Editorial Standards

Couples use this site to make decisions that matter to them, sometimes about words they will say only once. These are the standards we hold ourselves to.

Research and accuracy

Our guides are written for adults planning a wedding, in plain American English. We check facts against primary sources wherever we can — the text of a reading, the origin of a custom, the rules of a faith or a jurisdiction — and we say so when a custom’s origin is uncertain or disputed. Where a question is a matter of taste rather than etiquette, we say that too.

We don’t give legal, financial or medical advice. When a decision depends on local law — a marriage license, a venue contract, a destination wedding abroad — we tell you what to ask and whom to ask.

Dates and updates

Every guide shows the date it was published and, where it has been substantially revised, the date it was last updated. We revisit guides when the advice changes, and prices and figures carry the year they refer to.

The archive

Today’s Weddings has been online since 2000, and much of its early material came from readers. Those pieces — craft projects, galleries, reader-submitted ideas, early articles — are kept online because people still use them. They are marked From the Archive, and where something has changed since they were written (a product no longer made, a custom that has evolved, advice we’d no longer give), an editor’s note says so at the top. Reader contributions are published as they were sent, credited to the reader, with spelling and obvious errors corrected.

The vendor directory from the site’s early years is kept as a historical record. Listings are not endorsements, and businesses that have closed have been removed.

Copyright

We print the full text of readings, poems and scripture only when they are in the public domain. Modern works are still owned by their authors and publishers, so we describe them, credit them and tell you where to find them — see modern wedding readings. If you believe something on this site uses your work without permission, contact us and we will review it promptly.

Photography and illustration

Photographs in the site’s archive galleries were sent in by readers, and craft photographs show the projects described.

The photography on our current guides is created for Today’s Weddings with AI image-generation tools, working from briefs our editors write, and is credited Image generated for Today’s Weddings beneath each picture. We use it to illustrate ideas — a table setting, a still life of heirlooms, an unposed moment at a reception — never to depict real people, real couples, real venues or real products, and never to stand in for evidence of anything. Where a picture shows a specific tradition or piece of dress, we check it against the text for accuracy.

Advertising and independence

Today’s Weddings is free to read and is paid for by advertising, served by Google AdSense. Advertisers have no say in what we write, and we don’t accept payment for coverage. Advertising is always visibly separate from editorial content and marked as such. If we ever publish sponsored content or use affiliate links, they will be clearly labeled on the page where they appear.

Our privacy policy explains the cookies used for advertising and how to change your consent.

Corrections

When we get something wrong, we fix it. Minor corrections — a spelling, a broken link — are made silently. Substantive corrections, such as a misattributed reading or a wrong date, are noted at the end of the page with the date of the correction. To report an error, write to us.

Contact

Questions about these standards can be sent through our contact page.