Miss Simplee Sufficient

While a few of you may have been invited to attend weddings for family members of those few high school sweethearts who decided to tie the knot before college began, prepare yourself for all of the weddings and engagements that college will present you with.

While weddings are a great social event, events where you can grab some great food, meet some interesting people and possibly even hook a Prince Charming of your own, there are still some essential rules that every wedding guest needs to adhere to.

Here they are, in no particular order:

If you used to date the groom, shut up about it. I think that pretty much says it all...

Take it easy on the ‘tinis. While there are rarely any enforced drink limits, it’s a good idea to come up with your own limit long before you show up. Whether you’re drinking wine, beer, martinis or champagne, don’t overdo it. God only knows what might pop out of your mouth (or out of your dress, if you aren’t looking!)

It’ NEVER okay to be a wedding crasher. I don’t care if you and the bride were best friends in kindergarten, if you weren’t issued an invitation, don’t even think about showing up. Weddings are expensive, and generally budgeted down to the bottom dollar. One extra guest can wreck everything. If you’re really hurt that you weren’t invited, take the time out to politely ask the bride and groom why. It may turn out that they’re planning to throw a special get-together of their own after the honeymoon!

Don’t attend without a gift. I don’t care if you throw together a gift from the Dollar Tree, the point is that you need to put some thought and love into choosing a gift that will either make the bride and groom laugh, smile, cry from memories or some other warm and fuzzy variety of emotions. This doesn’t have to cost a lot of money, but it certainly deserves a lot of thought!

Don’t even THINK about wearing white. Again, this one should go without saying, but it happens all of the time. Don’t do it!

Keep any toasts you make traditional (and tasteful!) If you’re tipsy, don’t stand up and go on and on about seventh grade or the bride’s first kiss or that time you guys played spin the bottle. Keep things short, sweet and to a non-risque point... 

Take and tag tons of pictures and upload them ASAP. Wedding photographers often take a little time to consult with the bride and groom and their families regarding which prints will be purchased. You can help “report” on the event to those who missed it by dubbing yourself the unofficial photographer.

When in doubt, don’t do it! This goes for any and everything you can imagine. As always, err on the side of caution my friend!

Whatever way you can, big or small, make the bride feel beautiful and/or special. It can be a sincere compliment, a special gift, sharing a special secret memory or whatever - just make it a point to do it!

While none of these tips are by any means rocket science, every day, folks across the nation and world commit violations of these rules much to the embarrassment of themselves and the couple getting married. Don’t let yourself be one of them!