Involving loved ones beyond the bridal party
Many times we have a lot of important people in our lives that would mean so much to be a part of our special day. It’s a beautiful problem to have, honestly. Many may see the Bridal party as the only “main roles” that special friends and family get to be involved in, but actually there’s so many opportunities where people can play important and helpful roles on your wedding day.
Involving loved ones beyond the bridal party
Involving loved ones beyond the bridal party
Important Roles and tasks outside the wedding party for friends and family
Pre Ceremony
Ushers: You could have groomsmen take this position before the ceremony, or instead other close friends of the Bride or Grooms not in the bridal party arrive early to help guide guests to ceremony area and seats.
Greeter: A great role for someone who is outgoing and can also help guide people if needed!
Passing out programs: This was something I didn’t even think about, and had a cousin step in and volunteer to do it as guests were being seated. This can be an option instead of leaving them on chairs, especially if your ceremony is outside and it may be windy.
During the Ceremony
Playing live music/ worship: My husband and I have a handful of talented friends and we asked two of them to play worship for us during our ceremony. It was so sweet and one of my favorite parts of the day!
Family escorts: You can have other family and important people walk grandparents or other family members down the aisle and to their seats. I had another one of my cousins walk my grandparents down the aisle
Reader: Readers can recite a passage from scripture, meaningful quotation, special poem or other special text during the ceremony. We didn’t have anyone do this during our wedding, but I have seen it done at others weddings!
Reception
Ask a friend to be a DJ: Although this may apply to both ceremony and reception, mainly the reception is where the DJs role comes more into play. Instead of hiring a professional band or DJ, we were fortunate enough to have a friend who is studying audio engineering be our DJ! (I also created separate Spotify playlist for each section of the wedding then had him bring equipment and play the playlists! No fancy edits or mashups needed and it turned out amazing! The dance floor was bumping all night! )
Announcer: In many weddings the Dj is also the main announcer, informing everyone of special events and does the introductions into reception. However, if you have someone in mind that would be great for this role and loves interacting with crowds of people, then have them do this! You can always write a short script for them to follow or go off of.
Monitoring guest book: Have someone in charge of passing your guest book around to get filled out during the cocktail hour or reception! Many people may skip over or forget this in the excitement of all that’s happening or if a long line forms to fill it out. So having someone to go around and bring it right to them to ensure you get almost everyone, haha.
All Day
BTS videographer: I’ve seen this role more recently done by a bridal party member, however if someone will be around you or the groom most of the day this can be a great role to give, especially if they already enjoy taking photos and videos. Bonus if they have a cool camera they wanna use ; )
Disposable/ polaroid photographer: If you plan on having a polaroid guest book and will have some extra film, like we did, then you’ll want some extra polaroids of the whole night and candids! One of our friends was so amazing and without even being asked grabbed the polaroid and took pictures of our first dance, candid moments, and other fun dancing moments through out the night! We have a bunch of polaroids now of the reception, candid moments of us and guests, and sweet moments that just look even better when they’re on a polaroid!
Coordinate logistics: Consider having someone to manage guest arrivals, direct people to their seats, and help with any unexpected issues. This can be a part of your day of coordinator role or you can give this to another organized person you trust to help direct and be a safety in case guests are lost, show up late, or need to assist the day of coordinator.
Creative Contributions
DIY Projects: Invite friends and family to help with DIY decorations before the wedding day! This will also just make doing things for the wedding even more fun with company you love. My grandmother and step-mom helped create all the bouquets and flower arrangements (since we used fake flowers), and watching them and learning was really fun, as they had done it for a couple other weddings as well.
Make desserts or cake: This is a great money saver as well, and if you know the person who makes it like we did it’ll taste even better! (because of the special ingredient… love 🙂 My mother-in-law made our cake and my sister-in-law made cupcakes for the guests and it was a hit! (sadly I never had a cupcake which was a big regret but we did at least have cake…).
Hair/ Makeup: If you know a cosmetologist, chances are you already called them and asked… but if you haven’t and know someone really well you can always ask them if they would be willing to do your hair and makeup as your wedding gift! (Or you can still tip them with cash or a gift card). And if you are able to, have them do a trial for your engagement shoot photos or on the day of your bridal shower to make the most of being all glammed up! (this is something I wished I did!)
Helpful but unseen
Making day of payments if needed or tips: A lot of places have you pay in advance now and online tips are usually included, but if there are cash tips or even some thank you cards/ gift cards to be given someone could help pass them out so you don’t forget! But if you do, you can always mail them with the wedding thank you cards!
Moving chairs/ decor from ceremony to reception: If you plan on using the same chairs from the ceremony for the reception have groomsmen or a selected bunch help transport the chairs! (Caution: all the church boys will come running and see who can cary the most..)
Wedding transport/ airport pick up: This will be a bigger ask, but if you have out of state or older guest traveling in, having a reliable source pick them up and transport them to hotels might be a good idea to ensure their arrival!
Involving loved ones beyond the bridal party
But in the end..
In the end remember this day is about the union of you and your groom, don’t feel pressured to involve everyone. Many people don’t take it personal or even assume they will have a part to play. But if someone does assume and you feel like you need to give them something, hopefully one of these roles come in hand!
If you have a role in mind I didn’t mention feel free to comment on the post!
In Joy
