Wedding Etiquette Forum

Biggest etiquette blunder of 2015?

13

Re: Biggest etiquette blunder of 2015?

  • dreamsinpinkdreamsinpink member
    5 Love Its Name Dropper First Anniversary First Comment
    edited July 2015
    This was an etiquette blunder suggested to me for my wedding (don't worry, I said hell no). Since I am having a couple showers, due to a lot of people being invited, my FMIL suggested doing a shower where guests bring an envelope with money in it for the honeymoon in place of a registered gift. My FI asked why we would even have a shower for that, they could just mail it. Yeah.. no.. not doing that.

    Wedding Countdown Ticker


    PitaPata Dog tickers
  • This is by far the year of rude weddings for me. 

    Couple #1 invited me to their DW via text, just said "call our travel agent, cost is $XXXXX" 
    This same couple later invited me to their PPD that was a full-on reenactment for which they registered. I did not attend either event. 

    Couple #2 invited us to their wedding and then uninvited us at the last minute because they did not have enough space for us at their venue. 

    Couple #3 had a cash shower, but no actual shower. Groom's mom sent us an invite that basically said "send me cash and gift cards to give to the bride and groom." No. 

    This same couple is having a cash bar at their wedding. Their invite was sent 3 months early, with a reply time of 2 months early, the hotel block already closed (wedding is at the end of September), invite included a registry card, and they didn't give hotel info to some of the guests because there's only one hotel in that town and they didn't want the "less important people" taking up rooms. 

    Couple #4 only put my name on the invite, not H's name. They have met him, they know perfectly well that he is my husband (we got married in May), but he is not invited. Also included a registry card with the invite. 

    I haven't been invited to any other weddings this year besides these 4 rude ones. The previous two H and I were invited to were his friends and also disgustingly rude (well beyond what I typed above). I'm seriously beginning to wonder what the fuck is going on in this world. I would love love love love love to be invited to a properly hosted, etiquette friendly event. 
    Can you get yourself to NJ for Friday, 10/2?  Lol :)

    But seriously, the above is the worst.  THE worst.  Ugh, sorry you had to deal with all that.
  • FiancBFiancB member
    First Anniversary First Comment 5 Love Its Name Dropper
    No weddings this year. Yay! But my friend texted me to call her. She told me she eloped a month previous. Mostly for the military benefits before he shipped off. But it's cool, they'll have a potluck-in-lieu-of-gifts camping weekend sometime next year. 

    Oy. I love her, I do. I actually do think a big camping weekend with her and her crowd sounds super fun. But let's not worry about getting potluck dishes out to the middle of nowhere a 4 hour drive from our hometown/6 hours from our college town, please. 
    image
  • LondonLisaLondonLisa member
    First Anniversary First Comment First Answer 5 Love Its
    edited July 2015
    I've told this story on here before, but we actually didn't attend either of these weddings:

    1.) I was invited to a wedding by a coworker. Very sweet gesture, but when handed the invitation they say: "We aren't doing plus ones or anything". My future husband is not a plus one! I politely declined and sent them a card signed by Fi and I.

    2.) Received an invitation to attend a wedding, but then realised when reading through the literally pages of information sent with the invitation (including the fact that we HAD to stay at the hotel the wedding was being held out of town to make minimums), we were invited to join "After the cake cutting at 8:30 to enjoy the cash and card bar". Essentially we were invited to travel out of town to make up hotel minimums at their venue, buy our own drinks, AND I don't even get a bloody piece of cake??!!
  • bizzy592 said:

    bizzy592 said:
    The wedding hasn't happened yet (we're skipping it), but I've been invited to a wedding in mid-October. Invite arrived in May. RSVPs due July 31st. Website includes a honeyfund and a dress code.
    What's the dress code? Modern Rustic Semi-Formal?
    Equestrian Chic.
    Close. It's a 'dressy comfortable barn wedding'.
    This means my "good" jeans, mucking boots, and sweater. What the actual fuck? Have these people been in a barn before?
    The only barn they've been in probably is their "wedding barn," not an actual, working barn.

