Destination Wedding Etiquette

If a couple has invited you to their destination wedding, it is most likely that they have spent huge amounts of money to make the event happen. Also, you will probably have to spend a good chunk of change just to get to this place of theirs. Therefore it is necessary to act properly to ensure that the couple has the best wedding possible.

Destination wedding etiquette can be slightly different than how you would behave at a regular wedding, so I will try to outline this for you. Following are plenty of tips to ensure that your destination wedding etiquette is acceptable.

Dealing with Terrible Jet Lag

When you arrive at the location, you might be suffering from a bit of jet lag. This can be terrible, especially on the morning of the wedding when you feel like you should be sleeping for another 6 hours. However, you should never appear tired at the wedding. If you must, bring along a few caffeine pills to pop on the morning of the wedding.

If you can just remain bright and alert for the few hours of the ceremony, you will be able to crash back at your hotel for as long as you want. It is terrible destination wedding etiquette to be grumpy and tired for the whole ceremony and reception.

Hygiene and Eating Habits

After you have been on a plane for a few hours or in a car for a few days, you most likely do not smell as pleasant as you would like to. You may be tempted to show up at the wedding in your full sweaty and smelly goodness, but this is not in form with proper destination wedding etiquette.

Arrive at your hotel early enough to get a full and cleansing shower. Put on some deodorant and cologne before you show up at the wedding. Prepare as if you were going on a date. As long as you look nice, nobody should complain.

I can not tell you how many wedding receptions I have been to after not having eaten for hours and hours. Sometimes when someone has a wedding that is far away, you will be too rushed to even eat. The reception will be your first exposure to food for much longer than you are used to. I'm usually slightly embarrassed to load my plate up with a 7-course meal, but I shouldn't be. And neither should you.

The parent that paid for the food at the reception is probably praying that there will not be any leftovers. So in theory, you are doing them a favor by eating as much food as your starved stomach can handle! Overeating is definitely not a negative in the destination wedding etiquette handbook. After all, weddings are a time to celebrate and be merry.

Maintaining proper destination wedding etiquette may seem like a monumental task. After all, you are most likely disheveled from your voyage and flustered by the haste with which you had to prepare. Traveling across the country, or to another country, isn't an easy experience for anyone. However, it is easy to keep your cool and behave like a proper and civilized person. Just follow the tips I have outlined, and use your basic sense of human decency.

See Also:

Beach Wedding Packages
Beach Wedding Attire Tips