The Wedding Team

A successful wedding is always the result of a team effort, and choosing the right people to help is one of the first and most important decisions the bride and the groom will make.

The majority of the wedding planning will fall to the bride and her mother, and they must be careful not to attempt to take everything on themselves. Even the most organised people would have difficulty trying to remember everything that needs to be done, including all the last minute details. It is for exactly this purpose that there is a best man and a chief bridesmaid.

The chief bridesmaid will help the bride in her preparations for the big day, look after the younger bridesmaids on the day itself, and may also act as a witness to the marriage. She should be the type of person who enjoys responsibility, and who will be able to remain calm when everyone else starts panicking about getting things done or being ready on time.

The best man is usually a close friend of the couple or the groom and is the 'organiser', handling details such as getting the groom dressed and to the ceremony on time and acting as a witness to the marriage. At the reception, he will make a speech and read any messages to the couple. The best man also organises the stag night, and, hopefully prevents the groom from being painted purple and tied to a lamppost, or from getting alcohol poisoning!

When deciding whom to choose as the best man, grooms should bear in mind that the best man is responsible for much more than the stag night. He needs to be sensible and loyal to both the bride and the groom as a couple, and they should both like and respect him.

Both the best man and the chief bridesmaid need to be readily available to take over responsibility for certain tasks and should be involved in the wedding plans as early as possible. Someone who is not free to help until the day itself will not be able to offer the necessary support that a bride or groom needs or deserves.

A nice way to involve close friends in the wedding and make them feel important is to have plenty of ushers. Ushers traditionally do not assume responsibility until the day of the wedding itself, but having dependable friends who can be relied upon to take responsibility for last-minute details on the day can be very useful.

The Bride & Her Mother

The Father of the Bride

The Groom

The Best Man

The Ushers

The Chief Bridesmaid

The Bridesmaids

Young Attendants

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