Is it traditional for the bride to be late?

Contrary to general belief, it is not a tradition for the bride to be late. The bride might like to allow 5-10 minutes after the ceremony start time to arrive to ensure all guests have arrived but, to keep your guests waiting more than 15 minutes is thought to be rude, especially if there is no shade or seating for them.

It’s becoming increasingly popular that couples are putting the time on their invitations which is actually half an hour before the ceremony is due to begin. This is a good idea if your guests are prone to running late. However, for the guests who are prompt and think the ceremony will be starting at the time stipulated, they may be waiting up to 45 minutes beforehand not realising the ceremony wasn’t actually starting when it was stated on the invitation. There’s a good chance they will be getting quite impatient with the bride, thinking she is extremely late!

A better way is to put on your invitations something like “3.30pm for a 4pm ceremony”. This way your guests are given plenty of time to arrive and know exactly what time the ceremony will be starting.

Helen Coghlan,

Simply Magic Ceremonies

simplymagicceremonies.com.au

Gold Coast - Queensland – Australia