A Planner's Library Must Have

Emily Post's Wedding Etiquette, Fifth Edition

The subtitle of Emily Post's Wedding Etiquette, Fifth Edition, by Peggy Post, is "the definitive guide to your wedding experience". While most subtitles are just meant to catch your attention, this one is actually true. This book covers everything from engagement etiquette to how a receiving line should be arranged to appropriate cake cutting methods.

I was most impressed with how current the fifth edition of Emily Post's Wedding Etiquette is. For every stage of the planning, it gives advice on possibly complicated family situations. Questions regarding how to politely address divorced and remarried parents, grandparents, or close extended family have cropped up in the weddings of nearly every one of my friends and clients. This book has the answers to many of the hard questions, like these:

• How should you seat divorced parents of the groom? According to Peggy Post, the groom's mother and her close family should sit in the front pew while the father of the groom and his close family should sit in the third or fourth pew back. If the groom's parents are divorced but on good terms, they can both sit in the first pew. (Page 352)
• Can the bride's stepfather walk her down the aisle? While the ultimate decision of who will give her away is the bride's, it is acceptable for the bride's stepfather to walk her down the aisle. She could even have both her biological father and step-father escort her. (Page 353)

In keeping with the times, the fifth edition Wedding Etiquette also includes proper ways to use technology in planning your big day. While email has become an accepted method of communication in almost every aspect of life, Peggy Post insists that there are times in your wedding planning when email is and isn't appropriate:

• Can I email my "Save the Date" notices, or do they have to mailed? "Save the Date" notices can be emailed, as can invitations to informal or casual engagement parties and bridal showers. Ceremony and reception invitations should never be emailed. (Page 170)
  
• Is it improper to allow my guests to RSVP by email? You can allow guests to RSVP by email, but be sure to that guests who don't use email have an address to mail their RSVPs to. (Page 170)
  
• Can thank you notes be emailed? Thank you notes should always be a handwritten note, even if you've fallen behind in your note writing. A late note is still more acceptable than an email. (Page 169)

Anyone planning a wedding needs this book. Whether you're a bridesmaid, parent, or the happy couple, invest in this book. It'll be invaluable in your planning. Ultimately, you want everyone to have a great time at your wedding, feeling comfortable and accepted. This book will help you accomplish your goal; it's your go-to guide for answering tricky questions.

To purchase this or other etiquette books, visit the Emily Post Weddings website.


Image courtesy of http://weddings.emilypost.com/etiquette/index.htm.