Wedding Party Roles
Weddings Designed can help you find their outfits, and guide their Wedding Party Roles on the big day, but we can’t choose your friends and family, and often neither can you! Here’s a brief guide to the main wedding party roles and the sort of people who normally fill them.
Maid of Honour / Chief bridesmaid / Man-OF-Honour
No one likes to name favourites, but on the days running up to your wedding, a second in command is always appreciated. A maid of honour is one of the most important wedding party roles. You can have two Maids of Honour if you really can’t choose! If your best friend is male, don’t worry, have him as your ‘Honour attendant’ or Man-of-Honour. It’s all the same, either way their role will range from organising the hen night to holding up your train on the day, and carrying tissues incase a mother gets overwhelmed.
Best Man / BEST WOMAN / BEST PERSON
Like the Maid of Honour, the best man is usually the groom’s best friend or brother and another one of the most important wedding party roles. It’s not unusual now to have more than one best man, or even a best woman. Just remember that someone who can help you fetch and gather (whether it’s band equipment or relatives!) is very useful. It’s a stressful time no matter how much expert help you gather, and a Best Man is invaluable.
Bridesmaids / Bride Attendants
Whether you have one or thirty, bridesmaids a a key part of the wedding party. Although often their role is to simply look pretty, they can be a real as your wedding approaches and invaluable on the big day. Again, don’t limit yourself to the gender of the team, focus on the people who you want beside you.
Groomsmen / GROOMsMAIDS
These are the men closest to the groom, whether they are brothers, best friends, cousins, or work mates. Like bridesmaids their numbers vary as do their roles, but they are a key part to your entourage. As with bridesmaids, don’t limit yourself to the gender of the team, focus on the people who you want beside you on your big day.
Flower Girl / FLOWER DUDE
A flower girl is normally aged between four and eight. She follows the bridesmaids down the aisle, carrying a bouquet or basket of flowers.
If your wedding is child-free, a flower man, or flower dude, is the grown, usually male version of a flower girl. The person who scatters flowers down the aisle in front of the bride and groom at a wedding ceremony…yes it’s becoming a TikTok cliche, but it doesn’t mean it wouldn’t be a great addition to a modern wedding!
Ring Bearer / Page Boy
Like the flower girl, the role of ring bearer is often filled by a boy between the ages of four and eight. The ring bearer carries a pillow with the wedding rings attached (although many couples attach decorative wedding rings and entrust the real rings to the Best Man).
Ushers
There are usually at least two ushers, normally men but there are no rules! They escort guests to their seats. Sometimes it is the groomsmen who fill the roles of the ushers, but these roles can be filled by non-wedding party member