using your title.  Your name would just be Salle Smith.  But, again, as long as the recipient is happy - I personally wouldn't care on this one.

    Same with the invites for adults living in someone else's household.  If the recipient doesn't care - whatever.  It's tricky to know who would care and who wouldn't.  Personally, I'm really offended when people send invites for me to my parents house - my own or on my parents' invite.  Then again, I haven't lived at their home for 11 years, and have owned two homes of my own since then.  If you can't splurge on a stamp and send it to ME, I probably am not close enough to you to WANT to attend your wedding.

    Paper RSVPs - eh, whatever.  There are reasons they work for some, and reasons they don't for others. 

    Inviting live-in SOs.  Yeah, FI lived with me for 6 months before we were engaged.  We were an item long before that, though, and thus a package deal.  I have friends that live all over the US, and we don't get to see each other as often as we'd like.  If any of them had invited me and told me FI wasn't welcome at any point more than a month after our first date, I would have taken that really personally.  Just because they haven't met him due to the travel required to do so doesn't mean he isn't real, part of my life to stay, etc.  My relationship doesn't require validation from others to exist. 

    The thing is - etiquette exists because it's SO hard to know how all of your guests feel about things like this.  The "rules" are just to make sure you're not pissing somebody off who wouldn't tell you.  The people most likely to be offended are the least likely to tell you that they are.  Apply the "rules" as you see fit, just try to do so thoughtfully. 

    Really, tho, Sarah and Navy are right on the cash thing.  I totally can't see a way around that one.
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  • 3plus3plus member
    First Comment
    edited December 2011
    [QUOTE]2. Not telling people you need money?! r u serious? we need it! Apparently my mom said there is a way for us to write it in french that lets everyone know what it means, but the thing is that I dont know if FI's family will understand what it says... <strong>so for those coming from Canada "corbeille nuptiale" will be written and they will get the point.</strong> For the rest of them...i guess word of mouth, we havent figured that one out yet. Posted by cjbwifey2010 [/QUOTE]


    For the bolded section above, I wouldn't count on your Canadian guests understanding what you mean if you just put that on your invitation as a message that you want cash.  I'm Canadian and have never, ever seen that before.  I also asked a couple of Quebecois friends just now and they also have never seen it before.  I thought perhaps it may be just a regional thing.  A corbeille nuptiale is simply just a card box.
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  • edited December 2011
    I'm personally not comfortable requesting cash in lieu of a registry either, but I don't think it's fair to tell someone that if they need cash, they should scale back their living arrangements or their wedding plans - there are myriad possible life-altering events that could have locked them into a wedding (or living arrangement) that they can't get out of at present. That doesn't change the fact that the couple may be planning to purchase a house in the near future. I think there are ways to create online registries for things like parts of your honeymoon package or whatnot - to me that's essentially asking for the money for that part of your honeymoon, but I guess for some folks it's less blunt and that makes it ok. The way I look at it, anything purchased from our gift registry is saving us money that we can put toward a house instead of that particular item, so it's kinda giving us money in a roundabout way.

    As for listing the registry in your invites, I can't think of a single person, my grandmother included, who would consider that a gift-grab kind of action. It's standard protocol these days. Since we're conserving paper we won't include that on the mailed invitation, but guests will be directed to our website for all information and the registry will be openly listed. Since no one I know finds it tacky, I'll risk that to avoid making my wedding a hassle for anyone else.

    Also, squirrly, I don't think anyone here is unaware that "Mr. John Smith" is the old-fashioned title for a married woman. I do think that many women consider it outdated and chauvinistic. I do. Yes, I'm marrying Brian Waters, but I don't lose my identity as Alyssa to do it. Our names are symbolic of who we are; not using my first name, to me, indicates that I am inferior in the relationship. Is it a small thing? Sure. But for some women, it's a small thing that conveys a much bigger meaning that we don't care for.

