{"id":39197,"date":"2016-05-30T07:04:46","date_gmt":"2016-05-29T21:04:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/content.easyweddings.com\/au\/articles\/modern-wedding-etiquette\/"},"modified":"2021-11-10T04:55:03","modified_gmt":"2021-11-09T17:55:03","slug":"modern-wedding-etiquette","status":"publish","type":"au-article","link":"https:\/\/www.easyweddings.com.au\/articles\/modern-wedding-etiquette\/","title":{"rendered":"Modern wedding etiquette: How times have changed"},"content":{"rendered":"

Weddings may be\u00a0steeped in tradition, but times change and so do traditions. In the age of wedding hashtags and relationship statuses, wedding etiquette too has progressed… a little. Here are some of the most notable differences between modern wedding etiquette and traditional wedding etiquette:<\/p>\n

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See more of this modern #RealWedding<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Who pays\u00a0the wedding bill?<\/h2>\n

Traditionally, a bride’s family would write a cheque to cover the wedding while the groom’s family would pay for the honeymoon. Of course, times have changed. These days, it’s more common for the couple and their families to split wedding costs.<\/p>\n

According to the 2013 Easy Weddings Australian Bridal Survey:<\/a><\/p>\n

– 47.6% of couples are sharing the wedding costs with their parents<\/p>\n

– 42.5% of couples were paying for the wedding by themselves<\/p>\n

-The remaining percentage said their wedding was being paid for by either one set of parents or the bride\/groom separately.<\/p>\n

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Check out this gorgeous modern #RealWedding<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Who is in the\u00a0wedding party?<\/h2>\n

Traditionally, grooms would select their closest male friends\u00a0or\u00a0family members to be groomsmen, and brides would choose their closest girlfriends to be bridesmaids. These days, however, the bride’s bridal party needn’t only include women, and the groom’s bridal party needn’t only include men.<\/p>\n

It’s increasingly common for the bride and groom to\u00a0choose members of the opposite sex to be a part of their\u00a0wedding party. Why? Because modern couples don’t feel the need to adhere to tradition just for the sake of it. These days, it’s all about picking the people you want at your side during your big day, no matter what their gender. It’s one of the most\u00a0refreshing changes when it\u00a0comes with modern wedding etiquette.<\/p>\n

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Check out this fun modern #RealWedding<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n

How guests will RSVP<\/h2>\n

The only difference in\u00a0modern wedding etiquette in relation to RSVPing <\/a>is that there are many more forms of communication to do so with.\u00a0The best thing to do\u00a0is to simply\u00a0follow\u00a0the instructions on the wedding invitation\/RSVP card<\/a>.\u00a0If it says call, then call them; if it says text, then shoot them a text message; and if it says email RSVPs are acceptable, then email your response.<\/p>\n

The couple have specifically come up with their chosen\u00a0RSVP method to make it easier for them to know who’s coming and who isn’t. But this also makes it easy as possible for their guests, many of whom may feel perfectly happy direct messaging their RSVP on Facebook!<\/p>\n

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See more of Pink Teapot Design and Letterpress<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n

Don’t forget your wedding hashtag<\/h2>\n

Should you have a wedding hashtag or not? This is certainly not a question brides and grooms would be asking even a few years ago! In fact, most would ask ‘what is a hashtag?’<\/p>\n

A wedding hashtag allows your wedding guests to share all the photos <\/a>they have snapped on their mobile phones throughout the day via social media. By using this single term preceded by a # symbol, the couple (or anyone following the hashtag) can keep track of all the images in one place.<\/p>\n

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Take your wedding to the next level with SnapCentral<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n

The rise of ‘unplugged’ weddings<\/h2>\n

Of course, this brings us to one of the biggest – and most controversial – topics when it comes to modern wedding etiquette: what to do about guests taking photos – and then sharing those pics on social media?<\/p>\n

The issue has two potentially\u00a0thorny sides<\/a>:<\/p>\n

– With mobile phones being so prevalent and, therefore, guests having the ability to snap throughout wedding ceremonies, modern couples are often faced with having to host an ‘unplugged’ wedding ceremony where they\u00a0ask guests NOT to take pictures during the wedding ceremony<\/a>. Why? So that they won’t\u00a01) not get in the way of the official wedding photographer and\/or videographer and prevent them from snaring the best shots for the couple and 2) so that guests\u00a0enjoy the actual ceremony rather than worrying about capturing the best snaps.<\/p>\n

