THE WEDDING GUEST

Written by Royal David

If you've ever attended a wedding that is not yours, then you are a wedding guest and you definitely fall into one of the categories of guests I'll be discussing.

As one who is actively involved in the wedding industry, I can authoritatively tell you about the different kinds of guests at a wedding ceremony and their characteristics.

Basically, we have two types of guests:
 - THE INVITED
 - THE UNINVITED 

I bet you already know that, but check out the different kinds of guests in these categories. 

 THE INVITED

These set of guests are invited by the couple (either with an e-card, wedding card, online invite or word of mouth etc). They are easily identified at most events.
Among them are the ones wearing the wedding Aso ebi (a common fabric with the same pattern and colour, chosen by the couple to be worn by their guests to the occasion in honour of them, or a group of people/organization wearing a common fabric such that they can be easily identified with and separated from other groups at an event). Mostly done in Africa.

Secondly, are the guests without the aso ebi. 

The Guests With Aso Ebi 
We have different kinds of guests wearing the aso ebi. 

Among them are those who think that, since they have bought the aso ebi, they have contributed to the wedding. Hence, they come without a gift. 

We also have those who though they bought the aso ebi will present gifts and also do the cash spraying during the couple's dance. Some would get souvenirs and some wouldn't even wait to get souvenirs.

Since a lot of people are wearing same fabric and it's sometimes difficult to identify people, some of the aso ebi guests take advantage of this to get food and all that is shared several times; especially in a buffet setting. 

-Among the aso ebi guest are those who wouldn't present gifts and will do the cash spray.

 - We also have those who wouldn't spray money or present gifts but will receive the wedding souvenirs. 

Those without Aso ebi
In this category we have:

- Those people who were invited but were not available when the aso ebi was being sold; so they couldn't buy.

- We also have those who bought aso ebi but didn't sew it into an outfit: among these ones are those who will bring gifts and even do the cash spray but won't get souvenirs, as most couples tend to give souvenirs to those who wear aso ebi especially in a low budget wedding.

 - We also have those who though were invited, would not wear the Aso Ebi, but will get a souvenir whether they came with presents or not.


 THE UNINVITED

In this category, we have different kinds of guests.

1. Gatecrashers 
2. Guests brought along by friends or family members of the couple; they are easily spotted too. 

 1. The Gatecrashers 
These are uninvited guests and you can find them at most weddings especially those that are not strictly by Invitation.

 - They dont wear the aso ebi or anything close to the wedding colour 

- They have no hint about the couple; who they are or what they do.

 - They seem alone and extremely quiet on their table. i.e chattering with no one. 

-They do not bring gifts or cash spray the couple. 

-They eat like every other guest and may or may not get souvenirs depending on how it is shared. 

Brought Along Guest 
They are definitely not invited directly by the couple. They are brought along by the invited guest. Among these are the invited guest's house help, friends, neighbours and family members. They are usually not planned for but you can't avoid having them in an open access wedding.

 - They do not wear the aso ebi

 -They know little or nothing about the couple

 - They sometimes get everything shared in the event more than some of the invited guests, especially if they were brought by close family members to the couple, who will see to it that they are attended to 

- They do not come with gifts and do not spray the couple 


I'm sure by now you know the category you were at the previous wedding you attended....lolz. 
Finally, no matter the category, a guest is a guest and we must plan for them accordingly.