An encore bride is a term used to denote someone who has already been married, and is getting remarried. An encore wedding has different rules of etiquette than a first-time wedding. From differences in the bridal shower, to the wedding gown, to the receiving line, we cover everything you need to know to plan an encore wedding.
The following article is an example of the content we have in our online wedding planning membership site HappyWeddings.ca under the heading of Encore Weddings. To learn more and get useful wedding planning tools for FREE click here!
An encore wedding is a term used to denote someone who has already been married, and is getting remarried. When planning a second, third, or fourth wedding, different rules apply than if it is your first wedding—these rules really apply to the bride, and not the groom. If it’s the bride’s first wedding, and the groom’s third, for example, the wedding would be treated like a standard wedding. If it the bride’s second wedding, and the groom’s first wedding, the standard wedding rules no longer apply.
Let’s look at how bridal showers are treated differently. As with first marriages, only those invited to the wedding are invited to the bridal shower. But, if you invited a friend to your first bridal shower, you would NOT invite her to an “encore” bridal shower. She has already given you her gift the first time around.
If you have bridal showers given by co-workers or a sports team that you belong to, for example, enjoy them fully. There are no rules regarding these bridal showers for an encore bride.
At an encore wedding, you should not choose your wedding dress as if it was your first wedding. Consider a beautiful cocktail-length dress, or a classy couture suit that you can wear again. If you want a wedding dress, consider the size of your wedding, the formality and time of day of your wedding and choose accordingly. Encore brides tend to choose a simpler style wedding dress, instead of the more flamboyant gown styles.
In addition to a simpler wedding dress, encore brides do not wear a blusher veil. A blusher is a veil that covers the face of the bride. A veil CAN be worn down the back of the dress as long as it is in keeping with the formality of the wedding. The train of the dress is usually modest. An encore bride usually wears a hat, hair ornaments or fresh flowers in their hair instead of a veil.
The bridal party is usually small at an encore wedding, with a Maid of Honour and Best Man, although larger bridal parties do happen at larger more formal weddings. The rule of thumb is 1 set of attendants for every 50 guests. If there are children of the bride or groom from a previous marriage, they are usually asked if they want to participate in the wedding. They can be part of a unity ceremony, or take part in other roles as the couple chooses.
Encore weddings usually have a receiving line at the reception that starts with the couple, and includes their children, as well as the bridal party. The parents are not usually in the receiving line at an encore wedding. At the reception, the garter toss, and bouquet toss are not usually done for an encore wedding.
When it comes to gifts, if a guest has given you a gift at your first wedding, they have no obligation to give you a gift at a subsequence wedding. Sometimes, the couple doesn’t want any gifts—-as usual, let your immediately family and bridal know your desire for no gifts, and if anyone asks, they can be told of your choice. As always, whether someone gives you a gift or not is entirely at the guest’s discretion.
These are the usual differences at an encore wedding. Basically, you are having a wedding in a more modest, simple style than a first wedding. That does not mean that you have to forgo a sophisticated, elegant wedding, just a wedding that is reduced in scale.