    I do agree about inviting SO's - since it's pretty much standard practice to bring a date with you to a wedding, and we know that guests are going to assume it's the same for our wedding, FI and I are counting for that in just about every case. We feel it's rather dictator-like of us to tell our guests whether they can or cannot invite a date. I don't want to make them feel bad for thinking that would be normal, and then having to call them and tell them not to bring anyone. To me that's tacky and awkward. The way we look at it, we're hosting a dinner party. If we invited these people into our homes for dinner, would we be upset if they brought a date? Not at all! We planned a smaller guest list from the beginning to accommodate plus-ones and make everyone who does attend feel welcome and wanted.
  • SarahSmile23SarahSmile23 member
    First Comment
    edited December 2011
    what's funny is my husband gets more upset than i do when people refer to me as "Mrs. Steven Smile." he says, "she has a name, too!"
  • SarahSmile23SarahSmile23 member
    First Comment
    edited December 2011
    OH YEAH! I actually received an invitation to a wedding once where the couple wrote on the invitation, "please give us cash. it's what we really need!"

    Steve and I were so annoyed that we gave them cash, but we gave them half the amount we would have spent on a gift.
  • edited December 2011
    In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/local-wedding-boards_florida-central-florida_etiquette?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Local Wedding BoardsForum:66Discussion:c84349fb-6412-462a-8c5a-f3f5a9be3dd8Post:f5fef73a-20ae-402c-9a32-88a2145d219f">Re: etiquette</a>:
    [QUOTE]i agree with some of those, but i really really really don't think you should ask for money. if you want money, don't register for anything. people will get the hint. i don't think it should be acceptable and i would never do it.
    Posted by SarahSmile23[/QUOTE]

    Straight up asking for cash is tacky, and it's even worse if you do it in a "cute" little poem or another language. I think I would skip that wedding all together cause you can almost count on it being a cash bar.
  • SarahSmile23SarahSmile23 member
    First Comment
    edited December 2011
    hey, we have action on our board! hello, lurkers! introduce yourselves!

    and welcome back navy and devon. i havent seen you since the format change.
  • edited December 2011
    In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/local-wedding-boards_florida-central-florida_etiquette?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Local Wedding BoardsForum:66Discussion:c84349fb-6412-462a-8c5a-f3f5a9be3dd8Post:009dfaf7-bd67-4684-8c87-eb02316932c6">Re: etiquette</a>:
    [QUOTE]and welcome back navy and devon. i havent seen you since the format change.
    Posted by SarahSmile23[/QUOTE]
    Thats because the new format sucks.
  • edited December 2011
    I don't like the new format either.

    But straight out asking for cash makes my skin crawl. Yes life circumstances can suck and change in a blink. But honestly if I went to an extravagant wedding after reading in the invitation how the couple neeeeded cash for a gift, I'd be offended.
    Yes, weddings are important and (hopefully) once-in-a-lifetime events. But that doesn't mean you can't be practical about your budget for it. ESP if you're tight on funds otherwise.
    & yes, registries are basically requests for gifts. But it's different than basically begging for cash. I sometimes like to give a check or cash because it's practical & I like practical gifts for people. But if it was almost a "requirement" I'd be taken aback. I might even buy a gift just out of spite.
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  • edited December 2011
    In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/local-wedding-boards_florida-central-florida_etiquette?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Local Wedding BoardsForum:66Discussion:c84349fb-6412-462a-8c5a-f3f5a9be3dd8Post:f6bbffa7-0169-4f96-95b0-76ca766a2289">Re: etiquette</a>:
    [QUOTE]I might even buy a gift just out of spite.
    Posted by BentleyBaby[/QUOTE]
    This is why we're friends. Well, one of the many reasons anyways.
  • edited December 2011
    OH! And another thing that really irks my tater... Is when people have a JOP wedding, then a "real wedding" awhile later. THE SECOND ONE IS NOT A WEDDING! You only get ONE wedding. It is a vow RENEWAL not a wedding.

