Each of the members of your wedding party has specific responsibilities to perform at the wedding. All members of the wedding party, including children, should be present at the wedding rehearsal. However, the children do not have to attend the rehearsal dinner. If they are invited to the dinner, their parents should be invited also. All adult members of the wedding party and their spouses should be invited to the rehearsal dinner. If someone in the party is engaged or seriously involved, their fiancé or significant other can be invited as well.
All members of the wedding party should be present when the wedding pictures are taken. This may be either before or after the ceremony, or both.
Following are the general duties of the individual members of the wedding party. The bride and groom may ask their attendants to assist in other ways as well, depending on the situation.
Responsibilities of: The Maid of Honor/Matron of Honor
When accepting the honor of being the bride's primary attendant, the maid/matron of honor should be prepared to pay for her dress and shoes, unless the bride indicates otherwise. She may also need to pay for her own transportation and lodging if she is coming from out of town.
If the maid/matron of honor lives near the bride, she should take an active role in helping the bride plan the wedding, including helping make decorations and decorating the wedding and/or reception sites. It is also appropriate for the maid/matron of honor to host a bridal shower if she chooses to do so, but it is not required. If the female attendants' dresses are rented, the maid/matron of honor may be asked to pick them up the day before the wedding and return them after the wedding. The maid/matron of honor should be well acquainted with the details of the wedding plans so that she can handle any last-minute problems that occur. In order to fully understand the plans, she may want to attend at least one of the bride's meetings with the wedding coordinator. She should also work closely with the best man at the rehearsal and on the wedding day to see that everything goes smoothly.
On the day of the wedding, the maid/matron of honor will be expected to do the following:
All members of the wedding party should be present when the wedding pictures are taken. This may be either before or after the ceremony, or both.
Following are the general duties of the individual members of the wedding party. The bride and groom may ask their attendants to assist in other ways as well, depending on the situation.
Responsibilities of: The Maid of Honor/Matron of Honor
When accepting the honor of being the bride's primary attendant, the maid/matron of honor should be prepared to pay for her dress and shoes, unless the bride indicates otherwise. She may also need to pay for her own transportation and lodging if she is coming from out of town.
If the maid/matron of honor lives near the bride, she should take an active role in helping the bride plan the wedding, including helping make decorations and decorating the wedding and/or reception sites. It is also appropriate for the maid/matron of honor to host a bridal shower if she chooses to do so, but it is not required. If the female attendants' dresses are rented, the maid/matron of honor may be asked to pick them up the day before the wedding and return them after the wedding. The maid/matron of honor should be well acquainted with the details of the wedding plans so that she can handle any last-minute problems that occur. In order to fully understand the plans, she may want to attend at least one of the bride's meetings with the wedding coordinator. She should also work closely with the best man at the rehearsal and on the wedding day to see that everything goes smoothly.
On the day of the wedding, the maid/matron of honor will be expected to do the following:
- Help the bride dress
- Precede the bride down the aisle
- Arrange the bride's train during the ceremony, if needed
- Hold the bride's bouquet during the ceremony
- Carry the groom's ring, or get it from the ring-bearer's pillow, and hand it to the bride at the appropriate time (unless the best man holds both rings)
- After the ceremony, she may stand in the receiving line,
- but she does not have to
- Oversee reception activities and generally assist as a hostess
- while the bride and groom are occupied with the receiving line
- Communicate closely with the wedding coordinator
- on any necessary matters
- Sign the marriage license
After the wedding, the maid/matron of honor should assist in clean-up and removal of decorations. She should collect and return any rented dresses or other items, and do anything else that the bride might request.