  • *New to weddings here!*

    I haven't given any thought at all to the whole registry thing at all, but it seems like a common practice for the couple to register at a store or 2 for items to help build a home, so to speak, together. Is it now mostly thought of as rude and greedy to do this? I'm a little confused.

    My brother and SIL did a registry and had a head table. I didn't think either were rude or offensive. I am not married, however, and attended with my boyfriend who sat with a group of people he did not know. He was not offended by this decision either; it was maybe 30 minutes we didn't sit together and we spent the rest of the night together dancing and having fun. The head table did not seem to be an issue. They did not put in a registry card with their invites, though. Is that the taboo thing here?

    I got engaged July 4th of this year to the same boyfriend and we are planning on having a DW Spring 2017. We haven't done much of anything yet except start our research on resorts and talk about it with our family and friends.

  • Jax43615 said:

    *New to weddings here!*

    I haven't given any thought at all to the whole registry thing at all, but it seems like a common practice for the couple to register at a store or 2 for items to help build a home, so to speak, together. Is it now mostly thought of as rude and greedy to do this? I'm a little confused.

    My brother and SIL did a registry and had a head table. I didn't think either were rude or offensive. I am not married, however, and attended with my boyfriend who sat with a group of people he did not know. He was not offended by this decision either; it was maybe 30 minutes we didn't sit together and we spent the rest of the night together dancing and having fun. The head table did not seem to be an issue. They did not put in a registry card with their invites, though. Is that the taboo thing here?

    I got engaged July 4th of this year to the same boyfriend and we are planning on having a DW Spring 2017. We haven't done much of anything yet except start our research on resorts and talk about it with our family and friends.


    I honestly don't know whether it's an etiquette blunder to register in multiple places, but I kinda like when people do, it makes picking something a little more fun. What bothers me is people who make a registry containing only items that are both super expensive and super unnecessary. Yeah, I'm definitely going to buy you a $6k vertical turntable. Not.
  • Jax43615 said:

    *New to weddings here!*

    I haven't given any thought at all to the whole registry thing at all, but it seems like a common practice for the couple to register at a store or 2 for items to help build a home, so to speak, together. Is it now mostly thought of as rude and greedy to do this? I'm a little confused.

    My brother and SIL did a registry and had a head table. I didn't think either were rude or offensive. I am not married, however, and attended with my boyfriend who sat with a group of people he did not know. He was not offended by this decision either; it was maybe 30 minutes we didn't sit together and we spent the rest of the night together dancing and having fun. The head table did not seem to be an issue. They did not put in a registry card with their invites, though. Is that the taboo thing here?

    I got engaged July 4th of this year to the same boyfriend and we are planning on having a DW Spring 2017. We haven't done much of anything yet except start our research on resorts and talk about it with our family and friends.

    Registering is not rude at all. However, including a registry card with the invitation is rude (and tacky IMO) because it implies that you're expecting people to buy you a gift. You should never expect gifts. 
    image
  • Jax43615 said:

    *New to weddings here!*

    I haven't given any thought at all to the whole registry thing at all, but it seems like a common practice for the couple to register at a store or 2 for items to help build a home, so to speak, together. Is it now mostly thought of as rude and greedy to do this? I'm a little confused.

    My brother and SIL did a registry and had a head table. I didn't think either were rude or offensive. I am not married, however, and attended with my boyfriend who sat with a group of people he did not know. He was not offended by this decision either; it was maybe 30 minutes we didn't sit together and we spent the rest of the night together dancing and having fun. The head table did not seem to be an issue. They did not put in a registry card with their invites, though. Is that the taboo thing here?

    I got engaged July 4th of this year to the same boyfriend and we are planning on having a DW Spring 2017. We haven't done much of anything yet except start our research on resorts and talk about it with our family and friends.

    Registering is not rude at all. However, including a registry card with the invitation is rude (and tacky IMO) because it implies that you're expecting people to buy you a gift. You should never expect gifts. 


    Ah, ok. I was thinking it was including the card that was frowned upon. Do most people just include a link on their wedding website? What if you don't have a website?

  • Jax43615 said:
    Jax43615 said:

    *New to weddings here!*

    I haven't given any thought at all to the whole registry thing at all, but it seems like a common practice for the couple to register at a store or 2 for items to help build a home, so to speak, together. Is it now mostly thought of as rude and greedy to do this? I'm a little confused.

