Alyssa McClure - April 11, 2015

If you've researched weddings, you've probably heard about wedding etiquette. These mysterious sets of rules that are either based on tradition, or somehow meant to make everyone feel welcome can leave even the most prepared bride-to-be confused. At the end of the day, it's your wedding, and you don't have to follow anyone's rules. Still, some of them are useful. Today, we're going to take the work out of it for you and sort through which ones are unnecessary and which ones will just make your day easier!

Only People Invited to the Wedding Should be Invited to Wedding Events

This one is a pretty good rule of thumb. What it comes down to is that when someone is invited to a shower and not to the wedding it feels like they are only being asked for presents. People should be involved in your wedding because you love them and appreciate them. If they aren't part of your life enough to come to your big day, it's not fair to expect them to come to a "presents required" party. The one caveat to this rule is destination weddings. If you are flying to Jamaica and only your parents are coming, it is completely fair to invite your friends to celebrate beforehand.

The Mothers of the Bride and Groom Should Wear Accent Colors

This rule is completely up to you. If your mothers want to wear the accent color, that's great! If, however, you prefer they just choose something different or your future mother-in-law despises the canary yellow you chose, they can wear whatever makes them comfortable.

You Must Provide Dinner at Your Reception

It may be surprising to hear, but this one is absolutely not true anymore. One of the best, new trends is having alcohol and appetizer receptions only. Many couples are choosing to have their reception at a small bar or a restaurant and serve just cocktails and finger foods. This is perfect for couples who aren't huge dancers or who want to have a better chance to talk to everyone. When you aren't confined to a table for an hour of the reception, everyone gets to spend more time celebrating and just being together. Another great option is having a morning wedding and a brunch reception. The best thing about this option is that it costs significantly less than an evening reception. The bottom line is that dinner is nice, but not required!

You Must Toss the Bouquet and Garter

Some people think this tradition is cute and fun to play Single Ladies and have your girlfriends fight over the bouquet. Others feel uncomfortable having their new husband diving under their skirt in front of their entire family. Whatever you want to do here is absolutely fine. There is nothing that says if you don't throw a garter at your unmarried friends, your marriage doesn't count. Do what is best for you and your guests.

Traditions are there to help you make your guests happy and make your wedding run smoothly. That doesn't mean that you are required to follow every single one. If some traditions don't fit your style, don't worry about them! Your wedding is about committing the rest of your life to the person you love. The little traditions are just there to help you along. If there's something we didn't cover here, subscribe to our newsletter to get weekly tips and check out our blog on answering the tough questions for advice on things you may feel uncomfortable asking! Let us know if there are any other tricky situations by Tweeting at @bridalbprint, commenting on our Facebook page, or commenting below. Tag your questions #AskAlyssa and we will get back to you ASAP. And as always, happy wedding planning!

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