It's always nice to be invited to a wedding, to help celebrate in a friend or family member's love story.

But it's important to remember that the day is theirs and not yours.

The focus needs to remain on the bride and groom, so it's crucial you don't do anything to detract from that.

In order to help you avoid any etiquette mistakes at the next wedding you attend, we spoke to an expert to find out the most common errors guests usually make.

The bride and groom should be the focus of the day

Philip Sykes, Principal of The British School of Etiquette , started by explaining to Mirror Online what etiquette really is.

"Etiquette," he said, "is like the traffic lights of life, it stops us from bumping into each other.

"It is about how you hold your knife and fork, but it also goes deeper than that, it's about understanding and respect."

And at a wedding there is nothing more important than being respectful to the happy couple.

Philip Sykes, principal of the British School of Etiquette reveals the biggest mistakes you can make at a wedding

This is something that should begin the moment you receive an invitation to a wedding.

"The appropriate and most respectful way to respond to a wedding invitation is with a handwritten letter, written in the third person," explained Philip.

Here's how else you can show respect...

What should you wear to a wedding?

Etiquette says you should never wear red to a wedding

After you've sent off your reply, the focus turns to your ensemble for the ceremony.

"With the way society is today, there are so many different styles of dress.

"However there are some traditional dress rules you should follow at a wedding, such as never wearing white - for obvious reasons."


"Full blown red can set a precedent for trying to outdo the bride.

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"A little splash of red in your ensemble is acceptable though."

Hats are very appropriate for weddings, with many being worn recently to the wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle .

"But it's important to remember that your hat shouldn't be too big," says Philip.

"You wouldn't want it to block the view of the bride and groom at the altar from the person sitting behind you."

Men should wear a morning suit to a wedding if possible, as Patrick J. Adams did at the royal wedding

For men the style rules are much more simple.

"A morning suit is the traditional British style of wedding dress for men, but if you can't afford one or don't have one available to you, then a nice dark suit is appropriate as it will help you blend in.

"Garish patterns are inappropriate, as are jeans and a shirt."

Should you bring a gift to the church?

The simple answer is no.

"It's not appropriate to take a wedding gift to the church with you, it's not really even appropriate to take one to the reception," reveals Philip.

Gifts should be delivered to the couple, not brought to the church

He explains that the correct thing to do is to have the gift delivered to the couple's home.

However he accepts that sometimes there's no way of getting around it, and this is why there will be a gift receiving table set up at the reception.

How should you behave at a wedding reception?

The most important thing to remember is to be on time for the ceremoy.

"Think back to what we learned from the film Four Weddings and a Funeral - it's not appropriate to be late to a wedding.

Drink responsibly at a wedding, you wouldn't want to spoil the day

"I always say be one hour early, not one minute late."

When it comes to the reception, guests are encouraged to have fun - it's a celebration after all, however Philip says this fun should be kept "within reason".

"It's not about how much alcohol you can get down your throat, you're not going to Royal Ascot , this day is about the bride and groom."

He adds that the wedding party must also follow certain behaviour rules - especially when it comes to speeches.

Don't take anything from the tables - unless instructed by the bride or groom

"Keep speeches short, amusing and to the point," he clarifies.

"The Best Man sometimes will treat the wedding a bit like a 21st birthday party, you have to be careful what you include in the speech - for example, it's not appropriate to mention the groom's ex girlfriends."

Guests also shouldn't assume they can help themselves to left overs at the end of the night.

"Unless offered don't assume you can take things, such a wine, or flower arrangements from your table, that's very bad etiquette."

And what about after the wedding?

Take time to send a handwritten thank you note to the newlyweds

Philip's final piece of advice is very similar to his first.

"Take the time to send a handwritten thank you note to the bride and groom, or their parents, thanking them for a beautiful day."

He adds that the bride and groom should also do the same in return for their wedding gifts, and send out handwritten thank you cards.