Planning your wedding involves making many decisions, some simple and some not so simple. While setting up your budget and picking out your wedding dress come first on the list of to-do’s, deciding on who will be involved in your wedding ceremony still makes it onto the list.
Your wedding day is a special celebration not only of your love as a couple, but as two families coming together as one. You want your ceremony to be the special vision you have always had – without leaving out anyone important.
You don’t have to stick to tradition when deciding on who you would like to be included in your wedding ceremony. You may decide to leave certain roles and responsibilities out completely, or give them to someone else. If you don’t have the budget or the correct person to fill a role, then you may decide to change things up and take a non-traditional approach to designating titles.
Best Man & Maid of Honor
These are two of the most traditional roles for most weddings, the groom’s best man and the bride’s maid of honor. The best man and maid of honor are usually a best friend or family member that is very important to the bride and groom. The role of these two people is to take as much pressure off of the bride and groom as possible.
Duties may include looking after the flowergirls and page boys, taking care of the rings, assisting in the bridal party attire, coordinating with vendors and delivering speeches at the reception. Anything that the bride or groom may need help with usually falls on these two people.
Groomsmen & Bridesmaids
Choosing groomsmen and bridesmaids is a great way to include other important people in your wedding. This mostly includes special friends or family members that play a significant role in your life. These people are there as backup help and support and will stand alongside your best man and maid of honor on your wedding day.
Duties may include welcoming guests and helping them with drinks, as well as assisting the bride and groom with any exciting pre-wedding party planning such as the traditional bachelor and bachelorette parties. There is no set number of people you should include in your bridal party and is totally dependent on the couple.
Father of the Bride
This is one role that most certainly cannot be overlooked. The father of the bride is generally one of the most important men in the bride’s life. If you are unfortunate and your father is unable to fill this position of any reason, an equally as important family member usually fills this role (a mother is a common pick).
The role of the father of the bride is to walk the bride down the aisle and “give her away” to her husband to be. He will also deliver the first speech of the evening and propose the first toast. Most brides include a father – daughter dance at their reception as a special tribute to their relationship.
Flower Girls & Page Boys
These roles will depend on the couple, some may choose to leave these positions out. Flower girls are generally young girls from the family who attend dress fittings with the bridal party and who will walk down the aisle just before the bride and traditionally scatters flower petals for the bride.
Likewise a page boy is generally a young boy who will follow the maid of honor down the aisle and attend suit fittings with the men, this role may also be changed to the ring bearer who will bring and hold the rings at the altar until the vows are said. This is a lovely way to include children in your wedding.
Ushers
This is another role that is dependent on the couple. If you have a small wedding guest list, it may not be necessary to have someone show your guests to their seats, or you may integrate the usher duties into other roles. The job of the usher is to make sure the guests are comfortable and taken care of, offering them drinks and introducing them to one another. This is the perfect role for that chatty uncle in the family.
Master of Ceremonies
The Master of ceremonies is only needed after your wedding ceremony and is somewhat of a traditional role at a wedding reception. The duty of the “MC” is to introduce the speeches and toasts and make any announcements. Often this role is given to the comic in the family, it’s great to have a lively person fill this role to add some fun to the formalities.
Other Ways to Involve Loved Ones
If you have not yet found a suitable role for each person you would like to include in your big day, try thinking outside of the box. Have your talented family members perform a song at the reception or have your grandparents be the witnesses for the signing of the marriage contract. If you are in need of a wedding decorator, why not save on expenses and recruit one of your creative friends. If you are a religious couple, have someone special say a prayer or reading. There are so many ways to make sure that everyone is included without having your wedding run like a circus.
Bare in mind that this is your big day and it’s not your job to please everyone in your family or friendship circles. Don’t over-complicate things by trying to fill too many roles to include everyone because it may become too overbearing on the day. Have people who you love and care about fill the important roles and the rest will enjoy your special day with you as your guests.