Duties Of The Wedding Party Attendants
Your wedding attendants will help take some of the organisational load off you and your partner. So that everyone in your wedding party is familiar with what their responsibilities are, print out lists and hand out as early as possible.
Here is a list of the traditional duties of the wedding party - feel free to mix it up as you like. These are just suggestions, there are no rules...
Maid of Honour / Matron of Honour
A maid of honour is single, a matron of honour is married. It is acceptable to have a male maid/matron of honour - known as the bride's "Honour Attendant."
- Provide emotional support for the bride
- Coordinate the bridesmaids
- Help the bride with shopping for her wedding dress
- Help the bride choose bridesmaid's outfits and accessories
- Assist the bride and bridesmaids with making arrangements for fittings and accessories
- Help the bride with other wedding tasks such as addressing wedding invitations, recording wedding gifts etc.
- Organise the bridal shower
- Co-ordinate the bridesmaids' gift to the bride and usually buys an individual gift to the couple
- Organise the bachelorette party/dinner
- Assist the bride and bridesmaids dress before the ceremony
- Stand next to the bride during the ceremony and adjust the bride's veil and train
- Hold the groom's wedding ring until the appropriate time during the ceremony when she exchanges it for the bride's bouquet
- Act as legal witness of the marriage and sign the marriage certificate
- Stand next to the groom in the receiving line
- May offer a toast at the reception
- Help bride change into her going-away outfit, take care of the wedding dress and arrange for it to be cleaned or put in storage
- Help to ensure that the honeymoon luggage is in the right place when the bride and groom leave for their honeymoon
Bridesmaids
- Run errands for the bride during the wedding planning process
- Assist in making bomboniere and decorating the wedding reception venue
- Assist in addressing wedding invitations and announcements
- Assist maid of honour with bridal shower
- Pay for their own attire
- Participate in the bridal shower
- Attend the rehearsal and rehearsal dinner
- Contribute to the bridesmaids' gift to the bride (they each give an individual gift to the couple)
- May assist in looking after the flower girl or ring bearer before the ceremony
- Walk down the aisle/to the ceremony site, in the processional and may stand in the receiving line
Flower Girl
- Walk down the aisle/to the ceremony site ahead of the bride, carrying a basket of flowers to strew in front of the bride
Ring Bearer
- Walk down the aisle/to the ceremony site ahead of either the flower girl or the bride carrying a pillow with symbolic rings
Pages / Train Bearers
- For formal weddings, carry the train of the bride as she walks down the aisle
Candle Lighters
- Usually children of either family who light the candles just prior to the mother-of-the-bride being seated
Best Man / Honour Attendant (if female)
- Provide emotional support to the groom
- Assist the bride's parents in arranging transportation for the wedding party attendants
- Co-ordinate the groomsmen's gift to the groom (usually gives individual gift to the couple)
- Ensure that the groom's wedding related expenses are prepared (eg. clergy fee)
- Make payment to the ceremony officiate
- Assist making hotel arrangements for the groom's family and out-of-town guests
- Arrange pre-wedding bachelor party/dinner
- Coordinate the ushers/groomsmen
- Hold bride's ring during the ceremony
- Offer the first toast at the rehearsal dinner
- Help the groom dress the day of the wedding
- Ensure that all groomsmen are dressed properly and wearing their boutonnieres on arrival
- Drive the groom to the church/ceremony site
- Drives or rides along with the bride and groom and maid of honour from the church to the reception
- Help gather the wedding party for wedding photographs
- Offer the first toast at the reception and read congratulatory telegrams and messages
- Sit at the bride's right at the head table at the reception
- When the bride and groom leave for their honeymoon, load the bride's and groom's luggage for their honeymoon in their car and assist with their getaway
- Return groom's and usher's hire clothing to hire company
Ushers/Groomsmen
- Assist groom and best man with errands and bachelor party/dinner
- Responsible for own clothing rental
- Attend rehearsal and rehearsal dinner
- Ushers arrive at the church or wedding site at least one hour before the ceremony and escort guests to their seats. Friends of the bride are seated on the left and friends of the groom on the right.
- When ushering guests, the groomsman/usher should offer his/her right arm to a woman. The woman's male guest/escort should follow behind you. If a male guest arrives alone (without a female guest), he should walk on the usher/groomsman's right. Unless the male guest has a disablilty, the usher does not offer his arm
- Act as escort to the bridesmaids
- One or two of the ushers escort the bride's mother and the groom's parents down the aisle/ceremony site at the beginning of the ceremony
- Escort the bridesmaids at the end of the ceremony
- Escort the bride and groom's family from the church after the ceremony, then return to direct the departure of guests from the pews
- Seat the groom's parents just prior to the mother of the bride at the ceremony
- Be available to give guests directions to the wedding reception venue
- Provide bridesmaids with transportation from the church/ceremony site to the wedding reception venue (if required)
- Dance with the bridesmaids at the wedding reception
- Decorate the getaway car
The Bride's Parents
- The mother of the bride helps guests that ask for gift ideas
- Assist in preparing the guest list
- May accompany the bride when shopping for her wedding dress
- Toast the couple at the wedding rehearsal dinner
- The father of the bride escorts his daughter down the aisle and stands next to the mother of the bride in the receiving line
- The mother of the bride is the last person to be seated before the ceremony and is the first in the receiving line
- The father of the bride dances with his daughter after her first dance with the groom
The Groom's Parents
- Assist in preparing the guest list
- Host the wedding rehearsal dinner
- Stand in the receiving line
Other Miscellaneous Duties To Be Assigned
Other miscellaneous duties that may be required to be assigned to members of the bridal party, family members or special friends:
- Decorating the reception hall
- Decorating cars
- Two witnesses are required 18 years or over to sign the marriage certificate (such as members of the wedding party, family or friends)
- Pouring the champagne before the toast
- After the reception someone to take care of the :
- Cake top (anniversary layer of the cake) and the cake knife and server
- Toasting glasses
- Guest book and pen
- Gifts (someone responsible to transport the gifts from the reception to the bride and groom's home)
- Disposable cameras
