It's not everyday one has the chance to meet a Maven of Manners!
I am currently in San Jose, CA at the Association of Bridal Consultants National Conference (of which we are members) and have enjoyed meeting wedding planners, experts in the wedding industry, and, of course, Peggy Post of the Emily Post Institute.
She talked to us about her great-grandmother-in-law, and how she became the Pillar of Proper, quite unexpectedly in the 1920s.
We also received an advance copy of her new book on Wedding Etiquette (more on that in an upcoming posting!), which, I am pleased to report, includes a section on etiquette for Commitment Ceremonies. At last! Some guidelines for the rest of us!
During our large group discussion, someone asked about which names to put first (on heterosexual wedding invitations) now that grooms are as active in weddings as brides. As Ms. Post completed her well-balanced perspective on appreciating tradition as a guideline but respecting the situation at hand, someone asked about how to determine which name should go first on a same sex wedding invitation.
In that situation, she said quite simply: "You can flip for it."
It's nice to know that some things are so much less complicated that one might expect!