Have you been to a wedding and felt unwelcomed or unimpressed? Bad DJ? Expensive drinks?

We’ve all been there. Proper etiquette on your wedding day is more than minding your manners. Proper etiquette involves many things you wouldn’t think about.

To help make your wedding party more enjoyable for everyone attending, here are 5 wedding etiquette mistakes to avoid!

1.       Don’t skip meals or dehydrate.

The first “Don’t” on our list involves the most important person at your wedding… you! Oh yeah. And also your soon-to-be spouse. You might find yourself too busy to eat the morning of your wedding, but if there was ever a day your body needs fuel, it’s on your wedding day! Proper nutrition will help you focus. It will also prevent you from being “hangry”. If you forget to eat and its party time, you might also find yourself susceptible to the effects of alcohol. Everyone absorbs alcohol at a different rate. Women, young people, and people who are smaller tend to absorb alcohol more quickly than men and people who are older and larger in body size. On an empty stomach, the body absorbs the alcohol quicker, intensifying its side effects. It’s not that often that you throw a party that costs thousands of dollars! Don’t ruin it by having drank too much on an empty stomach!

Moral of the story: Eat on your wedding day!

2.       Don’t invite someone to the bridal shower, or any other pre-wedding event, if they aren’t invited to the wedding!

Anyone who is on a pre-wedding festivities list must also be invited to the wedding. Inviting them to only your shower would imply that they’re good enough to give you a gift, but not good enough to celebrate on your actual big day.

The only exception? Events hosted by coworkers who chip in and contribute to the celebration, with no expectation that they’ll get a wedding invite, are acceptable.

3.       Don’t make guests wait a long time before party time!

Leaving a big gap in your timeline between the end of your ceremony and the beginning of cocktail hour is a great way to tell guests that you forgot about them. If they’re at two different locations, do your best to minimize the in-between time, allowing enough time for guests to travel from one spot to the other, but not enough time to sit around and get hungry. Worse thing would be guests eating at a restaurant while they wait, and not having an appetite for the $30 dinner plate you bought them! If a longer break is unavoidable give your guests the option of being entertained with live music or creating a guide to explore the immediate area close to the wedding reception venue.

4.       Don’t make guests pay for their drinks!

Best way to help make your party enjoyable is to pay for the drinks. You might not be able to afford hours of open-bar, but there are ways to cut those costs without asking your guests to pay. You can have a limited open bar, where the night could be split with a couple of hours of open bar followed by just beer and wine served in the evening, to save on costs.

By the way! Azar Event Center has great options for your bar-hosting needs. Check out our deals: https://www.azareventcenter.com/at-the-bar/

5.       Don’t skip out on greeting your guests!

It’s important to try to greet all of your guests over the course of your wedding day. Share a hug and a quick chat during cocktail hour, then move on to the next group of guests. Make sure you’re served dinner first so you can eat before circulating among the reception tables. Make it a plan to visit each table, and if you hire a photographer, make sure that they tag along for the ride to take pictures with all your guests. Guests will understand that you’re trying to make the rounds, so don’t worry about keeping it short.  While on the dance floor, try to dance with as many people as possible. One small interaction at your wedding day goes a long way for your guests!