Wedding ceremonies are one of the major social celebrations in life and while society has done away with various rituals and conventions with the passage of time, certain customs still rule the ceremony. While weddings celebrate the union of the bride and the groom, much care also has to be taken by the hosts to ensure that the guests are entertained properly and are looked after well.
The wedding party is made up of the family members and relatives of the bride and the groom. There are certain important functions and rituals which are performed by these participants. They are integral to the wedding ceremony. In fact, it is the activities of the wedding party which adds a flavor of happiness and joy that splash the wedding reception and ceremony with the color of festivity.
The primary function of it is to lead before the bride makes her first appearance in the church aisle. The individuals comprising the wedding party move in groups preceding the bride while being observed by the guests. The male members of this group usually position themselves behind the groom.
This is followed by the bride’s entry and therefore the entrance of the wedding party is seen as the symbol of the beginning of the ceremonial celebrations. This is followed by the exchange of marriage vows and the culmination of the various wedding rites and rituals to signify the union of the couple.
After the wedding ceremony has been solemnized, everyone assembles at the wedding reception where the music band announces the wedding parties who come to the forefront and in their turn are required to introduce the newly married couple. The bride and groom also can make arrangements to acknowledge the contributions in adding festive moods to the ceremony.
The party may be requested to dance to a chosen song of the bride and groom on the dance floor. Apart from that, the wedding party is also given wonderful and innovative wedding favors by the bride and the groom and the customary presence of the wedding party fill up the ceremony with vigor.
Archive for the ‘Wedding parties’ Category
Wedding Party Roles
Tuesday, November 23rd, 2010Three Great Ideas for Choosing Fun and Meaningful Wedding Party Gifts
Friday, November 12th, 2010By Todd Haness
More and more couples are doing things a little differently for their weddings. Many couples have wedding showers co-ed style instead of the traditional girlie bridal showers and some couples are even having bridesmen and groomsmaids attendants that stand up for them but break from the tradition of being of the same gender. Things like this may have shocked our grandparents, but these days weddings are becoming more personal and meaningful to the couple versus strictly following “how it’s always been”. So why not be a little different and plan your wedding party gifts together instead of the tradition of the Groomsmen gifts being left up to the Groom and Bridesmaid gifts being left to the Bride? These three great ideas will help get you on your way to choosing the perfect wedding party gifts for your special attendants.
One way of making the wedding party gifts fun and also meaningful is to choose a theme. This can be particularly simple if there is something that all or the majority of you already do together. One Bride and Groom recently chose golf themed gifts that were suitable for all of their attendants because they had all golfed with one another at various times. They chose items such as an 18 hole golf cooler and the fun insulated golf club drink dispenser that sits in your golf bag with your clubs and made it even more special by including gift certificates for a round at the course nearby for the Maid of Honor and the Best Man. Another variation could be to add a gift certificate for the pro shop or for lunch in the clubhouse. By including something they will use and keep as well as something experiential you will really thank them for sharing in your special day.
Another fun idea for the right group of wedding party attendants is Happy Hour and gifts of home barware. This is especially appropriate for the Bride and Groom who love wine and maybe even goes wine tasting with their friends. There are many items like beautiful wine stoppers and bottle opening tools as well as digital Wine Masters that help guide wine lovers in their selections of the perfect wine that can all be great gifts. Include a bottle of your favorite wine or perhaps a special bottle of a wine that you know your friends love, and you have a lovely wedding party gift sure to delight.
For wedding parties when there isn’t necessarily a common connection amongst the attendants apart from all being in your wedding, there is a way to tie it all together and make the wedding party gifts very meaningful. One couple recently chose a unique gift for each individual but the common link was that each gift was able to be engraved in some way. The Bride and Groom then chose a phrase that is inspirational to them and had all the gifts personalized with it along with the date of the wedding. The attendants all knew this was something personal that thought had gone into whether they received a picture frame with the saying, a money clip or a flask. Each item was chosen with the recipient’s taste in mind, but the common personalization brought it all together with meaning.
Choosing gifts for your wedding party should not be something that adds stress to your planning. These are your special friends and you want them to feel appreciated for sharing your special day, not to mention buying that bridesmaid dress or renting yet another tux! Use these ideas to spur some imagination and creativity to come up with gifts that are not only useful, but are thoughtful and meaningful to the recipient. Combined with a personal note, they are sure to be the gifts that won’t be put away on a shelf and forgotten.
Minor But Important Duties for Your Wedding Party, Bridesmaids, and Groomsmen
Tuesday, November 9th, 2010Your wedding party is a major factor in the success of your wedding day. Too many couples assume that once they’ve selected their brides maids and grooms men that they are finished. Unfortunately, many people don’t know what it means to be in a bridal party. Bridesmaids and groomsmen need to do more than just look pretty. Put these people to work! If your wedding party knows the who’s, what’s, when’s, and why’s, they will be able to handle many of the details that may derail the enjoyment of what should be your happiest day.
Many sites will tell you the traditional roles for your wedding party. I’m going to give you some tips on additional (and non-traditional) jobs for your bridesmaids and groomsmen to perform so that you can spend your time on more important details.
Babysitter: Make it the responsibility of someone in your wedding party to know where the rest of the wedding party is at all times. When time comes for someone to make a toast, the wedding party dance, the dollar dance, the garter auction, games, etc. it is frustrating for everyone to be waiting for that one person who is outside, in the bathroom, or talking to your cute cousin.
Activity Leader: Put your bravest party animal in charge of leading activities. This person needs to be someone willing to lead a bunny hop, talk on a mic, lead people to the dance floor etc.
Clean-Up Crew: Assign the task of making sure nothing gets left behind to one of your attendant’s. It will be their job to check the area of the ceremony, reception, and dance to make sure none of the wedding party left things like bags, purses, shoes, coats, wallets, keys, etc.
Nanny: Find your most child loving attendant, and give them the task of sheparding children off the dance floor during special events and dances. Children are great, but they don’t realize that the Bride and Groom’s first dance is not an appropriate time for them to be chasing bubbles on the dance floor.
Designated Driver: Don’t forget this important job! No need to let senseless tragedy ruin your perfect night.
While these are not traditional roles for your average wedding party, assigning someone to these tasks will make your day less stressful so you can spend your time making your wedding beautiful.