List of Wedding Roles and Who Does Each
A wedding party involves so many people who perform different roles. These roles may be performed by family members, friends, or guests at the ceremony.
Some are important while some are optional. And some roles begin immediately after the wedding preparations start. It is important to know who plays what role as you plan your wedding.
Assigning roles to family members and friends is a way of honoring them. As you prepare for your big day, you should have a list of roles you would love to include in your wedding and who performs each role.
Here is a compilation of every wedding role you must know and who performs each role.
Wedding Roles and Who Does Each
The Bride and Groom
This is simply you and your partner. You are the main reason for the celebration. The wedding itself is the main duty of both of you. Before the wedding day, there are several responsibilities that you must perform. As a couple, you:
- Choose the date, time, venue, and style of the wedding
- Set budget
- Select the bridal train. The bride chooses her maids of honor, while the groom chooses his best man and the groomsmen.
- Coordinate the event, invitations, and photographer.
- Get every necessary material for the event.
The Bride’s Parents
As demanded by many traditions, the bride’s parents host the engagement party, and they foot the bills. The bride’s mother chooses the bridal gown and informs the groom’s mother of her choice.
The bride’s father helps in searching for a venue for the wedding reception. On the wedding day, he walks her to the altar, and may even walk her down the aisle, alongside the bride’s mother holding her other hand.
After the ceremony, the bride’s father greets the guests, and bids them good night, he also settles outstanding bills with the caterer, bandleader, and parking attendants, if any. Oftentimes, he leaves the reception last.
The bride’s parents contribute to the wedding expenses, to help the couple.
The Groom’s Parents
After the engagement, the groom’s parents contact the bride’s parents for further preparations. They may decide to host an engagement party also. They consult with the bride’s parents on attire, so they can be on the same page.
The groom’s parents host the rehearsal dinner a day before the wedding. They also contribute to some wedding expenses.
Matron or Maid of Honor
The maid of honor is the bride’s closest person throughout the planning process and also on the big day. She provides support for the bride more than anyone else. Most times, the bride chooses her best friend or her sister to be her maid of honor.
The maid of honor coordinates the bridal shower and helps to organize the other bridesmaids’ events that lead up to the wedding. She assists the bride with her preparations on the wedding day and attends the wedding with her.
She acts as a witness and also appends her signature on the wedding license as a witness. She helps the bride to hold her bouquet at the altar and helps her with her veil during the ceremony.
She coordinates the bridesmaids for pictures and dances with the best man at the wedding reception. She assists the bride in getting dressed for the wedding ceremony and also for the honeymoon.
Best Man
As the maid of honor is to the bride, the best man is to the groom. The groom picks one of his friends, his best friend, or his brother to be his best man. He acts as the groom’s assistant throughout the wedding preparation and even on the big day.
Before the wedding day, the best man helps to plan the bachelor’s eve. He also assists the groom and the groomsmen to pick their outfits. He plans the toasts at the rehearsal dinner and also finalizes traveling arrangements for the honeymoon the day before.
On the wedding day, the best man makes sure that the groom arrives early at the venue. He also signs the marriage certificate as the groom’s witness.
Furthermore, he is also responsible for holding the officiant’s money until after the ceremony. At the reception, he coordinates the toasts and dances with the maid or matron of honor.
He organizes the groomsmen for formal pictures. Lastly, he arranges the couple’s luggage in the getaway car and gets it ready for the couple’s voyage. After the party, he ensures that all hired formal dresses are returned.
Bridesmaids
The bride decides the number of bridesmaids she would love to have. However, they must not exceed a dozen.
The bridesmaids can be single or married and of any age, however, girls between the ages of 8 and 16 are regarded as junior bridesmaids, and they carry out fewer responsibilities.
The bridesmaids assist the maid of honor to carry out her duties effectively, and also help the bride if need be. They also help in organizing the bridal shower and bachelor’s eve and even contribute their quota financially.
Aside from this, they also assist with the sharing of invitations. The bridesmaids and the maid of honor shoulder their outfits and travel expenses.
At the wedding, the bridesmaids walk down the aisle ahead of the bride. In some cases, they walk behind the bride. During the reception, they dance with the groomsmen, the couple, and other important guests.
Groomsmen
The groomsmen perform similar functions to the bridesmaids. They are close friends or family members of the groom and are involved in most of the activities that occur before the wedding. They assist the best man to organize the bachelor’s eve.
On the wedding day, they are actively involved in the ceremony and are expected to be at the reception throughout the event.
Like the bridesmaids, they pay for their outfits, travel, and lodging expenses.
Junior Bridesmaid
The junior bridesmaid is usually between the ages of 8 and 16. She wears an outfit of the same color and style as the bridesmaids, but of an appropriate size.
