Wedding Etiquette: Can We See Each Other Before The Wedding?

Q:

I love my groom dearly and want to look into his eyes on the morning of the wedding! (Though this does not mean I plan to spend the night with him.) He wants to invite the entire wedding party to his house for a wedding day breakfast. Can I go, or am I left out in the cold? It seems to me there is some wedding tradition of not seeing the groom on the wedding day.

A:

There is a tradition of the bride and groom not seeing each other on their wedding day, but it stems from the ancient tradition of the bride not showing her face to the groom at all before the wedding! Many couples adhere to the not-seeing-each-other custom because they feel it adds excitement and anticipation to the ceremony itself -- you know, the moment he sees you coming up the aisle. Other couples feel they'll be more relaxed if they see each other before the ceremony -- more and more even take formal pictures pre-ceremony, when everyone's freshly done up -- and claim that 15 minutes alone with their beloved calms them for the main event. It's completely up to you two. If you'll be bummed out that everyone else is enjoying the pre-wedding breakfast, go! And if you really want to lay eyes on your man before the wedding, do!