Wedding Etiquette: 5 Things People Really Dislike at Weddings

A new YouGov survey asked people's opinions on wedding behavior and traditions. Here are five interesting takeaways of things people do not care for at weddings.

Guests Who Don't Respond to Wedding Invitations

If there's one thing almost everyone can agree on, it's that it is inappropriate not to respond to the wedding invitation.

By a large margin (80% to 10%), Americans believe it's inappropriate for a potential guest to not respond to a wedding invitation. I have a hard time understanding how even 10% of people think it's okay not to respond to the invitation.

Wearing White or Violating the Dress Code

We have all seen it happen, but most folks think it's in bad taste to wear white to someone else's wedding or to try to outdress the bride and groom.

When it comes to wedding guest attire, most Americans (59%) say it's inappropriate to wear white. Even more (77%) say it's inappropriate to wear an outfit that is more extravagant than the couple's or to dress casually despite a formal dress code.

Wedding Couple Do's & Don'ts

The answers to questions about gifts and who pays for what at a wedding show what a can't-win situation weddings can be for the bridal couple.

17% think it is inappropriate for couples to have a no-gift policy. More than twice as many (39%), however, aren't in favor of requesting cash instead of gifts.

While just 39% think it is inappropriate for couples to ask guests to pay for their own travel to a destination wedding, 78% say it is unacceptable to ask guests to pay for their own meal, and 48% say the same about alcohol.

If the wedding couple can't afford to pay for the guests' meals, they probably should have downsized the wedding. Drinks are a different story to me. An open bar is expensive. Many young couples can't afford it, nor should they.

Should The Bride Vow to Be Obedient?

If I were a bride, I would definitely refuse to vow obedience.  I am not vowing obedience to anybody. Sorry. A lot of people seem to feel that way.

The tradition of the bride vowing to obey her husband, without a similar vow from the groom, is largely unpopular, with 59% saying they dislike or hate it. Women are 21 points more likely than men to say they dislike or hate the tradition of only brides vowing obedience.

Wedding Behaviors We have All Experienced That People Hate

About three-quarters of Americans disapprove of any of these actions by a wedding guest: getting drunk, making a speech without the couple's prior approval, or proposing to their own partner during the wedding.