    /rant
  • edited December 2011
    In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/local-wedding-boards_florida-central-florida_etiquette?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Local Wedding BoardsForum:66Discussion:c84349fb-6412-462a-8c5a-f3f5a9be3dd8Post:a38e8360-2ab5-4125-849d-deab3b8d20a0">Re: etiquette</a>:
    [QUOTE] <strong>As for listing the registry in your invites, I can't think of a single person, my grandmother included, who would consider that a gift-grab kind of action. It's standard protocol these days. </strong>Since we're conserving paper we won't include that on the mailed invitation, but guests will be directed to our website for all information and the registry will be openly listed. <strong>Since no one I know finds it tacky</strong>, I'll risk that to avoid making my wedding a hassle for anyone else. [/QUOTE]


    It is absolutely NOT standard protocol.  How do you know they don't think it's tacky?  Have you asked them?  If so, what did they say?  I find it a little bit hard to believe that when something is regarded by most people as rude, that out of ALLLLL your guests, not a single one of them finds it tacky.  Seems statistically impossible. 

    FWIW, posting your registry on your website is not tacky. 
  • edited December 2011
    It is absolutely NOT standard protocol.  How do you know they don't think it's tacky?  Have you asked them?

    ^this
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  • SarahSmile23SarahSmile23 member
    First Comment
    edited December 2011
    imknotatwork, how's the planning for your fl destination wedding coming along? i haven't seen you in a while.
  • edited December 2011

    Um, slow to not at all?
      Smile

    We still haven't really set a date.  FI's dad has advanced lung cancer so we're kind of taking things one day at a time.  Thanks for asking, though.

    Hey mod, where'd my "Free Central Florida" sig go?

  • SarahSmile23SarahSmile23 member
    First Comment
    edited December 2011
    In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/local-wedding-boards_florida-central-florida_etiquette?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Local Wedding BoardsForum:66Discussion:c84349fb-6412-462a-8c5a-f3f5a9be3dd8Post:284e0127-a70d-4176-a7ed-ee9f75ae798f">Re: etiquette</a>:
    [QUOTE]Um, slow to not at all?   We still haven't really set a date.  FI's dad has advanced lung cancer so we're kind of taking things one day at a time.  Thanks for asking, though. Hey mod, where'd my "Free Central Florida" sig go?
    Posted by I'm knot at work[/QUOTE]
    haha, that's right, you did have a free cfl sig. that was funny. i'm not sure, i didn't delete it. i thought you replaced it with your current sig? sorry. :(

    and i'm sorry about your dad!
  • edited December 2011
    Hmm.  Maybe I did.  This is my first time back since the format change. 
  • edited December 2011
     GREAT POST!!! II def. hate the idea of sending multiple invites to the same address.  FI and I are young and most of our friends are in college or grad school and have roommates. There are 3 over age 21 friends invited who all live in the same house!!! What an absolute waste of money and paper! We asked if they would care if they just got one, and those boys thought it would be dumb to send 3 seperate ones!

    Also, I know I will get flack for it, but do I really need to have all 9 of my bridesmaids be invited w/ a date if we don't know their significant other?? I know, I'm a horrible friend and a bridezilla blah blah blah, but really? Some of my friends date jerks who I don't want to spend ridic amounts of money on just cause my dear friend can't wake up and smell the coffee...no. Meanwhille, we have to cut our friends that we want in the name of etiquette and inviting ppl I've never heard of.

