They might as well change the name of summer to “wedding season.”

Weddings can be wonderful social events.

However, with social events, there is required of everyone a certain amount of social etiquette.

Here are a few reminders of how to behave at a wedding and its reception, according to etiquette expert Emily Post (“Emily Post’s Etiquette”) and Polished at Socialimage.net.

The first question most people have about weddings is what to wear.

Wedding attire is appropriated by the time of day in which the wedding takes place.

According to Post, weddings before noon are informal, and women should wear day dresses (i.e. church dress), and men should wear slacks and a dress shirt.

After noon until 6 p.m. is semi-formal, and women are expected to wear something dressier than a day dress and closer to a cocktail dress. The closer the time is to 6, the dressier one should be. Men need to be in a dress suit and should make judgement on whether or not to wear a tie.

A formal wedding is anything that will begin after 6 p.m. Women must wear a longer length dress; more extravagant jewelry is acceptable. Men will be in tuxedoes.

Polished answers the question about wearing white and strapless dresses.

An all-white dress is considered to be stealing the attention away from the bride

However, an ivory dress is usually acceptable or a white dress with another color incorporated.

Strapless dresses are generally reserved for outdoor weddings. If the strapless dress must be worn in a church, it is considered in good practice to brin a shawl or light sweater to cover a woman’s bare shoulders. If the reception is held away from the church, it is acceptable to remove the shawl or sweater.

After arriving at the wedding, one must wait to be seated by an usher.

The usher will seat guests according to their relationship to either the bride or the groom.

It is customary that a lady be escorted to her seat by the usher and her date will follow behind.

A gentleman who arrives at the wedding alone should still wait for an usher to walk him to his seat.

Occasionally it is unavoidable to arrive late for the wedding ceremony.

If this is the case, one must either be signaled in by the wedding coordinator, or, to avoid any mishap, wait until after the ceremony is over.

It is acceptable to avoid the ceremony all together, if one realizes he or she will be late, and join the party at the reception venue.

In the event that one is unfamiliar with local or religious ceremony customs, follow the lead of those seated nearest.

Some churches stand during the entire ceremony while others rise periodically throughout.

If there are no spoken cues on standing and seating, it is safest to follow other guests at the wedding.

During the wedding ceremony, it is rude to take personal photographs.

Typically, the bride and groom have hired an official photographer or videographer for the event.

An unwelcome flash may disturb the professional’s own pictures and possibly even distract from the sanctity of the occasion.

At the reception, certain formalities must be followed.

The first is greeting the bride and groom.

According to Post, one must congratulate the groom and only wish the bride happiness; it is rude to “congratulate the bride on securing a husband.”

The first dance of the reception is reserved for the bride and groom, regardless of music playing.

The couple may wish to eat and toast before dancing, which is fine. Guests should not begin dancing until the couple has shared their first dance.

At formal receptions where there is assigned seating, it is unacceptable for a guest to speak only to his or her date.

Whether guests are familiar with one another or not, they still must engage in polite conversation.

Never ask to be moved. It is rude, and the seating arrangement should never be taken personally.

As a guest, it is impolite to call attention to one’s own departure from a reception, especially if it is an early departure.

In the company of other guests, it is best to simply apologize for needing to leave so soon.

In the matter of whether or not to bring small children, the general rule is to bring a child no younger than two years of age.

Also, when bringing a child, ensure that he or she will be watched over personally and not left unattended.