Wedding banned - Apple Watches not welcome at fashionista's ceremony

Posted:
in Apple Watch

It's a long walk up that aisle, and wedding guests could even hit their stand goal in church, but one couple is insisting that nobody wears an Apple Watch to their special day.

Two smartwatches with black and white bands, displaying glowing pink heart symbols on their screens.
The original Apple Watch had a feature for lovingly sending your heartbeat to a partner



Whoever this couple is, conceivably they are really old-time, die-hard traditionalists who believe there is no place for any watch at a wedding, because astoundingly, that turns out to be a thing. It isn't enough of a thing that Apple Watches were singled out in either the Liber Urbani etiquette guide of the 12th century -- a real page-turner -- or the more famous Debrett's Guide to Etiquette and Modern Manners in the 1970s, but it's a thing.

To be fair, all we really know is that a user on Twitter has posted about getting such an invitation. And that their post has uncovered an entire world of etiquette you've never thought of.

Received a wedding invite that specifically said on the dress code line "No Apple Watches please"

-- Coastal Country Club (@ccmembersonly)



The very first comment on that post claims that wearing "any watch at a wedding is kind of [a] red flag." But many others say uh-huh, obviously, you don't wear a watch to a wedding, everyone knows that.

Specifically, it's the bride and groom who are not supposed to wear watches, but generally anyone wearing one is apparently implying come on, come on, get to the reception dinner, we're starving. A 2001 edition of Debrett's does also state that it "is most important that any mobile telephones and watch alarms are switched off" at the bit where the congregation is asked if they have any objection.

That one seems fair. You can imagine Siri misunderstanding "declare it now or forever hold their peace," and saying aloud, "here are some search results I found on the web."

Only, this couple did explicitly say no Apple Watches. They didn't say "no smartwatches," they said "no Apple Watches."

You can understand them not realizing that there are Android smartwatches, because no one does, but apparently they didn't try to cover off all platforms by just saying "no smart devices."

So you can play Monument Valley on your iPhone, if you like, just don't look at the time on it.

In sickness and in health



We don't know these people, but we're forming an opinion. It sounds as if the anti-Apple Watch mandate is a fashion thing.

That's chiefly because apparently, it is. In the long thread the original poster responds to someone by saying "I felt the same... She works in the fashion industry and wanted a certain look."

Maybe they're not really saying that if you wear an Apple Watch you're too poor to be seen in our wedding photos. Maybe they're not really saying that their perfect day would be ruined by an Apple Watch Ultra 2 sticking out from under the best man's suit sleeve.

But they are saying that if you have a medical condition, tough. Your doctor is just going to have to put up with a day's break in your continuous health monitoring data.

And don't Google "how many people die on their wedding day," because you get a very bleak list of results. Some of which are to do with heart failure, too, and while the Apple Watch Series 10 somehow lacks a defibrillator, it can still give sufficient early warning of issues.

Or it can if you're allowed to wear it.

Good thing Apple hasn't brought out a smart Apple Ring yet.



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Comments

  • Reply 1 of 34
    Irrelevant etiquette, because most marriages do not outlast Apple products…
    kurai_kagedavebarnesapple4thewinpeterhartssfe11a_userdanoxAfarstarmattinozkkqd1337
  • Reply 2 of 34
    DAalsethDAalseth Posts: 3,086member
    The bride and groom get to say what they and the wedding party wears. Other than “formal” or “semi-formal” they don’t get to say what the attendees wear. 
    kurai_kageronnpeterhartdanoxlolliverdarbus69jamnapMacProwatto_cobra
  • Reply 3 of 34
    So, Gatorguy is getting married? Who knew?
    JanNLlolliverchasmMacProwatto_cobra
  • Reply 4 of 34
    Obviously the first marriage for the bride[zilla].
    peterhartssfe11a_userlolliverdarbus69omasou
  • Reply 5 of 34
    is their a wedding, they can do whatever they want. Let’s face it, the Apple Watch is ugly, 
    M68000darbus69kkqd1337williamlondon
  • Reply 6 of 34
    auxioauxio Posts: 2,774member
    So many people whose brain is solely in their eyeballs. Their shallow take on the world creating so much insecurity that they need to weave a social judgement story around it in an attempt to find safety in numbers.
    ssfe11omasouwatto_cobra
  • Reply 7 of 34
    new from Apple in 2025 - Apple PocketWatch! Milanese mesh belt-loop chain sold separately...
    danoxdarbus69watto_cobra
  • Reply 8 of 34
    Let's see… how might this go?

