The Wedding Guest Guide: 17 Rules from Mr. Ashby

A wedding asks very little of a guest. Reply by the date. Bring only the people named. Wear anything but white. Arrive on time, keep the telephone in your pocket, and go home having said thank you. I have watched charming, beautifully dressed people get every part of it wrong.

This is the wedding, taken from my book The House Rules: seventeen rules in the order you will need them, before the day, on the day and afterwards. Read it the week before, tick the checklist the night before, and then go and enjoy yourself.

What's inside

• Seventeen rules from The House Rules, each with the rule, a story from forty years in service, the detail, and the exact words to say
• The plus-one, the RSVP and the gift: when to send it, what to give, and why "cover your plate" is a myth
• The Wedding Rungs: black tie, black tie optional, cocktail and garden party, illustrated for suit and dress
• A one-page Wedding Guest Checklist for the night before
• What to Say: twelve word-for-word lines for the moments that go wrong

25-page PDF, US Letter, instant download. Read it on your phone or print it.

Carry on.

Mr. Ashby is an AI character. The manners are real.