Know Your Role

• Weddings can involve hundreds of people, depending on the size of the event, and can quickly become overwhelming. If you are taking part in a wedding, plan ahead and ask questions if you are not sure how to deal with a certain aspect of your role. Some of the more important roles are the bride, groom, parents, minister or officiant, maid of honor, best man, bridesmaids, groomsmen, ring bearer and flower girl. Talk to the bride and groom about what they expect from you well in advance; do not wait until the week of the wedding to plan your role.
  
  

Wedding Guest Etiquette

• If you are attending a wedding in the near future, be sure to follow proper guest etiquette. RSVP as soon as possible; there are many different decisions the wedding couple will make based on the number of guests. If you cannot attend the event, it is still proper to send a gift. Whether you attend or not, you have a one-year grace period to send a gift.
  
  If attending the wedding, do not be late, especially to the service; you do not want to take attention away from the ceremony by walking in after it has begun. Dress properly: If it is a formal event, dress formally and never wear white. Do not bring uninvited guests to the wedding, including family members. And never have too much to drink at the reception.
  
  

Invitations and Thank-You Cards

• If you are getting married, be timely when sending out your "save the date" notices and wedding invitations. Generally, you should send out your invitations about six weeks prior to the wedding. It's also important to be prompt when sending out your thank-you cards. Make sure to send a personal, hand-written thank-you card to people who hosted prewedding events for you, and to guests who gave you gifts. Always make sure that everyone who worked hard to plan the event gets a nice thank-you card, and be sure to tip your coordinator, caterer and other vendors with whom you worked.
  
  

Wedding Runners

• Wedding runners are placed in the aisle where the bride will walk as she approaches her groom. They vary in style and can be made from different fabrics, from poly linen to French lace. Wedding runners are typically used during formal or semiformal daytime ceremonies, though it is entirely up to you if you want to use one in your wedding. The traditional color is white, but there are some softer cream colors that are also appropriate. You can buy or rent a wedding runner, and you also can personalize your wedding runner with a monogram.
  
  

Wedding Runner Etiquette

• If you use a wedding runner in your wedding, it is important to know proper runner etiquette. Generally, the ushers will roll out the runner from the front of the church--or wherever the ceremony is taking place--to the back. It is up to the bride to decide who walks on the runner. Usually, the runner is rolled out prior to the wedding party walking down the aisle. However, it is perfectly acceptable to roll the runner out just for the bride's entrance. Keep in mind that everyone will exit the church by walking out on the runner, unless the ushers are instructed to remove the runner after the bride and groom exit.