    My brother and SIL did a registry and had a head table. I didn't think either were rude or offensive. I am not married, however, and attended with my boyfriend who sat with a group of people he did not know. He was not offended by this decision either; it was maybe 30 minutes we didn't sit together and we spent the rest of the night together dancing and having fun. The head table did not seem to be an issue. They did not put in a registry card with their invites, though. Is that the taboo thing here?

    I got engaged July 4th of this year to the same boyfriend and we are planning on having a DW Spring 2017. We haven't done much of anything yet except start our research on resorts and talk about it with our family and friends.

    Registering is not rude at all. However, including a registry card with the invitation is rude (and tacky IMO) because it implies that you're expecting people to buy you a gift. You should never expect gifts. 


    Ah, ok. I was thinking it was including the card that was frowned upon. Do most people just include a link on their wedding website? What if you don't have a website?

    Traditionally, it's just spread by word of mouth. A lot of people called my mom or H's mom to ask where we were registered. No big deal. 
    image
  • Jax43615 said:
    Thanks! @novella1186
    No problem! If you lurk this board, you'll find all kinds of useful info like that. The knotties here are super helpful. I was very glad to learn from them for my wedding :) 
    image
  • OOT wedding on a Thursday - had to turn it into a vacation.  Ceremony was two hours away from the reception site. Get to reception and my table isn't even in the room. It was outside on a balcony, with no shade. 
    image
  • Coworker had a "delightful" event.

    Invite was posted on the communal message board at work. Always a good start. As such, we skipped. But from others, the reports were epic.

    Wedding was outside. In late June. It was predictably hot and humid. With no shade. Or chairs.

    Dinner was bring your own grub for the grill.

    The bride had a fit until she got a buttercream iced cake. Which sat outside, in the heat. Yup, it melted.

    Only registry was a Honeyfund.

    Gee. I'm sad we missed it. I think we sat at home that night drinking beer and eating quacamole for dinner.
  • edited August 2015
    Help! I'm just reading all of this now and realized that I wasn't aware it was bad etiquette to have a honeyfund and include a link to it on the invitation (along with hotel and venue info) : /  how do I make it up to the guests so that they don't think I'm rude/greedy/expect their money??? don't judge me please! (I'm getting married in October and already sent out all the invites...)
  • Not sure if this counts, as I wasn't invited to this wedding:

    A friend of a friend posted a Facebook status about her upcoming wedding that said something along the lines of "if you've been invited to the party of the century, it is a cash bar so remember to bring $$!" Along with a picture of the invite....

    I also went to a wedding where there was a cash bar and dollar dance. And yes, the guests all complained about both. Especially when the MOB started going around to all the tables, urging guests to participate in the dollar dance.

  • I'm having my wedding at a fun museum (ceremony, cocktail hour, and reception...so no long breaks in between) and am having a 5 hour open bar as well as an 11pm taco bar in addition to the full meal...hopefully I won't make any more "etiquette blunders" and my guests will have a lot of fun!
  • Mine's pretty easy: Went to my friend's wedding and did not receive a thank you card for either the bridal shower gift nor the wedding gift I gave. 
  • bizzy592 said:

    bizzy592 said:
    The wedding hasn't happened yet (we're skipping it), but I've been invited to a wedding in mid-October. Invite arrived in May. RSVPs due July 31st. Website includes a honeyfund and a dress code.
    Oh my god you guys! I checked out the honeyfund page, and they're asking for $$ to offset their carbon footprint from the trip.
    AAAAAAAAAARRRRHHHHHH!!!

    I hate the concept of offsetting your carbon footprint with cash.   If you want to be green then be green.   But don't do things that are luxurious and then say that you're green with no carbon footprint because you're buying carbon offsets.