    1) She is a control freak and he is totally whipped. Forecast: A life of misery for him, a life of drama for her (well, both actually).

    2) They are both control freaks. Forecast: Raging drama all around, and the inevitable marital implosion. In the meantime, f***ed up children.
    ssfe11a_userlollivermaltzdarbus69Anilu_777watto_cobra
  • Reply 9 of 34

    sflagel said:
    is their a wedding, they can do whatever they want. Let’s face it, the Apple Watch is ugly, 
    Let's face it, the Apple watch is probably 1% of a person's appearance. Plus, beauty is in the eye of the beholder.
    ssfe11ronndarbus69lotonesAnilu_777watto_cobra
  • Reply 10 of 34
    1348513485 Posts: 380member
    sflagel said:
    is their a wedding, they can do whatever they want. Let’s face it, the Apple Watch is ugly, 
    Huh. I had no idea something I wear under a shirt sleeve and a jacket sleeve would be considered to be so offensive to delicate fashion sensibilities.

    Or maybe we go to the wrong weddings, the kind where people have fun no matter what they wear. Everybody gotta be somewhere I guess.
    DAalsethJanNLssfe11randominternetpersonronnlollivermuthuk_vanalingamlotoneswilliamlondonwatto_cobra
  • Reply 11 of 34
    Groom is the product manager for Samsung Galaxy Watch 7 Ultra.  Doesn't want to be reminded of market share realities on his big day.
    randominternetperson22july2013lolliverdarbus69Anilu_777watto_cobra
  • Reply 12 of 34
    DAalseth said:
    The bride and groom get to say what they and the wedding party wears. Other than “formal” or “semi-formal” they don’t get to say what the attendees wear. 
    13485 said:

     Huh. I had no idea something I wear under a shirt sleeve and a jacket sleeve would be considered to be so offensive to delicate fashion sensibilities.

    Or maybe we go to the wrong weddings, the kind where people have fun no matter what they wear. Everybody gotta be somewhere I guess.

    We really don't have enough info about the situation to judge anyone here. Perhaps the wedding is 10 or 15 people? In a smaller wedding, it's absolutely acceptable to ask guests to dress a certain way. In this case, they're not telling the attendees what to wear; they're asking them not to wear one specific item (and one that is not even an article of clothing). I think that is fine.

    I've been to beach weddings where the dress code was sandals, khaki pants and a linen short-sleeve buttondown. A watch on my arm would've been visible in group photos, which is maybe what they're trying to avoid here.

    Or maybe the bride or groom work for an Apple competitor and want to avoid judgement from their colleagues who attend or see pictures.

    Or maybe the wedding is being filmed for a professional documentary, where name-brand items (logo visible or otherwise easily identifiable) are prohibited.

    There are a million possibilities here. And since none of us are invited, it's not really our business or place to judge how random strangers conduct their private wedding.

    In the end, the only thing that is important is that the bride and groom have a perfect, drama-free day that leaves them with a lifetime of happy memories. The sole job for the guests is to help ensure that outcome; meaning, put a smile on your face and do what the bride and groom ask on their special day. I'm not sure this guy tweeting about the dress code accomplishes that, given that it's all over the internet now.

