During the gorgeous summertime in Vancouver, it is no doubt the most popular wedding season.  Not only the couple, parents and wedding party will get stressful during the planning process, it is very possible that your beloved guests will feel stressful and uncertain about the etiquette as well.  During these several weeks, I have received quite a few email inquiries from various wedding guests regarding what they should wear, whether they should change their attire, when is the best time to present gift, etc….And coincidentally enough, these inquiries I received are all from the gentlemen, which yet proves again gone are the days when only lady guests care about wedding etiquette.

Q1:

As guests, what should men wear to the ceremony at Church in the morning? Can they wear tuxes? Is it necessary for men to change into another suit for the banquet or reception at night?

A1:

For attending a ceremony at church, given that church is a rather solemn place, guests tend to dress a little more formal than wearing denim to a ceremony.  As a guest, business casual is usually adequate during the day.  You may certainly go with a suit if that is your preference.  As for the banquet, I would say it totally depends on the formality of the reception.  If the wedding invitation does not tell you the formality of the wedding already, the banquet venue should give you more or less of an idea.  For example: if the banquet venue takes place at a beachfront outdoor patio restaurant, the chances are the couple is hosting a wedding with casual attire.  On the other hand, if the banquet venue takes place in a nice Chinese restaurant or a 5 star hotel, you would probably want to wear your suit and tie.  It is not necessary or mandatory for men to change into another suit from day to night, it is simply a personal preference.  If you do not want to change the entire outfit but want to look somewhat different from the daytime ceremony to the night banquet, I would suggest you to stick with the same suit and simply change the color of the tie or cuff links, and/or add a tie clip or pocket square.  Do not underestimate these minor changes, you’ll be amazed what a huge differences it makes!

Q2:

When is the appropriate time to present the gift? Should the guests send the gift in advance, give it to the bride or groom at the Ceremony, or present it at the banquet?

A2:

If you are a close friend with the bride or groom, it will be nice and thoughtful of you to present the gift prior their wedding day, so they have one less thing to carry with them at the end of the night.  If you choose to present the gift on the day of their wedding, I would suggest to present before the banquet starts.  It is not wrong to present it before the daytime ceremony, it’s just that both bride and groom are usually nervous about their big entrance during the day and do not have much time to greet and socialize with guests.  Before the night banquet begins, the newly wed couple tends to be more relaxed and have a fair amount of time slot taking pictures and greeting their guests.  Therefore, I feel that particular moment is the best time to present the gift if you want to give the present to the bride and/or groom directly.

Q3:

Chinese like to give lucky money (red pockets), should they still include a gift?

A3:

Chinese have a habit of giving lucky money, monetary gift is always practical.  There is no rule to this, it mainly depends on your budget.  If your total budget is $100, you can either give a total of $100 in a red pocket, or a $100 gift card, or simply purchase a gift that is close to that value.  If you would like to present both present and money, you can split the amount and do $50 red pocket and $50 value present.

Proper wedding invitations are more essential than most couples think they are, because invitations set out the first impression to your guests.  Besides the date and time of the ceremony and reception, that tiny invitation card should also carry out information and let your guests know about the formality of your wedding, the color theme, who is hosting the party, etc.  There are endless etiquette when it comes to invitation cards; unfortunately, many couples tend to miss out on these little yet very important details.  When you don’t have a clue how to word your invitation and how the etiquette should be done, that’s when a wedding planner come in handy.

However, when the couple is speaking about the printing and design aspect of things, it is best to leave it with professional design and printing company.  For the brides and grooms who have done some research on invitation cards, you’d probably know there are many different types of printing options, such as: offset, foil stamping, digital and letterpress.  Among these options, letterpress is usually the most popular and it is being seen as the most gorgeous and luxurious of them all.

As classy and high end as the letterpress printing maybe, usually so does the price tag.  Luckily, there are printing and design companies out there who will not break your bank.  Yes, it is rare but they do exist!  Ajalon is one of the few who offers high quality printing and design with a happy handsome price.  If you can just imagine the use of handmade, tree free, and organic paper pairing up with letterpress printing that provides such crisp, great depth and beauty, it is nothing but pure perfection.

Ajalon is now offering a special promotion for all beloved brides and grooms out there.  You are able to receive 100 letterpress wedding invitations with blank envelopes and 100 enclosure cards for only $398!!!  Simply place your order and place the deposit by July 31, and you will be able to get this amazing deal!  Of course, if you are one of our clients, you will receive further discounts on regular items from Ajalon as well.

So wait no more!  Take a look at these beauties and visit http://invitationsbyajalon.com/