This summer's wedding season is in full swing, and weddings are undoubtedly a big event not only for the newlyweds, but also for their guests. Regardless of whether the particular wedding will have the most beautiful flowers and decorations, the best host of the evening and the most delicious food, the invited guests also play an important role in creating the overall atmosphere and mood. If you will be a wedding guest for the first time this summer, or if you have forgotten how to behave at a wedding, LĪGAVĀM offers a wedding guest behavior guide.

When to arrive at the wedding ceremony location?

Although being late is a daily habit for some people, a wedding ceremony would be the last place to arrive late, even if you are just a guest and not the bride or groom. It is not uncommon to hear that one of the guests arrived only during the ceremony or, even worse, at the very end of the ceremony. Doing so can offend the couple and make them feel that they are not important enough for the guests to try not to be late. It would be polite to arrive 15 minutes before the wedding ceremony in order to find a place for yourself and be ready to welcome the new couple.

When can you sit down at the dinner table?

Wedding celebration tables have long ceased to be just a place to enjoy a festive feast. Efforts and resources are often invested in their decoration, just like in the drawing up of the seating plan.

Although when you arrive at the venue, you will most likely notice both the party tables and the seating plan, but this does not mean that you can safely go and take your place. Seating begins at the invitation of the host or ushers after the new couple has arrived. Another thing that should never be done at a wedding is to mix up the seating plan of the guests. The wedding planner or the new couple have taken time to put it together, and mixing up the seating plan can not only upset the new couple, but also cause various unnecessary disagreements among the guests on the wedding day.

When to say a toast/speech?

If you want to make a speech or give a toast to the new couple, then you should do so after the invitation of the host or presenters of the evening.

Weddings, just like any other event, most often have a script and must be respected. Undoubtedly, if one of the wedding guests has prepared a speech, the bride and groom will definitely be happy and appreciate it, but in order to find the most suitable time to say it, during the celebration, you should approach the leader of the evening and ask which moment in the script would be the most suitable for saying the speech.

Can I post photos on social networks?

Nowadays, this issue is gaining more and more relevance. Before posting pictures of the new couple on your social media profiles, you should check with the couple themselves if they have no objections. Although we live in the age of social media, there are still people who want to protect their privacy and do not post their private pictures on the Internet.

If, however, the couple has no objections to their photos being published, then at least the phone should be left aside during the wedding ceremony. If the couple has created their own special wedding hashtag or hashtag , then it's definitely okay to use it as well.

What to say about the wedding after the wedding?

One of the mistakes that guests tend to make is after the wedding, when answering the question of how it went, to tell all their observations, for example, how unappetizing the chicken was for dinner or how the bride's dress did not fit. Everyone can have an opinion, of course, but telling other people or the newlyweds themselves about things they didn't like about their wedding is not good behavior. About other people's weddings, just like about people - if you talk, then only good things or don't talk at all.

PHOTO: OLIVIER DE RYCKE