Wedding Attendants
Maid of Honor - A very important responsibility.
This is the gal who takes care of stationary, coordinates the bridal shower,
logs who gave what gift at the wedding, and helps the bride get dressed
prior to the ceremony. She also performs as a witness to the wedding. This
is a busy gal, and she should be willing and able to work hard.
The Best Man - In ancient times, assisted the
groom in any combat relating to getting the bride away from jealous suitors
or brothers J Nowadays, in
charge of the bachelor party, holding the bride's ring at the alter, and may
handle certain financial functions such as paying for very services and
facilities used at the wedding.
The Bridesmaid - These girls help with shopping
for the wedding - not to terrible a chore
J They are responsible for
paying for their own outfits though. They stand in the receiving queue
after the ceremony, and give the guests seeds, rice to other things to
thrown as the newly married couple leave the Church or other marriage
location. Keep in mind that rice can be very dangerous to birds.
Ushers - Also have to pay for or rent their
usher outfits. Ushers need to set up prior to the ceremony, arranging
chairs, flowers, candles etc. Like bridesmaids, they will stand in the
receiving line when the ceremony is finished. They also help with moving the
wedding presents to a safe place after the reception.
Children - An adorable touch to a wedding
procession. Having the little ones all dressed up as pages adds something
special to the ceremony. One of the little boys can function as the ring
bearer if you like.
Going Down the Isle - The flower girl follows
the bride down the isle, and can throw flower petals at the brides feet as
she walks. Careful that the bride does not slip though
J In front of the flower girl
is the ring bearer, a child carrying a ring tied to a satin pillow. This is
actually not the real ring, which is carried by the best man - it's just for
show. The bride is followed by pages (sometimes called trainbearers) who
carry the bride's wedding gown train if it is long enough to be required.
Parents - Dad's job is to walk you down the
isle, provide emotional support, and "give you away." Mom's often act as a
bridesmaid of sorts, helping with all the preparations leading up to the
wedding. The parent's of the groom get to sit back and soak up the party!
Normally you'll want to show your appreciation
for the attendance (and gifts) of your wedding helpers by providing them a
little gift or wedding favor of their own. That is where the
personalized wedding chopsticks on this site
really shine! These are affordable enough that you can actually order a set
for the entire guest list. They really brighten up the wedding reception
tables and make excellent souvenirs and conversation pieces
Leave a lasting
impression...
Personalized
Wedding Favor Chopsticks
Gift Registry
Sometimes it's easier to have your friends use a
wedding gift registry that you create at a local store. You set this up with
the store under your name and date, and your friends and family pick out
wedding gifts that the store carries which you specify in a list, called the
gift registry. The big advantage for you in using a gift registry for your
wedding is that you will get the gifts you want, and will not get
duplicates. Of course your store will be only too happy to accommodate you.
Some stores have a pre-made gift registry if you are unsure what you want.
But using a your won gift registry will ensure that you get things that you
really need for your new household, and that the style of things like art
pieces matched your tastes or plans. Its best if the guests send the wedding
gifts to your home or parents home, to avoid possible breakage at the
wedding reception. Finally, make sure you send a thank you note to each
person who gave a gift.
The Wedding Reception
Here is the basic flow of events at a wedding
reception
-
Announcement of wedding party - The disc jockey (DJ)
will make these announcements.
-
The wedding party normally enters in this order: the
groom's parents, the bride's parents, the flower girls and ring bearer,
the bridesmaids and by ushers, the maid of honor escorted by best man, and
finally the Bride and Groom.
-
Cocktail hour begins
-
Receiving Line (estimate approximately 15 seconds per
guest. Not recommended due to the amount of time required-approximately 25
minutes for 100 guests
-
The Bride and Groom's first dance. Champaign is
usually served.
-
Salad
-
Champagne toast to the wedding couple by the DJ.
-
Dinner served. The DJ will ask the guests to be
seated.
-
Open Dancing
-
Cut the wedding cake. Play a song you both like for
this.
-
Open Dancing
-
Dancing
-
Dessert
-
Special dances in order: Bride with father, then
Groom with mother, and Wedding party dance.
-
Bouquet toss
-
Garter toss
-
Last dance of Bride and Groom
-
Last Dance.
-
The Grand exit
The Honeymoon
This may sound odd, but many couples don't have sex on
their Honeymoon night, for a variety of reasons. It may well be that
your both simply exhausted. That's pretty normal, given the days leading up
to the wedding. Don't sweat it - you have a whole lifetime together awaiting
you.
In this day and age, virginity is somewhat of a rarity
in newlyweds. If you are a virgin, you my feel some fear concerning sex.
This also is fairly normal, and open communication, patience, and taking it
slow will help greatly. Good sex takes time and practice. Have fun.
|
