Your Guide to Work-Related Wedding Etiquette

The relationship between coworkers can be a tricky one. In many cases, you spend more time with them than your future spouse. However, you may not share that much personal information with your cubicle buddies – or maybe they know more about you than anyone else. No matter your relationship with your colleagues, you likely are so excited after becoming engaged that you want to share the news with anyone, even strangers! But once the information has been released, you will have to be careful not to commit an etiquette faux pas. There’s so much to worry about with weddings anyway, and adding office dynamics to the mix can make it even more complicated. 

Generally, your boss should be the first person at work that you tell about your engagement. Of course, different office structures mean you might not see them at the beginning of the day, at which point many people have seen your ring. If that is the case for you, just be sure to tell your boss as soon as you have an opportunity to do so. You may have to figure out scheduling details in regards to the wedding and honeymoon – especially if your job has a busy season. Once everyone has heard the news, don’t get in the habit of discussing every planning detail, particularly if you are not inviting your coworkers. You should also stick to only having wedding-related conversations during downtime, such as coffee runs. 

If you do intend to invite some colleagues, proceed with caution. Who you invite generally depends on the size of your office. It’s almost always acceptable to invite those you hang out with outside of work – they’re legitimately your friends at this point. If you’re at a very small company you likely have to choose between inviting everyone or no one. At a larger business you can keep it between your department. However, once your guest list starts to include the majority of the office you should extend an invite to everyone, including the bosses. No matter how many colleagues you choose to include in your big day, invitations must always be sent to their home address, not brought to the office. On a similar note, plus-one etiquette should be applied to coworkers the same way it is applied to your other guests – you must not treat them as a group while ignoring their spouses. 

Learn how to throw a coworker an in-office bridal shower and discover tips on how to efficiently plan your wedding while at work. 

Opening photo by Images by Berit, Inc.