Weddi-quette Wednesday!

Its that time of the week again! We're half way to the weekend, yay! And time for an etiquette lesson. Its hard to be in an office when its SO beautiful outside! Which leads me into this weeks weddi-quette. What do you do if you're asked to be in a wedding party for a destination wedding or if you are invited as a guest and cannot attend?

This is a tough one, destination weddings, as beautiful as they are can often times be too expensive to attend. Its a real shame because what's better then an entire week on a beautiful beach with all of your favorite people?!?! Reality sets in though and its often just not in the budget. So what is a polite way to tell 2 people you love so much that you're just not going to make it?

In all honesty most brides and grooms TOTALLY understand that many people they invite won't be able to attend. If they make the decision to have a destination wedding, sometimes they will also decide to have another party back home so they can celebrate with everyone, then you're completely in the clear! You still get to celebrate with them! If there is no other opportunity for celebration, here is my suggestion:

Let the bride and groom know that its just not feasible for you right now between finances and time constraints, there are a lot of reasons that people cannot attend. Make sure to find out where they're registered and send a gift to them around the time of the wedding. If they're not registered I always think its lovely to get them something you love (I love to personalize things!) or another great idea is too get them something to do while they're away- for example rent Jet ski's for 2 hours! Think of the fun memories they will make and they'll have you to thanks! Also, I think a nice touch would be to take them out for dinner when they return! Gives you a chance to hear all of the wonderful stories and still have a celebration! At the end of the day as long as you are acknowledging what a special time this is in their lives, that's all people want! 

So don't be afraid to say no, just remember to be genuine in telling them you are sad to be missing it and still want to celebrate! If it ends a friendship, well, then you weren't that good of friends to begin with :) Weddings should never be a stressful time for friends and family (easier said then done, I know) they should be an exciting time and a time to celebrate some good old fashioned love!

Did I get my point across by using the word "love" a million times in this post?!