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The big day’s here -- and bridesmaids will have lots to do
Duties at the ceremony - Continued
On leaving the ceremony venue, the chief bridesmaid and the best man take their positions behind the bride and her new husband for the recessional.
Other older bridesmaids will be escorted by the ushers. Younger bridesmaids and pageboys will follow behind.
Once you are all outside, the chief bridesmaid may need to organise the couple and attendants for the photographs. It is also quite usual for the chief bridesmaid to have her photo taken with the best man.
Next, the chief bridesmaid gathers together any runaway younger attendants and get them all into the car to take them to the reception.
Reception routine
Once at the reception, the bride may want the chief bridesmaid to be a part of the receiving line. The purpose of the line is to allow the guests to meet the bridal party, and to ensure that the bride and groom say at least a few words to each guest.
You may have the responsibility for displaying the bride’s bouquet somewhere safe (and preferably cool), ensuring it doesn’t get damaged during the rest of the day. This is especially important if she is planning to have the flowers preserved as a souvenir.
The chief bridesmaid should also circulate amongst the guests during the reception, ensuring that they are enjoying themselves and using any disposable cameras provided. In this way you act as the bride’s back-up; she will have only limited time to spend with each guest.
Although the speeches at the reception are generally a male prerogative, it is becoming more usual for either the bride, chief bridesmaid, or even both of you to make a speech.
The first dance is exclusively reserved for the newlyweds, but it is traditional for the chief bridesmaid to take to the floor with the best man and join the happy couple midway through the first dance.
Finally, when the couple change into their going-away outfits, the chief bridesmaid should be on hand to take care of the bride’s wedding dress and ensure that it is returned to her home or, if necessary, to the hire shop. The other attendants’ dresses may need to be returned too and she may well ask you to take responsibility for this.
There is a lovely tradition behind the small thank-you gift the bride and groom will probably get you. The giving of extra presents to the bridesmaids is an ancient custom, handed down from the days when the groom had to catch his bride and, rather than actually chasing her, he used to bribe her friends to lure her to a place where he could stealthily approach her!
