5 Tips To Help You Be The Perfect Wedding Guest

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So, you have received a wedding invitation and are no doubt excited and eager to attend it? Who doesn’t love an Indian wedding? They are the perfect occasions to catch up with friends and family members. But in your zeal and (over) enthusiasm to attend this ceremony, could you be making some mistakes unknowingly? As a wedding guest, you have certain duties and the most important one by far is to be the perfect wedding guest.

We tell you how….

1. Respond promptly to the wedding invitation

As soon as you get  the wedding invitation card, it is essential that you RSVP or call the host. The wedding family hosting the ceremonies  have to let their caterer know the exact head count, so it is essential that you tell them exactly how many people from your family would be attending the events.

2. Dress appropriately and pay attention to personal hygiene

It is the bride/groom-to-be’s special day and naturally you would not want to dress in a manner that steals the limelight away from them. Dress in a neat and festive manner and certainly avoid wearing jeans, T-shirts or other casual wear. Most Indian Hindu weddings require you to dress in what would be termed as “festive wear or traditional ethnic wear”. Men can go in for formal Indian attire like Kurta and pyjama or even wear a suit if it is not too hot. Women may wear a nice sari, salwar kameez or a simple lehenga choli based on their comfort level. These days, pre-pleated saris are a huge blessing to women who are not used to wearing the regular 5-yard saris. Men: please shave and groom yourselves, comb your hair and splash on some deodorant or after shave. All guests should also keep their breath fresh using mouth-fresheners.

ways to be the best wedding guest

Image: Dadiwala Production

3. Stop complaining and criticizing

Once you are at the wedding, try not to criticize or complaint or pick a fight. Smile a lot and, if there is alcohol,  drink moderately. Try and support the wedding hosts by helping in any way you can. Sure you might have some old grudges but a wedding is certainly not the time to bring them up. It certainly would be highly unfair to the bride/groom to be and would make everyone else attending uncomfortable. If you are displeased about something (the temperature in the wedding hall or the volume of the entertainment etc.), you could discretely point it out to the host or the wedding coordinator/planner if there is one.

4. Try to respect the wishes of the bridal families

If the wedding invitation says “No gifts, blessings only” do try to respect it. If you go against this, you would make not only the bridal family uncomfortable but also the other guests who might not have brought gifts. You can always gift the couple on some other occasion later or mail the gift separately.

be the perfect wedding guest

Image: ClicksUnlimited

5. Participate without making a fool of yourself

The wedding or sangeet night inevitably means dancing, drinking and singing. Try and participate even if you are not too comfortable with these. Also, try not to go overboard doing it. Most bridal families are concerned if their guests are having a good time or not- so if you are going to frown there the entire time; it is certainly not going to go down well with them.

These simple tips will not only make you the star of the wedding, you will also be assured of having a great time!

Main image by Soham Sawant

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