Bridezillas and Etiquette

As I was surfing the cable channels, I caught a few minutes of a show called Bridezillas.  In my opinion, the show is  over the top showing people at their worst.  I’m hoping that a lot of the behaviors which I saw were glorified for the TV show.  What caught my interest for the few minutes I watched was the bride’s mention of hiring an etiquette coach or an etiquette consultant.  The bride was repulsed by her fiance’s dining skills or I should say lack of skills.  After watching him eat, I did agree with her that his dining skills needed some serious polishing.  She didn’t want to be embarrassed by his  lack of skills at their seated reception.

The groom never put his  napkin in his lap, talked with food in his mouth, smacked, didn’t know how to use his utensils properly while eating or resting, didn’t know the proper way to order food, etc.  Obviously, he needed help even though he didn’t realize it.  What bothered me and the etiquette  consultant which the bride hired was how the bride spoke to her future husband.  She constantly put her groom down, made very sarcastic remarks about his dining skills, and was  all around obnoxious in the way she spoke to him.  What she didn’t realize was that her behavior was very ungracious.  She was showing very little respect for her future mate.  Her offensive behavior  was as rude as her fiance’s dining manners.  One thing she kept harping on her fiance about was putting his elbows on the table.  One night at dinner, she probably told him to keep his elbows off the table at least six times!  What she didn’t realize is that there is a time when it is permissible to put ones elbows on the table.  After witnessing this, it was clear that she could use some polishing of her dining skills.

I think the idea of hiring an etiquette consultant or coach to polish your dining skills for an important event is a great idea.   None of us wants to put ourselves in a situation where we embarrass ourselves, our partner, or our host.  However to be a truly gracious host, your job is to make  your guest feel comfortable and not out of place.  I don’t know if any of you have seen this show or one like this.  If so, I’d love to hear what  you think.  Also, if any of you have used an etiquette consultant or know of someone who has, I’d like to hear your comments on this also.

Questions or comments are always appreciated.

Ginny Brown
The Etiquette School of Northeast Georgia
Hoschton, Georgia (Hamilton Mill area, Dacula, GA)
Email Ginny Brown
678-889-4814 office
770-296-4159 cell

http://etiquette-blog.com