Mulled wine anyone? Oh dear - it's not been the springiest of March weeks, has it. We'll just have to make up for the miserable weather by eating yet more Easter eggs. That's what I'll do, anyway.

Planning your wedding is a task that can be pretty darn confusing. Not only do you have to learn how to take on the role of bonafide event manager but suddenly there's all this 'Wedding Etiquette' to consider too. Yikes.

And, without wanting to be rude, there will be a whole bunch of people who won't be shy sharing their opinions on what you can't and can't, must and mustn't do.

I always tell my couples that the only thing you must do/have to be able to get married is five people: bride and groom, two witnesses and an officiant of some sort (having applied for the relevant paperwork, of course). That's all we need to get you legally married, the rest is 'just icing'. Very special and pretty icing, obviously, but strictly speaking you don't need to have any other elements to start your life as husband and wife.

That bit of advice should help put some of the do's and don'ts into perspective and enable you to hold firm when you're told once again that you simply must have a receiving line, luxury transport or favours. Actually, you don't.

With couples getting more confident in sticking with what suits them rather than tradition, Wedding Etiquette has inadvertently evolved. For example...

Show me the money

It used to be customary for the bride's parents to pay for the wedding, which officially made them the hosts and as such, their names were at the top of the wedding invitation. These days a lot of couples want their wedding day to reflect their personalities and are willing to cover most if not all of the costs to have the freedom to have their day, their way. In that case, it's perfectly acceptable for the wedding invitation to come from bride & groom instead.

Shhh - I'm talking
Another good example of how to alter the format of your wedding day to suit you is order and timing of speeches. Traditionally there are three speeches in the following order: the father of the bride, the groom and the best man. I've seen a few times where either of these 'speakers' have been literally quaking in their polished boots all through the wedding breakfast until it was their turn to perform. Public speaking just isn't everyone's cup of tea. If you know someone who is seriously worried about their role, just shake it up. There's no reason why you can't have one (or all) of the speeches taking place during your reception. People will be standing up so it will feel less formal and intimidating and the nervous speaker doesn't have to wait another few hours until his/her duties are over.

And whilst we're on the subject: other people can give speeches too. If your maid of honour wants to say a few words, there's nothing stopping her (other than you, obviously).

Say cheese

Here's a new dilemma that has cropped up with the rise of social media. It's no doubt an epically cool way of sharing our lives but that doesn't mean that all brides appreciate seeing pictures of them walking down the aisle appear on Instagram before they've even said I do. A lot of websites offer the option of setting up a private wedding album where guests can share and comment on pictures. And as they're invitation only, they'll also give you a great way to subtly make the point that you'd rather not see your wedding plastered all over Facebook. Some examples are Wedding Snap { weddingsnap.com}, Capsule { trycapsule.com} or WedPics { wedpics.com}.

To cut or not to cut
Wedding cakes used to be the focal point of a wedding reception and the cutting of the cake one of the main formal elements. At the majority of weddings it still is, and that's fabulous as long as it's what you want. I am seeing more and more couples skipping the cutting of the cake moment if that kind of posed formality is just not their 'thang'. And, at the risk of incurring the wrath of gorgeous cake makers galore, if you don't want one, you don't have to have one. In some cases, I've seen couples opting not to have a cake at all. I'm not saying that's the way to go, only that it's a choice, not a must.

Fizz? What fizz?

In the days of smaller weddings and larger, mostly parental budgets, it used to be customary to serve Champagne during the reception. These days, this is rarely an option in anything but the luxury market, especially when bride & groom pay for the wedding themselves. Unless you happen to own a vineyard in Reims? I've heard couples almost apologise for serving anything other than Champagne but please stop worrying, there's nothing wrong it. Much better to have plenty of a good quality Cava or Prosecco than not enough Champagne. Savvy brides and grooms snap up Vintage varieties whenever they're on half-price offers that will taste just as celebratory as 'the real deal'.

There are so many more examples I could give but it's the Easter weekend and you now absolutely must go hunt some eggs, so shoo - enjoy your long weekend.

If you have any etiquette dilemmas you need help with, please let us know. The b.team will gladly put their Ms Manners hats on and give a bit of advice when needed.

Happy Easter!

- Anna