Prince William's Wedding: Countless Rules You Have to Know before You Go
Prince William's Wedding: Countless Rules You Have to Know before You Go
It is reported that Prince William and his fiance Kate Middleton will go through their grand marriage ceremony at Westminster Abbey in London on 29th of next month. Although now it is still a bit early to wait for its coming, those serious etiquette advisers in charge of thisroyal wedding have got their work started right now, releasing heaps of rules in advance to all the guests who will attend the wedding: "Don't hug the queen", "Don't tweet from church"
The wedding guests are actually a huge mix of people with all sorts of backgrounds, including European royalty, military personnel, charity workers, diplomats and friends of Prince William and fiance Kate Middleton. Some of them may have been well taught to propriety by their families since childhood whereas some other people might not be familiar with those royal overelaborated formalities and protocols so that they need some sort of "pre-wedding education".
St James Palace is the planner in charge of the preparations for Prince William's wedding. According to what a spokesman from the Palace said, all wedding guests will be given detailed instructions on how and when to arrive at the Abbey.
Don't be late
According to the word of etiquette advisers, the first rule that all wedding guests should know is "Do not be late". "The Queen should be the very last person to arrive at the church before the bride and her attendants," said wedding planner and etiquette adviser Sarah Hayward. "At most weddings, guests are asked to arrive around 20 minutes before the ceremony but this royal wedding will obviously have several important guests and very high levels of security so give yourself plenty of time to get there."
Dress appropriately
Women should wear a formal dress neither too short nor too skimpy and white color is absolutely forbidden. Most British women would finish off their looks with a hat or a fascinator, that is, a small feathered or jeweled hairpiece. "Never ever do anything to draw too much attention to yourself. It's the day the bride shines," said Ms Hayward.
Male civilians should wear a three-piece suit while men in the armed forces should wear a military uniform, that is, a long jacket, a vest and the trousers. A top hat is supposed to be taken along and worn but should be taken off inside the church.
Couples should always notice if what they are wearing may well coordinate with each other. William Hanson, an expert on protocol who gives lessons around the world on proper behavior pointed out that "often you see a husband and wife who look like they are going to two different events". He also said, "One person will be in something like pajamas and the other is in black tie. You don't need to be color coordinated but do think about your outfits look together"
Cell phones? No way
Guests would not be permitted to enter the abbey with their cell phones. Even if permitted, the cell phone must be turned off or switched to vibration mode. Otherwise if someone's phone really rang during the wedding, the ringtone would be transmitted by satellite to everywhere in the world and would be heard by global audiences. Such a result will not only extremely offend the Royal Family but also get huge blames from global audiences. "The ultimate faux pas would be to have your mobile phone go off in the abbey, even if you had God Save the Queen as your ring tone," said Ms Hayward.
Ditto for tweeting
Tweeting or updating your Facebook status during the day is also bad manners.
"It's a private occasion and it would certainly be an abuse of the invitation to take photos or tweet during the ceremony or any point in the day," Mr Hanson said.
Sip, don't gulp
After the morning ceremony at the abbey, some 600 guests are invited to a reception at Buckingham Palace, where the food and drinks are sure to be amazing. Mr Hanson advises guests to accept the offerings politely but don't gobble, don't gulp and for goodness sakes don't get drunk.
"Sip your drink, don't gulp it and always be aware how much alcohol you can tolerate," Mr Hanson said. "Don't embarrass yourself [otherwise] for you can guarantee you will never be invited to this kind of wedding again."
Hands off the Queen
Guests should also watch their body language. Michelle Obama put a friendly hand on Queen Elizabeth's back during a visit in 2009. The Queen didn't seem to mind she even put her own arm around Ms Obama's waist but guests at the royal wedding should be more distant.
"Never touch the Queen. Never initiate conversation with her or any member of the Royal Family. They will do all that," Ms Hayward said.
Bow and curtsy
British citizens or members of the Commonwealth countries would traditionally curtsy or bow to the Queen and her family. The Royal Family no longer insists that people do so, but most people still do bow or curtsy when meeting the Queen.
"Nothing too theatrical," Mr Hanson said. "Men should just bow from the neck a nod really and women should do a slight dip with their right foot behind their left foot."
After the wedding ceremony, Ms Middleton will be a full member of the Royal Family and should be treated in the same manner as her inlaws.
Take cues from others
Etiquette rules are designed to make social occasions flow more smoothly and to put everyone at ease. Experts say if a guest is unsure about how to behave, the individual should just take cues from the people around them.
But anyway, "remember that the Royal Family are masters of coordinating this kind of event," Mr Hanson said, "They know how to deal with people from all sorts of backgrounds, from all around the world, and they know how to help people do the right thing."
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