    Apparently, my dad also things it's proper to invite his staff under him. Does anyone know if that's true? I tried to cut it to the ppl I've atleast HEARD of, and he ADDED THEM BACK IN!! I guess that's 12 more of my friends who won't be invited.. :(
  • SarahSmile23SarahSmile23 member
    First Comment
    edited December 2011
    woah, is your dad paying? i wouldn't allow those guests to make the cut unless he was paying. MIL tried that with all her friends, and we said no way. our venue had a max capacity of 80 and there wasn't room for all of her friends. we made her narrow it down to 3!
  • edited December 2011
    In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/local-wedding-boards_florida-central-florida_etiquette?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Local%20Wedding%20BoardsForum:66Discussion:c84349fb-6412-462a-8c5a-f3f5a9be3dd8Post:1f72798e-57f7-45a8-8468-4545e6e05d41">Re: etiquette</a>:
    [QUOTE]In Response to Re: etiquette : It is absolutely NOT standard protocol.  How do you know they don't think it's tacky?  Have you asked them?  If so, what did they say?  I find it a little bit hard to believe that when something is regarded by most people as rude, that out of ALLLLL your guests, not a single one of them finds it tacky.  Seems statistically impossible.  FWIW, posting your registry on your website is not tacky. 
    Posted by I'm knot at work[/QUOTE]

    <div>
    </div><div>Yep, actually I have. We're inviting people we maintain regular contact with, so we talk about everything, wedding stuff included. I find it statistically impossible that "most" people regard having a registry as rude or tacky. Haven't been to a single wedding (ever) where there wasn't a registry, so that sounds like standard protocol to me. Perhaps there was some confusion about what I was referring to as standard protocol - having the registry at all, that is, not listing in on invites.</div>
  • edited December 2011
    In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/local-wedding-boards_florida-central-florida_etiquette?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Local%20Wedding%20BoardsForum:66Discussion:c84349fb-6412-462a-8c5a-f3f5a9be3dd8Post:f6bbffa7-0169-4f96-95b0-76ca766a2289">Re: etiquette</a>:
    [QUOTE]I don't like the new format either. But straight out asking for cash makes my skin crawl. Yes life circumstances can suck and change in a blink. But honestly if I went to an extravagant wedding after reading in the invitation how the couple neeeeded cash for a gift, I'd be offended. Yes, weddings are important and (hopefully) once-in-a-lifetime events. But that doesn't mean you can't be practical about your budget for it. ESP if you're tight on funds otherwise. & yes, registries are basically requests for gifts. But it's different than basically begging for cash. I sometimes like to give a check or cash because it's practical & I like practical gifts for people. But if it was almost a "requirement" I'd be taken aback. I might even buy a gift just out of spite.
    Posted by BentleyBaby[/QUOTE]<div>
    </div><div>
    </div><div>I can definitely see what you're saying. In that sort of situation, I think you're right that the perception given is pretty poor, especially to guests who might not know the backstory if there was some major change in plans/job loss/etc. </div><div>
    </div><div>Like I said before, I'm not cool personally with asking for cash, either. I guess if someone's gonna do it, there has to be a not-so-gross way to go about it.
    </div><div>
    </div><div>
    </div><div>And RE the dad's coworkers, if he's paying for the wedding it's kinda tough to tell him no, but if not, it should be your call. Your wedding should include the people who are important in your life. As for the etiquette for inviting parents' coworkers, my understanding is that it's appropriate for them to invite their bosses, but not necessarily the people who work under them unless you're particularly close to those people. Does that sound right to anyone else?</div>
  • edited December 2011
    Yes, a registry is pretty much standard protocol. But sticking those tacky little pieces of paper to announce where you're registered its TACKY. That, ladies, is gift grabby.
  • edited December 2011
    Yeah, Devon, I go back and forth about that, too... I can't remember the last wedding I went to where that information wasn't included in the invitation so I it doesn't bother me. I know they have a registry, and I know that most people are gonna get their gifts from said registry, so in terms of practicality it makes sense to my left-brained self. I can see the implication, of course, so I don't think you're wrong, I just wonder how may people it really bothers versus how many people are glad they've been saved some trouble. I figure I'm safe posting all of our info on the website in lieu of inserts. Yay for being green!
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