When a person agrees to be in a wedding party, as a bridesmaid, groomsman/usher,
best man, or maid of honor, he or she is agreeing to take on certain
responsibilities to assist in the planning and execution of the successful
wedding. I've provided a list of those responsibilities to assist the wedding
party member and the bride and groom in dividing up the necessary tasks. Just
click on the wedding party position below.
A maid or matron of honor is a position of great respect and honor,
as the name implies. This person may be a sister, other relative, or close
friend of the bride. A maid of honor is an unmarried woman, while a matron of
honor is a married woman. Usually a bride will have one or the other, but it is
possible to have both if the bride wishes to honor both a married and a single
relative or friend. Some of the maid/matron of honor's responsibilities may be
shared with the bridesmaids if the circumstances warrant.
Like the maid/matron of honor position, a best man is a position of
honor in the wedding party. This person is usually a brother, father, other
relative, or close friend of the groom. As with the maid/matron of honor, the
best man may share his responsibilities with the groomsmen or ushers if he is
out of town or if he needs assistance.
Bridesmaids are other attendants of the bride and serve to help the bride
and groom in the weeks leading up to the wedding day, as well as on the big day
itself. The group of bridesmaids is usually made up of female friends and
relatives of the bride and groom. As mentioned above, they may be asked to
assist the MOH with her duties in addition to their traditional
responsibilities.
Finally, the position of groomsman and usher. Traditionally these were two
separate positions in the wedding party. I've listed the traditional duties
for both. While some couples are still assigning the roles separately, many
couples are now combining the duties of groomsman and usher into one role.
Thus you will often see just one or the other listed in the wedding party.
As noted above, the best man may ask the groomsmen or ushers to assist with a
few of his duties as the situation dictates.
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