So, you’ve been invited to a wedding…
Firstly you should feel honoured that you made the exclusive list! It is official you are an essential member of their tribe and as such they want you there to share in the love. Secondly, I go to a lot of weddings and I can’t tell you the difference an invested crowd of well-wishers makes compared to a group of guests who are politely restrained.
So, here are my top 5 tips to being a freaking awesome wedding guests (that the celebrant will brag about to their celebrant buddies… Yep it is totally a thing):
Arrive on time
5. It seems kind of obvious but trust me it is still relevant… Your first tip is to arrive on time! If the invitation says to arrive at 3.30pm, be there ready to go at 3.30pm (some wedding parties do actually arrive on time). Alternatively, if the invitation says arrive at 3.30pm for a 3.45pm ceremony… Then arrive at the time you have been asked to, in this case 3.30pm.
Trust me you don’t want to miss the big entrance and even more than that you don’t want to be the schmuck sneaking in after the ceremony has already started!
Sit down already!
4. Everyone is on their best behaviour at weddings, I get it. You don’t want to steal a seat from the wedding party’s little old granny. But here is the thing, the photos look so much better if all the seats are filled. I literally will not start a ceremony until all the seats along the aisle are filled. So, the next time you are at a wedding and the celebrant asks for volunteers to fill the seats… Get your butt on a seat and know that you just totally earned some serious celebrant brownie points!
Clap until your hands hurt, smile like you mean it
3. Gone are the days where guests are expected to be respectfully quiet while they try desperately not to fall asleep from the boredom of a generic wedding ceremony that they have heard 10 times before, just with some different names thrown in.
Those days are long gone (yay!) and this new era calls for a new type of wedding guest. Modern wedding ceremonies are a joyful celebration of the couples love and as such it should feel like one. The celebrant is going to do all the hard work but we still need you! So, when the celebrant asks you to share in the love, go right ahead and do so with gusto! Clap until your hands hurt, smile like you mean it and when you cheer…. Let’s give the neighbors a reason to complain!
Go on… Make your friends feel like the rock stars they are (if only for this one day)!
Put those cameras and phones away
2. Most people have been to an unplugged wedding ceremony before. But if you are still wondering what the heck it is, it is when the couple have hired a kick arse photographer or maybe a videographer and they are entrusting the trained professionals with the task of documenting their ceremony. The celebrant is going to remind you of the couples wishes and they expect you to follow them… Yes, you too Uncle Barry! So put those cameras and phones away and enjoy this precious moment in time.
Show up ready to celebrate
1. I have left the most important to last… And it all comes down to attitude. Your attitude! The most amazing wedding guests, are those that show up ready to celebrate! These guests are genuinely delighted to be there, they love the couple getting married and they ooze joy and love. Their excitement is infectious and you can literally feel it in the air. They have put aside any pressures from their own lives and they show up ready to party, right from the very first moment! When enough guests showing up with an open heart and a kick arse attitude it transforms a great wedding into something EPIC that people will talk about for years to come!
Your celebrant,
Mel x
Photo Credit: Stories With Mel