Etiquette & Tradition... Who Does What?

Wedding Etiquette and Tradition can be confusing..and a potential minefield! Who does what and when?….. Below is a useful guide to “old-school tradition”…which you may choose to use, or alternatively change or tweak, as you see fit….

Groom

Help organise and pay for the transport
Organise the corsages, buttonholes and thank you presents for the two mothers
Give the Best Man, money in individual envelopes, labelled for each specific supplier, with fees for any services that need to be settled on the day
Organisation of the honeymoon, including transport to the airport

Best Man

Keep the Groom calm and relaxed
Carry the rings
Pay any suppliers (often musicians and the piper) that need to be paid on the day
Deliver the completed marriage schedule back to the Registrar’s Office, after the wedding day
Delegate jobs to the Groomsmen/Ushers
Organise the Stag/Bachelor party

Bride’s Father

Escort the Bride down the aisle
Escort the Mother of the Groom out of the ceremony
Pay the caterer

Groom’s Father

Escort the Mother of the Bride out of the ceremony
Help to pay/supply the drinks at the reception

 Chief Bridesmaid/Maid of Honour

Liase with the Bride to ensure her needs are met (before, during, after the wedding)
Delegate duties to the other Bridesmaids (i.e one of the dress, one for the beauty bag, one to look after any flower-girls)
To lift the veil after the Bride says her vows
To lead the wedding party back up the aisle
To ensure the hair stylists and beauticians are paid (or arrangements have been agreed upon)

Bridesmaids

To carry the bouquets, when applicable, ensure the Bride looks stunning at all times
To help the Bride throughout the day
To carry a small beauty bag, containing such things as make-up, tissues, money, safety pins, a mobile phone (switched off!)
To ensure all guests get a piece of wedding cake and ensure cake is left to send to guests that couldn’t make it to the wedding
To distribute table decorations, if required, to the chosen ladies

Mother of the Bride/Groom

To offer support to the Bridesmaids
To introduce people at the wedding (act as a “hostess”
To ensure the wedding dress is cleaned and stored
Gift storage (looking after the gift list and any presents)

Ushers

Ushers should guide the guests and provide direction, working as a unified team, each with a specific role….
For example… Handing out the Order of Service sheets
Taking guests to their seats
Ensure the Mother of the Bride, who arrives alone, is escorted personally to her seat
Crowd Control! (when guests leave the ceremony area)- when the Bride and Groom are having their photographs taken, ensure all guests remain in one location
Help with organising the receiving line, if the Bride and Groom choose to have one

A useful tip is to have a pre-wedding meeting/get together/rehearsal, with all of the above persons, not only to delegate the particular tasks, but to allow each person to understand their role, ask any questions and to introduce any persons who have not met each other before.

This will make for a Top Bridal Team!