Guest Etiquette

In India, there is a phrase in Sanskrit, which means that a guest is a representation of the almighty and so a guest or guests should be treated with the best one has. Even if that is not the case in other cultures, one thing is for sure. That is, the basic conduct for treating guests, the overall hospitality cannot be compromised, be it USA, UK or India. When we have guests calling at our place, it is imperative that they are looked after well. On the other hand, the guests who come in should also know how to be good guests.

Wedding Guest Etiquette
Following are some pointers to check out if you are guest at a wedding or even in general.

Reply ASAP
After you get an invite, reply as soon as possible (ASAP). This is necessary so that the wedding planner or the concerned family gets a rough idea of the attendance at the event. That will help them plan accordingly.

Time Travails
When you are invited for a wedding with proper time and venue, it is important to be punctual. Thus, being on time will be considered as a virtue by your hosts. This applies for most of the situations - a party, or any other occasion. Of course in a party you can afford not be bang on time, but on all other occasions, specially a wedding, you have to be on time, to settle yourself and get a breather before the festivities start.

Date Update
It is better not to take a date on a wedding unless the invitation says you can bring a guest or the person's name has been mentioned. That is a very important guest invitation etiquette. It would be a rude shock to your hosts to see that your date and may be his or her children have tagged along!

No Nonsense
Keeping a low profile and not chatting away to glory to the person besides you, during the wedding ceremony in the church is appreciated. Avoid cracking jokes and passing comments as well. To add to that, it is a good idea to avoid drinking before you go to a wedding.

Gift Shift
This is a tricky issue. Some experts in this field say that you do not need to give a gift to the couple on that day itself. While some opine that it is better to take a gift along for the couple. Now it depends on you as a guest to decide that. Some invitations specifically mention no gifts. If that is the case, you know what to do.

Have a great time and make it a point to let the happy couple know that you wish the best for them! Last but not the least, if you are just staying over at a relative or friend, make sure that you do not create problems for them. For instance, avoid being demanding and forget that things and the schedule would be the same there!

As a Host
Be it a wedding a party or a general get together, a host has to be completely ready to entertain the guests well and see to it that they get what they want (within your reach and provided it is not unreasonable). The guest invitation list should be clear and unambiguous as per the wedding guest list etiquette. Dressing well according to the occasion is another thing to be kept in mind. Further, it is natural to stick around with your best buddies, but a perfect host has to mingle with all the guests and be polite and courteous. This is the case when you have guests staying over as well. Make the guests as much as comfortable as you can in your capacity and leave the rest. You cannot after all, make everyone happy!

These were a few basic things which are a part of guest etiquette. It might not be as simple as this looks. However, those who are used to having guests over and playing guests, would exactly know what I want to say!

This reminds me of a quote by Ralph Waldo Emerson which goes like, "We dare not trust our wit for making our house pleasant to our friend, so we buy ice cream.."