    ::cough:: Al Gore ::cough:: 
  • bizzy592 said:

    bizzy592 said:
    The wedding hasn't happened yet (we're skipping it), but I've been invited to a wedding in mid-October. Invite arrived in May. RSVPs due July 31st. Website includes a honeyfund and a dress code.
    Oh my god you guys! I checked out the honeyfund page, and they're asking for $$ to offset their carbon footprint from the trip.
    That's hilarious and gross at the same time 
    image
  • A coworker's son is getting married in September.  The venue is not large enough to accommodate everyone they want to invite.  The solution?  They sent out invitations in March with an APRIL RSVP deadline so they could B-list.  

    No.  Just no.
    Image and video hosting by TinyPic
  • I went to a wedding a few months ago where I was asked to do a reading. I was not included in the rehearsal dinner invitation the night before and instead the bride texted me the instructions and location of the book with the reading at the ceremony site 45 minutes before the ceremony started. 

    This was followed by an almost 2 hour long cocktail hour, during which the open bar turned into a cash bar without warning (there was a sign up at the start of cocktail hour that they would be hosting beer and wine all night) and the credit card machine didn't work. The nearest cash machine was at a gas station a good distance away. So, no booze for me and FI.

    The toasts took an hour. They took our table away for the dance floor, even though it wasn't marked as a table that was going to be moved like the some of the others were. After that, there weren't enough seats for everyone. And the dancing didn't even start until 10:30 and it was all big band music. 

    Some of this may not be etiquette related but it impacted our enjoyment of the day. It was a real eye opener for our own wedding next year on how to host people properly. I'm also asking this friend to do a reading at my wedding AND she will be getting a proper rehearsal dinner invite!
  • madamerwinmadamerwin member
    First Anniversary First Comment 5 Love Its Name Dropper
    edited August 2015
    banana468 said: tfmrserwin said: BouxRadleytfmrserwin I find head tables to be rude and extremely inconsiderate. I had to fly cross country for FBIL's wedding, FI was the BM. They sat at the head table with the rest of the WP and I, who knew no one except a few of FI's family members, got to sit over at the rejects table in the corner. I wasn't even allowed to sit at the family table. "We just sat her with some of our friends. Figured she'd make friends." Exact quote from FBIL. Pissed me off to no end. 
    But over all, fight as hard against it as you're willing. A head table is totally fine as long as SO's aren't excluded. It's been said here time and again, you can't ask people to come celebrate your relationship while simultaneously shitting on theirs. 
    ---BOX---

    I should really just send my sister over here to read all the reasons people don't like head tables... I did suggest having a head table with room for everyone's SO's (a king's table?), so fingers crossed she does that. I told her that I was going to keep rallying against the head table until she makes her decision, but if she still decides to do it, I will shut my mouth. But I know I won't be the only person in the BP who thinks it's lame. I'd probably tell her that if she does it, I'm either bringing my SO's plate up to the table to snuggle in next to me or she shouldn't expect me to spend a ton of time at that head table.

    -----ETF BOXES------

    That's what I told her... She made the final decision to do the head table, since I was apparently the only person who straight-up said I didn't like it (from what I gather, everyone else said something along the lines of "I'm ok with it if it's what you want," which, I pointed out to sister, is NOT the same as people liking the idea). I told her I will sit there, but once I am done eating I am going to find H and hang out with him. She then responded saying she would really like it if I could stay at the table through the speeches, so that it doesn't look weird and unbalanced in the photos and video (so... she is clearly putting her "vision" before the comfort of her honored guests).

    Later she texted me back and said she and FI had talked about it, and if I wanted to sit with H, they would rearrange the seating so I could sit at a normal table. I was tempted, but I told her that since I am sure other members of the bridal party would rather sit with their SO's, it didn't seem fair to make an exception for me. (I could see others in the BP making a fuss when they realize that I was allowed to sit with my H when they weren't).

    In short, it wasn't a hill worthy dying on. H knows all of my family, and he'll be seated with my other two BILs and nieces and nephews. But still, I'll only be in my head table seat for the meal and the duration of speeches.

    But this IS a good lesson for lurkers: Just because people don't tell you they don't like your idea, it doesn't mean they actually like it. Also, head tables are lame.
    BabyFruit Ticker
  • banana468 said:
    BouxRadley said:
    tfmrserwin I find head tables to be rude and extremely inconsiderate. I had to fly cross country for FBIL's wedding, FI was the BM. They sat at the head table with the rest of the WP and I, who knew no one except a few of FI's family members, got to sit over at the rejects table in the corner. I wasn't even allowed to sit at the family table. "We just sat her with some of our friends. Figured she'd make friends." Exact quote from FBIL. Pissed me off to no end. 

