Your essential wedding etiquette guide 1)Payments for the wedding: unlike traditionally, many couples fund their big day themselves these days, or split the cost between both families. Both sets of parents should discuss themselves about this subject when preparing for the big day. 2) Starting with the guest list: Do a list of everyone you’d like to invite and sort them into following categories: a) those who must be invited at all costs – parents, siblings, best friends. b) those you still see and keep in contact regularly – friends, ie. work colleagues, long-term mates from uni, football etc. c) People you recently met, ie. new work colleagues. d) Friends you haven’t seen in a long time and don’t keep in contact with, and family members that you don’t have a relationship with. a)and b) should get an invitation to the whole event; c) could come to the evening do; and d) shouldn’t be invited at all. 3)Whom to be invited if the couple is getting married abroad: If the costs involved aren't such an issue, then they can invite their friends to come along. But, most couples stick to close family and friends only on such an event, and then hold a post-wedding party when they get back. 4)Sending of invitations: These days many couples send their own. Order them four months before the wedding and post them eight to 10 weeks before. A reply card and a pre-addressed envelope should be included in order to speed things up. 5)Setting up a dress code: Nowadays dress codes can be quite varied and the couple can specify what they want by just keeping the wording simple and clear. 6)The time the bride and groom should get to the ceremony: The groom and best man should arrive at the venue at least 30 minutes before the bride. The bride has the privilege to be the last to arrive. 7)Do the bridesmaids enter before or after the bride: The bridesmaids traditionally follow the bride up the aisle or the other way around. Some brides like to have a flower girl enter first, but there’s no set rule. 8)Duties of the best man and the ushers: Before the wedding, the best man is responsible for the stag do and getting the Bride’s fiance home safely afterwards! On the day, he briefs the ushers, about the speech, the buttonholes and sees that all guests have got home safely at the end of the evening. Ushers direct guests to their seats during the ceremony, and gather guests for photos afterwards. 9)The choice of food : You can offer more choices if you have a buffet where guests can choose from a selection of meat, fish and vegetarian options. 10)speeches and what order should they go: The bride’s father speaks first, followed by the groom and best man. However, the speeches could be held before the meal so that the speakers can relax and enjoy their food, or hold them later on when the evening guests are also present.