    ALSO - have you looked at this guy's twitter feed? He believes the 2020 election was stolen; that the UHC murderer went crazy from the covid-19 vaccine; that Canada should not be a country; that Roblox is for pedophiles; that climate change is a hoax. Clearly an unreliable narrator who is thirsty for attention/clicks, which William happily gave him.
    edited December 2024 ronnmuthuk_vanalingamdarbus69freeassociate2watto_cobra
  • Reply 13 of 34
    I would (dis)respectfully ignore that restriction. As 13485 says, how are they going to know?

    I hope no one catches all the people checking their phones for the time throughout the ceremony.
    lolliverwatto_cobra
  • Reply 14 of 34
    maltzmaltz Posts: 511member
    Ignoring their wishes seems kinda rude - it's their wedding.  But not going is an option.  Not to say that I care that much about wearing a watch or not, Apple or otherwise.  But I also kinda feel like if I knew someone this hung up on the presence of a watch, I probably wouldn't be close enough friends with them that skipping their wedding would be noticed.
    sflagelkkqd1337Anilu_777watto_cobra
  • Reply 15 of 34
    chasmchasm Posts: 3,646member
    “If you are bringing any smart devices, please put them on mute for the duration of the ceremony” would cover all possibilities, be more reasonable, and wouldn’t have made the news.

    But the privilege radiating off that invite would require me to open it from behind a lead shield, so there was no chance of me attending anyway. But at least I’d be classy enough to send the happy couple a gift:

    A pair of Apple Watches. :)
    darbus69Anilu_777watto_cobra
  • Reply 16 of 34
    sflagel said:
    is their a wedding, they can do whatever they want. Let’s face it, the Apple Watch is ugly, 
    ——

    So are Rolexes and even Breguets — depending on your taste, which is absolutely as valid as anyone else’s. If this really is solely the bride’s idea, she needs to understand that from the moment the officiant says, “I now pronounce you [insert your terms here],” neither of the people concerned will ever have sole say about anything for as long as they’re married.
    williamlondonAnilu_777watto_cobra
  • Reply 17 of 34
    mattinozmattinoz Posts: 2,516member
    Let's see… how might this go?

    1) She is a control freak and he is totally whipped. Forecast: A life of misery for him, a life of drama for her (well, both actually).

    2) They are both control freaks. Forecast: Raging drama all around, and the inevitable marital implosion. In the meantime, f***ed up children.
    I think you maybe a tad optimistic. 
    All I can say is guests follow the rules and go for the drama that will play out on the day. 
    darbus69watto_cobra
  • Reply 18 of 34
    As the article alludes, I guess that if a guest has a medical condition, such as diabetes, and uses the Apple Watch as a monitor using one of the devices for such purpose, they're just SOL, huh?  Were I such a person (fortunately, I am not), the couple would have to make a choice, either I wear my watch, or I don't attend.  I'd be fine not attending the wedding of someone who put their "vision" ahead of my health.

    I am also fortunate that I don't know any people who would actually do this.
    Anilu_777watto_cobra
  • Reply 19 of 34
    As the article alludes, I guess that if a guest has a medical condition, such as diabetes, and uses the Apple Watch as a monitor using one of the devices for such purpose, they're just SOL, huh?  Were I such a person (fortunately, I am not), the couple would have to make a choice, either I wear my watch, or I don't attend.  I'd be fine not attending the wedding of someone who put their "vision" ahead of my health.

    I am also fortunate that I don't know any people who would actually do this.
    Please. Nobody's life is dependant on the 24/7 wearing of an Apple watch. However, It is a very self indulgent and stupid request.

    At my wedding I am going to insit EVERY guest, and YES even small babies, wear a vacheron constantin. There will be specialist authenticity checks at the door. 
    williamlondonAnilu_777watto_cobra
  • Reply 20 of 34
    My Apple Watch goes on in the morning and comes off before bed. I don’t use sleep functions. And, I don’t take it off for weddings. 
    Anilu_777watto_cobra
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