It takes a fair number of people working together to coordinate and execute a successful wedding ceremony.
It takes more than two to be a successful wedding party. The entire entourage of your wedding ceremony is involved in this select group and each has special areas of responsibility they cover to make the event run smoothly. To start off with are the bride and groom. Without them there would be no wedding and no reason to get together. The bride and the groom each have a select group of friends to help them prepare for the wedding celebration and handle specific chores to make the wedding party a success.
The bride will have her maid of honor and a group of brides maids to help her select the motif of the ceremony and coordinate the acquisition of decorations, invitations and the details of the pre-wedding parties that go on. They will go with her to find the wedding gown and the gifts and be her support throughout the process of preparing for the big day. The groom will have his best man at his side. This strategically placed member of the wedding party will ride herd on the rest of the groomsmen to see that they are organizing the schedules of events and the placement of the guests.
After this key element of the wedding party is accounted for, you must take into consideration the parents of the couple getting married. The respective fathers and mothers of the couple will be responsible for paying for a great part of the wedding expenses. The mothers have their duties cut out in helping with the invitations and the organization of the celebrations surrounding the main event of the wedding ceremony itself. Included in with the parents of the wedding couple will be the children in the ceremony. The ring bearers and flower girls for the wedding are usually younger siblings or nephews and nieces of the couple getting married. While these willing young folk don’t have high-pressure responsibilities, they still play an important part in the wedding celebration.
The ushers are an important group of young men and women as well. It is up to them to see to it that everyone gets to where the are supposed to be for the ceremony and act as errand runners for those last minute emergencies that crop up. Finally, the last person to list in the wedding party is the official who will be presiding over the marriage itself. This may be a minister, priest or other holy man depending on the religious affiliation of the couple, or a licensed member of the sectarian governing body. This could be a judge, clerk or Justice of the Peace. While only a small number of weddings are held at sea, the Captain of any ocean going vessel has the traditional right to preside over a marriage.
