Wedding Party Responsibilities: Who Does What and How to Choose Your Party

Planning a wedding is often an exercise in diplomacy, and choosing your attendants is no exception. If you're struggling over who should be in your bridal party, wondering how large it should be or confused about what each role means, take a look at this useful excerpt from Guide to Planning a Wedding. Here, author Stephanie Pedersen outlines everyone's duties from the maid of honor to the mother of the bride.

Surrounding yourself with people you love on your wedding day is a wonderful tradition. In the not-so-distant past, the number of helpers you chose was dictated by fairly inflexible wedding etiquette: one female attendant and one male attendant for every 50 guests. Today, however, professional nuptial experts say a couple is free to have as many or as few attendants as they desire. A bride and groom can even go completely attendant-less, choosing to walk down the aisle alone and stand at the altar with only each other.

When choosing attendants -- especially a maid of honor and a best man -- consider how competent and responsible the candidate is. Remember, these people will be entrusted with wedding plans, wedding rings, cash and gifts. You need someone you can trust in these roles!

Who does what

There are several types of attendants to choose from, each of whom has their special responsibilities, perks and wedding uniform:

Your attendants