Wedding Planning - Who Does What?

There are no hard and fast rules to weddings, but many people consider it an honour to have particular duties before and during your special day. Here are some guidelines of the traditional roles played by members of the bridal party:



The Bride
• Chooses wedding date, type of ceremony, the theme of the wedding and her outfit
• Chooses her attendants and their outfits
• Co-ordinates & advises other members of the bridal party on dress codes & colours
• Throws her bouquet amongst the unmarried female guests
• Writes thank-you notes to helpers and for wedding gifts
• Buys a wedding present for the groom and bridesmaids

The Groom
• Works out the budget
• Buys the wedding rings
• Arranges the outfits of the male members of the bridal party
• Arranges the honeymoon and the wedding night accommodation
• Buys a gift for the best man
• Makes a speech at the reception, on behalf of himself and his new wife

The Best Man
• Helps groom choose his outfits and those of the male attendants
• Arranges the "stag do"
• Along with ushers he is at venue to discuss seating and parking arrangements
• Attends the wedding rehearsal
• Collects hire wear for himself and the groom
• Collects cards or messages from those who cannot attend wedding
• Makes sure that ushers have order of service sheets and buttonholes
• Helps the groom dress and makes sure he gets to the church on time
• Produces the rings when required and gives them to the groom or the officiate
• Escorts the chief bridesmaid to the signing of the register (usually a witness)
• Checks arrangements with the ushers that all guests have transport to the reception
• In the absence of a toastmaster or master of ceremonies, announces events
• Makes a speech and reads out messages
• Helps transport the wedding gifts from the reception to a safe place
• After the wedding, returns groom's hire wear if necessary

Chief Bridesmaid
• Helps the bride choose her outfit and her attendants' outfits
• Helps the bride keep her weddings lists up-to-date
• Organises the "hen do"
• Attends the rehearsal
• Helps arrange and supervise a timetable for the bride on the day
• Helps the bride and her attendants get ready on the day
• At the ceremony venue checks bride's attire and lines up the attendants
• Holds the bride's bouquet during the ceremony
• Escorted by the best man, attends the signing of the register (usually a witness)
• Walks with the best man out of the ceremony
• Places her bouquet, along with the bride's, by the wedding cake
• Helps the bride prepare for "going away", takes charge of the wedding attire
• Along with the best man, transport wedding gifts from the reception to a safe place

Flower Girl (usually a younger bridesmaid)
• Carries a basket of flowers or flower petals
• Joins in the procession with the other attendants Ushers
• Before the wedding day, meet with the best man to work out duties
• Plan parking arrangements
• Collect order of service sheets from the bride or best man
• Provide umbrellas in case of rain
• Arrive first at the ceremony venue
• Organise parking
• Ensure that the approach is clear for the bride's arrival
• Greet guests and distribute buttonholes, order of service sheets and hymnbooks
• Make sure all guests switch off mobile phones
• Escort the bride's mother and elderly guests to their seats
• Help photographer organise people for group shots
• Help best man organise transport for the guests to the reception
• Helps check a few of the tables at the reception to ensure guests are happy
• Make sure all guests are seated for the speeches
• Stsrt applause during bride & groom's first dance, then get everyone up and dancing
• Line up guests when bride and groom leave

Bride's Mother
• Arranges press announcements
• Compiles the guest list in consultation with the groom's family
• Sends out invitations and keeps a note of replies
• Looks after gift list and makes arrangements to display the presents
• Makes a list of the guests for the ushers
• Attends the signing of the register
• Leaves the church on the arm of the groom's father
• Sends cake to those unable to attend the wedding

Bride's Father
• Attends the wedding rehearsal
• Travels with his daughter to the ceremony
• Escorts the bride down the aisle
• Gives the bride away
• Attends the signing of the register

We are in the process of building our resource guide to wedding planning - ideal if you are looking for inspiration and help around your big day whether you plan your own wedding or would like us to become involved.

First things first........When???

So you're engaged - yipee!!!! Your head will be buzzing with excitement - dreaming of how you'll look on your big day in your fabulous dress, who will be your bridesmaids, where you want to go on Honeymoon............STOP! Yes, these things are so exciting and most probably key factors in your wedding, however, without a venue and a date you haven't got anything! Please, ensure this is what you organise first. Obviously, this is where I step in and say you should enlist the help of a wedding planner! Many people think that hiring a professional is a luxury they just cannot afford. However, we can not only save you valuable time and take the stress out of the whole planning process, we can also help with ideas, recommend the best value & most reliable suppliers, and help smooth out any problems you may come across - remember - we have been there and seen it all before! We can also help pull in the reins when you are tempted to over-spend (& it is highly likely you will be, believe me!!!) When choosing a Wedding Planner the most important thing is finding someone you have a good rapport with & who shares your visions and dreams for your wedding. Cheryl and I believe we cater to everyone’s tastes - we are both highly motivated with an unfaltering attention to detail; yet while Cheryl is cool, calm and collected, I am super lively and bubbly!

Anyway - back to the date & venue. You probably have an idea of a possible date/month you would like, but you might need to be flexible on this. Firstly, if you are opting for a popular venue it might be booked (think Bride Wars - but it's not just The Plaza Hotel in New York that gets booked up years in advance!), especially if you are opting for one of the traditional wedding months. Consider your options.....do you really need to get married on a Saturday in August? Weekdays & Sundays are becoming more popular, and are definitely a cheaper option - as are out of season months. Remember to consider though those who work weekdays, or that a Sunday wedding might mean guest having to take Monday off.


As for choosing your month, winter weddings can be fabulous....snow, (fake) fur shrugs, fairy lights, glitter.... One of our clients got married between Christmas and New Year and had a 'Winter Wonderland' theme, one of the highlights being a Christmas tree decorated in favours that guests could choose from and take home. Every year I hang that favour on my tree and remember what a fantastic day it was (extra bonus - a favour that I can use/want to keep - but that's a story for another blog another time!!) Many of the guests spoke about how it was really nice to go to a wedding in the winter, as during the summer they felt that it had been a bit 'wedding-crazy' for them.


Time of the year can have a huge impact on the type of wedding you have. Many brides dream of a glorious summers day, flowers in bloom as she gets photographed on the lawn. However, just because you picked July this is not guaranteed!!! Please have a contingency plan at the ready for rain/hail/sleet/snow - just as Scotland can have beautiful weather, we can also have 4 seasons in 1 day. Also, try to take account of other events i.e. World Cup. You might not care much for football, yet you will be mighty upset if half the guests don't turn up, or sneak a radio into your ceremony to hear the scores! Another example of this is of a couple from the USA who wanted to get married in Edinburgh around the time of the military tattoo so their guests could spend a few days in the city after the ceremony to see it. It became, unfortunately, quite a costly decision, as flights and accommodation around this time is always more expensive. A bit of research at the beginning could save you a lot of grief in the long run. Discuss it with your partner and closest family & friends. Get your diaries out and pencil in a few potential dates. Take into consideration how long you would like/will need to plan your perfect day. Armed with these thought, start considering where you would like to say your vows

Premier Wedding Planners Scotland

Our blog is live - looking forward to posting lots of fabulous wedding pictures and stories. There is so much going on in the wedding industry, so many venues to showcase, dresses to die for - even wedding flowers have moved on so much over the past few years.

Keep in touch....

Lucy and Cheryl