    But over all, fight as hard against it as you're willing. A head table is totally fine as long as SO's aren't excluded. It's been said here time and again, you can't ask people to come celebrate your relationship while simultaneously shitting on theirs. 

    ---BOX---

    I should really just send my sister over here to read all the reasons people don't like head tables... I did suggest having a head table with room for everyone's SO's (a king's table?), so fingers crossed she does that. I told her that I was going to keep rallying against the head table until she makes her decision, but if she still decides to do it, I will shut my mouth. But I know I won't be the only person in the BP who thinks it's lame.
    I'd probably tell her that if she does it, I'm either bringing my SO's plate up to the table to snuggle in next to me or she shouldn't expect me to spend a ton of time at that head table.


    -----ETF BOXES------

    That's what I told her... She made the final decision to do the head table, since I was apparently the only person who straight-up said I didn't like it (from what I gather, everyone else said something along the lines of "I'm ok with it if it's what you want," which, I pointed out to sister, is NOT the same as people liking the idea). I told her I will sit there, but once I am done eating I am going to find H and hang out with him. She then responded saying she would really like it if I could stay at the table through the speeches, so that it doesn't look weird and unbalanced in the photos and video (so... she is clearly putting her "vision" before the comfort of her honored guests).

    Later she texted me back and said she and FI had talked about it, and if I wanted to sit with H, they would rearrange the seating so I could sit at a normal table. I was tempted, but I told her that since I am sure other members of the bridal party would rather sit with their SO's, it didn't seem fair to make an exception for me. (I could see others in the BP making a fuss when they realize that I was allowed to sit with my H when they weren't).

    In short, it wasn't a hill worthy dying on. H knows all of my family, and he'll be seated with my other two BILs and nieces and nephews. But still, I'll only be in my head table seat for the meal and the duration of speeches.

    But this IS a good lesson for lurkers: Just because people don't tell you they don't like your idea, it doesn't mean they actually like it. Also, head tables are lame.
    Yeah.   I hear you.  I'm way more likely to tell a sibling that I think their idea sucks vs. telling a friend "whatever you want".    

  • Went to a wedding about 2-3 years ago for FI's best friend (we will call him Bob) as he was the best man.I like Bob, Bob is an awesome person This was the worst wedding I have ever been to and I detest Bob's wife because of this and other encounters.

    * it was a PPD, they got married on the islands and then came back for a reception(which we had to drive 3 hrs away for)in which they dressed up again and did all the traditional things such as dance, cake cutting etc.

    * I was offered up to fix a few dresses while in the hotel as I happend to have my sewing kit as I was hand quilting on the way there. I happen to have thread that was close in color but not exact and got complaints from the bridesmaids of why I didn't have the exact color.

    * no SO's at the head table. This was bad for me. I'm an introvert so social events where I know no one except FI, bride/groom and FI's ex-wife are a nightmare.

    * since no SO's at head table I sat a random table that was emtpy but then I get asked somewhat nicely to move to another table since all of her friends wanted to sit there, only place left was near FI's ex wife who at the time talked to me like garbage

    * CASH BAR (she has since tried to push this idea onto me as it saved her so much money, I'd rather skinny dip in a pool full of leeches than do that)

    * Dollar dance -  I've seen this at all the weddings I've ever been to and hate them. They remind me of when I used to work at a club as a dancer and I used to refer to this as the cattle call, round them up and deal them out) I still part take in the dance as Bob is waving me over and to dance with her, give me the money ( what is the point of that)and she tells me I shouldn't dance so close or kiss my FI (bf at the time) because it is upsetting her friend the ex-wife.

    After that I bought several drinks, took a xanax and did as I pleased with my FI for the rest of the night. She keeps bringing up our wedding and trying to get us to do the same as they did but I want nothing to do with it and just bean dip as much as possible.

     

This discussion has been closed.
Choose Another Board
Search Boards