On the day

Take charge, mother of the bride!

On the big day itself, you’re the best person to take charge of events at home. Make sure the bride remains calm and relaxed, have safety pins on hand for last-minute adjustments, remind everyone what they have to do and keep an eye on the time. You need to be the calm in the storm this morning, but don’t forget to build in some time to get ready yourself!

Getting there

You should leave home ahead of the bride, generally travelling in the car with the chief bridesmaid and any young attendants. If there are no bridesmaids or attendants, you may wish to ask a male relative or family friend to accompany you.  

Mother of the bride’s moment

Traditionally, the mother of the bride arrives at the ceremony venue around ten minutes before the bride. This is your moment. You should be escorted proudly up the aisle by the chief usher, to your seat in the front row on the left-hand side

If your daughter is having a church wedding, after the couple are officially husband and wife, you are traditionally escorted by the groom's father to the vestry for the signing of the register. If there is no chief bridesmaid you will have taken charge of the bride's bouquet during the service and you should return it to your daughter in the vestry ready for the final procession from the church.

After the ceremony, when the party process out, your correct position is after the bride and groom and their attendants, on the left-hand side of the groom's father. You'll probably line up for some photos next. 

Hostess with the mostest

Although this is your daughter's day, you are the official hostess (this alters slightly if your daughter and her new husband have paid for the wedding themselves, and sent invitations from them as a couple).

If you’re have a traditional receiving line, your place is at the head of the family line-up, welcoming the guests one by one as they arrive and, where appropriate, introducing them to the bridegroom's parents. 

The line-up goes as follows: bride's mother, bride's father, groom's mother, groom's father, bride and groom, best man and bridesmaids.

Nowadays however, many couples prefer to dispense with the formal line-up and just receive the guests themselves, while other family members circulate with guests, making introductions between the two sides of the wedding party.

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