The wedding party will be your go-to team while planning your wedding, which is why it’s extremely important to select close relatives and friends. The members of the wedding party should be great assets to your planning team. When deciding how many and whom will be in your wedding party, start with the key elements: the size of your wedding, if you will have equal bridesmaids and groomsmen, who will provide the attire, and if you want to give gifts to them.

The typical roles in a wedding party include Maid of Honor, Bridesmaids, Best Man, Groomsmen, Flower Girl, and Ring Bearer. The descriptions below break down the main responsibilities of each role in the wedding party.

Maid of Honor

The MOH stands as your personal aide and advisor. They plan the bridal shower and bachelorette party as well as take care of the bride’s wedding dress and accessories after the reception. This role also includes helping address invitations and place cards. She signs as a witness on the marriage license and most importantly, she stands next to you at the altar.

Best Man

The BM plans the bachelor party and takes care of all prepaid arrangements. He also signs the marriage license and handles the groom’s clothes after the wedding.

Bridesmaids and Groomsmen

The bridesmaids and groomsmen help the MOH and BM plan the bachelor and bachelorette parties and assist them if they need the help. They also hand out programs if provided, and take care of guests need including getting directions to the venues or to their seats at the wedding.

Inside Tip: Colors in for bridesmaids dresses are fire truck red, emerald green, electric blue, maroon, burgundy, gold, and navy!

Parents of the bride

One or both parents escorts you down the aisle

Parents of the groom

Can escort the groom down the aisle in some weddings

Flower girl

Walks ahead of you with a basket of flower petals spreading them along the aisle

Ring bearer

Walks down the aisle ahead of the flower girl carrying the wedding bands

You may have your list of your wedding party members, gifts, and everything worked out. But what happens when you have to turn someone down? When you have to tell a friend she isn’t a bridesmaid, always approach her in person, not by phone or text. Honesty is the best policy, so be truthful with your friend when explaining to her why she isn’t in the wedding. It’s best to have a specific reason as to why she wasn’t chosen. For example, I picked the people based on who I knew the longest.

Wedding Party Do’s, Don’ts & Tips

 Do’s

•  Do be considerate of your wedding party’s budget
•  Do make sure your maid of honor and best man are of legal age so that they are able to sign the wedding registry as witnesses and afford the expenses
•   Do wait until close to the wedding date to choose your bridal party. Things in your life change from day to day and you don’t want to choose someone who you may lose touch with several months or years down the line

 Don’ts

• Don’t assume one of your friends will say no (even if you know they don’t have the finances)
• Don’t require your wedding party to be identical
•  Don’t feel obligated to include everyone in your bridal party

¤  Tips

• The more isn’t always merrier
• Include your family, even if you’re not the best of friends
• You do not need to ask someone to be in your wedding just because she asked you to be in hers
• Be upfront in what you expect from your bridal party
• Moral support or stuffing invitations
• A bridesmaid doesn’t have to be a woman
• You can also have two maids of honors or two best men
•  Let your wedding party know about wanting them to be a part of your wedding 3 to 6 months prior
•  If a bridesmaid doesn’t make the cut, there are plenty of other roles for them such as do a reading, hand out programs, perform a song, etc.

And as always, have a good time!