HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Citizen, 2000-02-09, Page 12PAGE 12. THE CITIZEN, WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 9, 2000.
Duties of the bridal party
THE BRIDE
The bride has a lot of work to do
before the actual wedding. She is
the one who has the final
responsibility for most of the
planning and arrangements.
This means the bride has to take
into account the wishes of her
family and the groom and his
family as she makes decisions
about the wedding.
THE GROOM
The groom doesn’t have nearly as
much work to do before a wedding
as the bride does.
The best thing he can do is arrive
at the wedding on time (or early.)
MAID/MATRON OF HONOUR
Although many brides would like
their mother to take on this role,
there is a fair bit of work to it - and
the mother of the bride already has
a fair bit to do. This is why the
bride usually selects someone else
to be her maid or matron of honour.
But if she does want her mother to
serve as matron of honour, there is
no reason why she shouldn't.
The maid or matron of honour is
often one of the bride's sisters, or
another relative or close friend.
If the bride wants two attendants
she may chose to have both a maid
and matron of honour. The maid of
honour is usually the chief
attendant.
The honour attendant is expected
to help the bride as much as
possible with plans for the wedding
and on the wedding day. This may
include helping to address the
invitations and acting as the official
person who records the wedding
gifts. She may also be the one who
arranges with other bridesmaids to
have their dresses fitted. She is
expected to attend all the pre
wedding parties held for the bride
and may also give one herself.
The maid/matron of honour is the
one who selects the joint gift given
to the bride by her attendants.
On the day of the wedding, she is
expected to help the bride dress. At
the ceremony she is the one who
holds the bride's flowers as the
bride and groom exchange rings -
and she is the one who has the
groom's ring and hands it to the
bride at the altar. She helps the
bride adjust her veil and train as
she turns to leave the altar.
The bride's honour attendant
signs the wedding register as the
bride's witness.
After the reception she helps the
bride change intG her going-away
clothes and often helps the bride's
mother put the wedding dress
away.
BEST MAN
The best man is usually one of
the groom's brothers, although it is
not uncommon for another relative,
a close friend or even the groom's
father to assume the role.
Like the maid/matron of honour,
his task is to help the groom as
much as possible.
The best man makes sure the
ushers have been fitted for their
clothes and that the complete outfit
has been delivered to them prior to
the wedding. He is the one who
collects the money and selects the
joint gift given by the groom's
attendants.
He also makes sure the flowers
ordered by the groom are delivered
in time for the wedding.
He helps the groom make sure he
is properly dressed for the wedding
and it is his job to get him to the
church on time.
He takes care of the wedding ring
before the ceremony and is the one
who hands it to the groom at the
altar. If there is a ring bearer, the
best man is the one who makes sure
it is attached to the cushion and
who takes it off again at the altar.
He signs the wedding certificate
as the groom's witness and takes
charge of the licence.
The best man is responsible for
handing the groom's donation to the
clergyman. He is also the person
who helps the bride and groom into
their car as they leave the site of the
wedding. If they do not have a
chauffeured car, the best man is the
one who drives them to the
reception.
At the reception, the best man
makes the first toast to the
newlyweds. He reads aloud any
telegrams or message that have
been received.
When the newlyweds are ready
to leave, he helps the groom change
and takes care of his wedding
clothes. He is also the one to drive
them away, as they leave the
reception.
His final duty is to make sure any
rented clothing - the groom's, his
own, or that of the ushers - is
returned.
BRIDESMAIDS
The bridesmaids are generally
sisters, friends, or close relatives of
the bride and groom. They are,
customarily, close in age to the
bride. Any close family members
who are much younger than the
bride can serve as junior
bridesmaids.
They have no specific duties,
although they generally help the
bride with wedding plans. They
are invited to all pre-wedding
parties and may give one if they
wish.
They are responsible for paying
for their own wedding outfits,
which includes dress and
accessories. For this reason,
considerate brides are moving away
from the one-time-only matching
chiffon outfits to dresses similar in
style or fabric which can be worn
by the attendant after the wedding.
USHERS
They don’t have a lot to do, but
the role of the ushers is important.
The ushers are the people
responsible for seating guests at the
ceremony. To avoid delay, there
should be at least one usher for
every 50 guests.
They should arrive at the
wedding location 45 minutes to an
hour before the ceremony is set to
begin.
As each guest arrives, an usher
steps forward and offers his right
arm to the woman. If she comes
accompanied by a man, the man
follows them to their seats. If
several women arrive together, the
usher escorts the oldest one to her
seat first
If he doesn't know the woman he
is seating, he may ask if she is a
friend of the bride or groom.
The bride's friends and relatives
are seated on the left side, and the
groom's on the right. If the seats
become full on one side, guests
may be seated on the other side.
A head usher may be designated
to supervise the seating of special
guests. If one of the ushers is the
brother of the bride or groom, he
may escort his own mother to her
seat, otherwise the head user will
assume responsibility for the
mothers.
There also needs to be one usher
for every bridesmaid in the
wedding, since they also act as
escorts for the bridesmaids and it is
customary for them to pair of as the
wedding party leaves the church.
The ushers escort the
bridesmaids to the reception if
arrangements have been made for
the wedding party. If not, ushers
help transport guests to the
reception.
Continued on page 13
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