She does not attend the bachelor’s eve or bridal shower but takes part in other activities. The bride can decide to have more than one junior bridesmaid for her wedding.
Junior Groomsman
A junior groomsman is the male counterpart of the junior bridesmaid. He performs similar roles as the junior bridesmaid and is not under obligation to attend the bachelor’s eve or bridal shower.
As the groom, you can decide to have more than one junior groomsman. You are not under any strict rule to have only one junior groomsman.
Flower Girl
The flower girl is a young girl usually between the ages of 4 and 8. She walks down the aisle ahead of the bride, holding a beautiful bouquet or basket of flowers. At most weddings, she is always a part of the wedding rehearsal so that she can get used to her position before the big day. Her parents shoulder her outfit and transportation expenses.
Ring Bearer
As the name suggests, the ring bearer is a young boy who carries the rings on a satin pillow (the honor attendant will hold the real rings) down the aisle. It is very risky to entrust the real rings to a young boy but to fulfill the tradition, the ring bearer carries ordinary rings down the aisle.
The ring bearer’s parents pay the outfit and transportation expenses, as in the case of the flower girl.
Ushers
Ushers are a common sight in a wedding ceremony. They are males and females, usually friends of the bride and groom. They greet guests and escort them to their seats. You can assign this role to your friends that are not part of your bridal train.
Personal Attendant
This is not a popular role in a wedding, and it is not obligatory to have a personal attendant. However, a personal attendant also has important functions at a wedding.
This person assists the bride before and during the wedding, but is not a bridesmaid. Oftentimes, family members or friends that are not a member of the bridal train are picked for this role.
A personal attendant is included in several activities like the bridesmaids. Such a person wears the same style of dress as the bridesmaids, but in a different color.
Officiant
The officiant performs a significant role in a wedding. He coordinates the taking of vows, signing the marriage certificate or license, and other significant activities at a wedding. An officiant could be a religious leader, a judge, or an important family member.
If You Are Hosting a Religious Wedding Party
If you and your partner would be having a religious wedding party, aside from the roles listed above, you must consider the following roles.
Candle Lighter
A candle lighter is used only in a church wedding and could be male or female. As the name implies, the role of a candle lighter is to light the candles at the altar before the ceremony begins. You can pick a young family member to perform this role.
Passage Reader
At most religious weddings, people read a passage during the ceremony. A passage reader reads the passage and is usually a young family member who can read fluently.
This role is not limited to religious weddings. At nonreligious weddings, there may be a love poem, letter, or any relatable reading to read.
Hattabin
Hattabin is used in place of groomsmen at Islamic weddings. Like the groomsmen, they are usually the groom’s close friends and/or family members.
FAQs
When Should You Ask Someone to Be a Part of Your Wedding Party?
When the wedding date has been picked, then you can decide how populated you want your bridal train to be. Afterward, you inform the concerned people of your plans to make them a part of your wedding party.
How Many People Must Be in a Bridal Train?
There is no rule guiding the number of people that must be in a bridal train. It depends on the number of people you want to have as your groomsmen or bridesmaids. It is also your choice to decide the wedding roles you would love to include in your wedding.
Who Walks the Bride and the Groom in a Wedding?
In some weddings, the groom’s parents walk the groom down the aisle at first, followed by the bride and her father or both parents. Today, many couples walk down the aisle together. There is no strict rule about who walks who down the aisle, you can always do it your way.
Who Walks in First at a Wedding?
The groomsmen walk down the aisle first one after the other. Afterward, the bridesmaids walk in one after the other. However, you can choose to do it your way. You can decide to allow the groomsmen and the bridesmaids to walk in pairs in a grand style.
Can a Groom Have More Than One Best Man?
Traditionally, a groom is expected to have only one best man at his wedding. However, if you have two close friends and you find it difficult to pick one of them as your best man, you can make both of them happy by making both of them your best men. No rule restricts you from having more than one best man. It’s your wedding, do it your way!
Who Performs the Most Important Role in a Wedding?
Every role in a wedding is important. Therefore, everyone performing a role in a wedding performs an important role. However, a wedding officiant performs a very important role. They coordinate important aspects of the ceremony such as the exchange of vows, signing of the wedding license, and others.
However, this does not rule out the fact that the maid of honor, best man, groom’s parents, bride’s parents, and others perform important roles as well. All roles performed are for the success of the wedding celebration.
Conclusion
Choosing who to be a part of your wedding party is an important aspect of your wedding preparation that must not be overlooked. Your wedding party determines how successful your wedding will be. This is because they help you prepare for your big day.
There is no strict rule about the number of people to have in your wedding party, however, don’t let it be overpopulated. Remember, too many cooks spoil the broth. You can assign other wedding roles to family members or friends that are not part of your wedding party.