– With social media taking over the world, couples who are particularly private and don’t want their wedding images shared on social media, let alone before they’ve had a chance to do so or even approve what gets shared, are being forced to ask guests NOT to post images from their wedding ceremony and\/or reception publicly<\/a>.\u00a0\u00a0<\/a><\/p>\n

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Read how to have an unplugged wedding<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n

Cash only, please<\/h2>\n

While traditionally it wasn’t considered polite to\u00a0ask for cash as a wedding present<\/a>, it is far more commonplace these days as most couples either live together before marriage and have everything for their marital home, or they may be saving for something they don’t already have \u2014 such as a house deposit.<\/p>\n

Couples who prefer cash as a gift\u00a0will normally set up a wishing well (either physical or digital<\/a>), allowing guests to donate money towards, for example, their honeymoon, that\u00a0home deposit, or their general future together.<\/p>\n

If you’re having difficulty knowing how to ask guests to donate to a wishing well, here are some fun and polite ways to do so.<\/a><\/p>\n

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Red envelopes containing cash paid for the entire reception at this #RealWedding<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

When to publicly congratulate a couple<\/h2>\n

In the social media age, it may\u00a0be considered a faux pas to publicly congratulate a newly married couple on social media before the couple themselves have changed their status or posted about it online.<\/p>\n

It’s their\u00a0special moment to share with the world \u2014 not yours. You never know, they may\u00a0not want to have their personal lives on social media or haven\u2019t told all their loved ones yet, so try hold off congratulating the couple publicly.<\/p>\n

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Read everything you need to know about an unplugged wedding<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n

Don’t forget to change your relationship status<\/h2>\n

This is another modern conundrum for newlyweds! When do you change your relationship status or surname (if it applies) on social media? There is no right or wrong answer, of course!<\/p>\n

Some couples change it a few minutes after while others may take a month. We’ve even heard of some couples changing it as soon as they’ve said their vows! Luckily, there are no laws saying that you aren’t ‘really married’ until your relationship status has changed on Facebook!<\/p>\n

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What about the plus-ones?<\/h2>\n

Modern or traditional, asking for a plus-one at a wedding is not considered polite. There is, likely, a reason why\u00a0your partner\u00a0hasn’t been invited to the\u00a0wedding \u2014 or you’ve been invited alone.\u00a0It could be that the couple only want their closest friends in attendance, or they are on a budget and can\u2019t afford plus-ones.<\/p>\n

Of course, you can ask if you want to \u2014 but it may\u00a0be awkward being\u00a0told ‘no.’<\/p>\n

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Manage your guest list today!<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n

When to give your wedding gift<\/h2>\n

Traditionally, wedding guests have until the couple’s first anniversary to give newlyweds a wedding gift<\/a>, and this hasn’t changed. That said, you\u00a0may feel a little awkward turning up to a wedding reception empty-handed, but it’s absolutely not necessary to hand over your wedding gift at the actual reception. So don’t fret, you still have a whole 12 months to give the newlyweds their precious wedding present and, with the rise of wishing wells, who’s to know what you’ve given or when?<\/p>\n

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Check out this gorgeous #RealWedding<\/a>\u00a0and Plan your gift registry here<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n

See here for more modern wedding trends!\u00a0<\/a><\/h2>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":39198,"template":"","au_article_tag":[1106,152,51],"class_list":["post-39197","au-article","type-au-article","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","au_article_category-expert-advice","au_article_tag-modern-wedding","au_article_tag-wedding-etiquette","au_article_tag-weddings"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.easyweddings.com.au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/au-article\/39197"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.easyweddings.com.au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/au-article"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.easyweddings.com.au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/au-article"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.easyweddings.com.au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.easyweddings.com.au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/au-article\/39197\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.easyweddings.com.au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/39198"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.easyweddings.com.au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=39197"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"au_article_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.easyweddings.com.au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/au_article_tag?post=39197"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}