Choosing Your Wedding Party
The how-tos of picking your perfect attendants.
Best Man
Whom to choose: A brother or the best friend who won’t party too hard after the rehearsal dinner―you do want him to make it to the ceremony,
after all. In some parts of the country, it’s customary for the groom to choose his father.
Job description: Takes care of all bachelor events and provides support to the groom. Keeps track of wedding rings even if there is a ring
bearer (you don’t want to assign that task to a four-year-old). Kicks off the toasts at the rehearsal dinner.
Caveat: Picking someone who gets along with the bride is a plus.
Related Content
There’s nothing wrong with setting out a traditional guest book at the reception for friends and family to sign, but you’ll probably slide it onto the bookshelf and never look at it again. Here, a few innovative options:
- Place a variety of note cards and paper on a table so guests can write short letters. Seal them, then open them on your first anniversary.
- Provide a stack of construction-paper strips―like the kind used in grade school to make paper chains―and ask each guest to write a message on one link that he or she then attaches to the chain. Beginning the day after your honeymoon, remove a link and read it together to relive your big day.
- Buy a coffee table cook. If you’re looking for something a bit more personal than a standard guest book but you just don’t have the time (or the skills) to make something yourself, buy a coffee-table book that has beautiful imagery of something of significance to you or your wedding. You could find a photography book of your wedding location (the mountains of Colorado), where you plan to honeymoon (Italian countryside), or a favorite children’s book (Good Night Moon). Set it on a table with Sharpie markers for guests to customize.
