The LBD Guide to Wedding Etiquette

As weddings begin to deviate from tradition, the etiquette becomes more difficult to dissect.

Can you wear white to a wedding?

What about black? And just how much Prosecco is too much?

Here's Team LBD's modern day guide to wedding dos and don'ts¦ DO Don a hat

You may think hats are a bit, well old hat. But with our rising interest in the royals, the royal wedding and attending events which depend on a woman's need to dress up and wear a head piece, hats and fascinators are becoming more popular than ever. Etiquette once dictated that you could only wear a hat if you knew the bride but that is certainly not the case now. While more mature wedding guests may gravitate towards the traditional over-sized hat Team LBD would advise those who aren't quite ready for such a statement and younger wedding goers to embrace the fascinator. We love colour-clashing clip-ons and artistic headbands.

Wear black Black is very chic (and ultra slimming: perfect for bumping in to your ex or a nasty cousin that used to tease you about your 'puppy fat') and is now a popular choice for wedding guest style. A simple little black dress with a delicate fascinator and high heels is our recommended wedding day look as you'll feel comfortable, look a little bit sexy and a lot sophisticated. And everyone will acknowledge your efforts to be in keeping with the special occasion. The moral of the story is if you want to wear black to a wedding as long as it looks occasion-worthy and isn't head-to-toe (i.e. funeral chic), then wear black. And send us a picture!

Day-to-night style By the time you reach the after-party chances are all the women will have kicked off their heels, bags will lay abandoned under tables and no man within three feet of the bar will be wearing their tie. So don't stress too much about your day-to-night wedding guest outfit. Team LBD suggest simply swapping hats and fascinators for pretty hair bands or jewelled clips (we've got some gorgeous diamanté styles) and providing you've worn a relatively plain dress during the day carry a really statement choker or eye-catching bracelet in your bag to pop on. As for shoes, see our next point.

Bring back-up shoes Amazing high heels are a must at any wedding (except lawn weddings) but once the cake has been cut it is socially acceptable to take your blister-makers off. Kick them under the table and whip out a pair of trusty flats or sandals. If you need the extra height but want to dance the night away try a comfortable wedge which will still look very well-pulled-together-wedding-guest and conceal your tipsy dancing.

Remember Facebook Just because it's a family and close friends affair, doesn't mean you should let down your guard. What happens at the wedding probably won't stay at the wedding. It is a little known/often avoided fact that family (and the bride and groom who will want to boast about their big day for months to come) have Facebook too. And you can bet your bottom dollar that if you cop off with the too-young-for-you usher or dedicate a song to your first school love with a bit of toilet roll stuck to your shoe it will find its way on to Facebook, you will be tagged in it, and the people you care about outside of the wedding day bubble, will see it. Ah, the joys of social media.

DON'T Ignore the invite This isn't a Facebook group invite to a party; it's someone's wedding day! Reply as promptly as possible and always make sure you've responded before the RSVP date. There are guest lists and table plans that you will ruin if you respond late. And if you're late to reply you may be at the whim of a very miffed table-planning bride. That pervy uncle you try to avoid at every family gathering? Meet your table mate. It's also worth noting that the wedding invitation is a huge hint at the style of wedding and thus what kind of thing you should wear for the celebration.

Be late The only person allowed to be a bit tardy at a wedding is the bride. The. End.

Wear white It started with Pippa Middleton. She wore a white dress worthy of an 'I do' and since then wedding guests across the globe have been trying to make white not-on-their-wedding-day work too. For a less classy example, Lindsay Lohan also did it at Kim Kardashian's wedding and she's not even her sister let alone approved by the Queen of England. When it comes to wearing white to a wedding Team LBD say tread carefully. With white being a huge trend for SS13 more and more wedding guests are keeping it light in white. If you want to do the same you should team it with a jacket of another colour or add a statement, non-white accessory to stop it looking bridal, Unless the bride is bridezilla and her mum is wearing a headpiece the size of the alter. Then assume it's quite a traditional affair and "don't upstage the bride' etiquette from yesteryear still very much applies.

Show too much skin A wedding draws together a rather random group of people you wouldn't usually find yourself in the same room as. So when deciding how much chest is too much, picture the mother of the bride's 90 year old mother and imagine what she would say. Similarly there are children around and aside from the fact that it's a little inappropriate to accidently flash a toddler on the dance floor they can smell potential embarrassment and will pull your dress down, up or off if they think it'll leave you a little pink cheeked. If this isn't enough to deter you from flashing the flesh at a wedding we'd like to point you in the direction of Sarah Owen at her sister, Lily Allen's wedding.

Drink the bar dry Whilst it's fine to enjoy a toast (or three), a wedding can turn in to quite a long and hangover-enducing day if you start guzzling at 2pm and carry on for the after-party. Take it slow and drink plenty of water. Not only will your body thank you but so will your dignity when it's request time in the DJ booth.