Weddings are special for many reasons. While many will not mention it, friends and family long to have an important part of the wedding party. There are many roles loved ones can take on to help the bride and groom on their special day as well as feel included and needed.

Evaluate the expectations for the wedding party:

As a bride, the day comes when you must write your guest list, and to do so it is recommended to start with your must haves. Think of the guests you must have there, and have the groom do the same. Combine those lists. From there, you may begin to assign roles of the wedding party to the closest people in your life.wedding party

This is an opportunity to make new family members or future ones, fiancé’s and so forth, welcome to your event. Think of those that would make “political sense” as Bridal Guide wrote. An organized way to start, consider the responsibilities.

Decide whether or not you plan to have an extravagant gala or a casual backyard wedding. Evaluate your needs and expectations of the wedding party. Consider situations such as your best friend losing her job or a busy friend that can barely answer a text message much less make it to a dress shopping day.

Be a part of the bride tribe:

Whether you know hundreds of people or only have two close friends your age, people tend to assume they are going to be asked to be a bridesmaid. Although this can be awkward to say the least, it can also leave brides feeling guilty. Choosing who should be standing next to the bride on her special day should not be stressful.

If you are in a dilemma deciding who should be a bridesmaid, or in the wedding party at all, keep in mind that this day is for you and not for attendees. There are other ways to incorporate special people in your life besides the bridal party.

Familiar faces at the door:

Although it is more traditional for men or boys to be ushers, women can be as well. It is natural for a woman or young girl close to the couple to be an usher, if there are many elderly guests that will need guidance. The mood should be relaxed and celebratory, so do not overwhelm two ushers with 15 elderly guests needing assistance to their seats.

According to Bridal Guide, the best way to determine how many ushers to have is one usher per 50 guests. However, event planners at Events By Jaclyn do not recommend this if there are more than ten elderly guests needing to be walked to their seats. Elderly guests should not feel embarrassed or uncomfortable waiting to be ushered.

This can also be an opportunity to include your brother’s kids to make him happy. Be sure to be as inclusive as possible, but do not inconvenience yourself for the sake of other’s feelings. The maximum recommended number of ushers is 12, and our event planners do not recommend having more than five at a wedding less than 100 guests.

A place for little ones:

I don’t know about you, but one of the best parts of a wedding is seeing those cute moments from the flower girl and ring bearer. If you do not have nieces, nephews, or any young children close to you, consider a pet. It truly lightens up the occasion when there is sweetness just before your big walk.wedding party

If you are lucky enough to have babies or little tykes in your circle, consider giving them the precious role of ring bearer or flower girl. The Knot says to sit down with the youngsters to have a discussion of how big of a role it is to avoid a couple of cute kids being shocked at the beginning of the aisle.

The average age for a ring bearer is four to eight years old. After the ring bearer walks in, a sweet girl usually three to eight years old follows scattering flower petals down the aisle. To calm the kiddies’ nerves, pair up the flower girl and ring bearer to walk together down the aisle.

The best way to choose flower girls or ring bearers is by  considering which children you are most closely related to. Siblings, nieces, and nephews are more traditionally the first ones to ask. If this isn’t an option for you, ask first or second cousins or your friend’s kids.

Incorporating those who have passed:

It is not required, but event planners advise honoring loved ones that have passed away. Any family thatwedding party has passed can be honored by displaying their pictures. Additionally, you may choose to put one of their personal items next to their picture.

Have the guest book near the pictures of the passed loved ones, so everyone sees the pictures. If having pictures is too sentimental or will encourage somber tears, consider a table with name cards and lit candles. This can be more of a subtle way to honor them without triggering sad emotions.

Thank you for reading this week’s blog. Join us next week as we share more ways to incorporate loved ones into your wedding party. Inquire today for Events By Jaclyn’s availability for wedding day coordination!