Inclusive Non-Traditional Wedding Party Roles to Bring Everyone Together
A groomsmen posing with bridesmaids.
Planning your wedding doesn’t just involve a celebration of your marriage but an opportunity to connect with the people you care about the most. While you will invite many of these loved ones to be members of your wedding party, the fact of the matter is you can’t include everyone you’d like to.
The best way to honor those you love most is to offer them a non-traditional wedding party role that will make them a special part of your big day. Here’s why you should consider adding some of these roles to your wedding party and which ones will be most meaningful.
How Non-Traditional Wedding Party Roles Can Benefit Your Wedding
Whether you’re hosting a large wedding or a more intimate affair, it’s important to honor those that you love in the process. Not everyone can dedicate the time and money to being a bridesmaid or best man, but that doesn’t mean they aren’t a huge part of your life or don’t want to help.
Offering non-traditional wedding roles helps your guests feel included and allows them to lend a hand in making your big day exceptional. It’s also a great way to let people help that aren’t able to fulfill traditional roles, like young or elderly family members. You can offer a non-traditional way for them to help put their mark on your wedding day.
Not only will offering non-traditional wedding party roles to family and friends benefit the guests, but it will also help ease any guilt the future bride and groom may feel about not choosing them to be in the traditional wedding party. Plus, these non-traditional roles will help take wedding tasks off your plate, leaving you to focus on other aspects of your big day!
Non-Traditional Wedding Party Roles You Can Incorporate
A bride and groom posing on a cliff during a sunset. Image by Pedro de Sousa.
Crafters and Decorators
Wedding decor is incredibly important. It’s what helps bring your vision to life and takes your photographs to the next level. If your friends or family members are talented crafters or bakers, call on them to help you create or source decor.
This is especially helpful if you are putting together a wedding on a budget. DIYing different elements is cost-effective, but incredibly time-consuming. Having special crafters in your wedding party will help relieve the pressure.
You can also ask people to help decorate the ceremony and reception space. This is a great role for people who may be busy during the wedding planning process but can dedicate an hour or two to getting everything in top shape.
Wedding Reader
Another great non-traditional wedding party role is that of a wedding reader. These folks will read a poem, devotional, or other meaningful words during the ceremony or reception.
This is a good role for elderly or young wedding guests who may not have the stamina to serve in the traditional wedding party. You can choose the passages yourself or ask that person to find something that reminds them of your love story.
Be sure to clearly communicate when the reader will be speaking. Add their name to the program to cement their special role!
Stationery Distributor
Sometimes the little details, like placing name cards, programs, and menus, can be overwhelming. Designate a special stationary person to ensure all of these items make it to where they need to be.
It’s a good role for a teenager who wants to be involved and has some extra time between the ceremony and reception. You can also ask them to manage signage or hand out other papers that help the wedding flow well.
Give this person everything they need to successfully place the stationary, like seating charts and diagrams of how you’d like these pieces to be distributed or displayed.
A basket of stationery envelopes. Image by Photos by Lanty.
Usher
An usher’s main job is to greet wedding guests and help them find their seats in the ceremony space. They are the first face guests see when they arrive!
This is the perfect assignment for teens or even spouses of your wedding party who want to be included in the festivities. It’s an incredibly important role because arrival at the venue is often the most chaotic time.
Having ushers will ensure out-of-town guests will find their way and elderly guests will be escorted to appropriate seating. They will also set the tone, especially if they greet everyone with a big smile!
Greeting Attendant
While an usher is greeting guests upon arrival, a greeting attendant directs guests to complete tasks like signing the guest book and placing gifts in the correct spot. They also will ensure that cards are put in the proper place before guests enter the reception area.
These are important factors of the wedding that could be confusing as guests arrive at your wedding. It will prevent them from holding the card or gift during the ceremony. The greeting attendant will also ensure everyone knows where to go.
Page
Historically, a page is someone who does the small errands that arise during an event. At a wedding, these tasks can range from holding the bride's train, fanning out her dress as she walks down the aisle, or retrieving items left in the getting-ready area.
This non-traditional wedding party role is perfect for young people who want to be a part of your big day. Young children will feel special dressing up and helping the bride look her best! Older children will enjoy running errands and delivering important messages throughout the day.
Social Media Manager
Go beyond the typical wedding hashtag and assign your very own wedding social media manager! This is a wonderful role for any tech-savvy family member or friend who knows their way around social media with their eyes closed!
This role requires the person to document all aspects of your wedding and post them to social media with the correct hashtag. They will post reminders, photos, and links that will help guests prepare for and enjoy your wedding!
Once the event is over, you’ll have a social media account that will allow you to look back on every aspect of your wedding day.
A person’s hand holding up a polaroid photo. Image by Andrik Langfield.
Polaroid Professional
While you probably will have a professional photographer documenting your special day, it’s always fun to see the event from your guests’ perspective! And since Polaroid cameras are making a big comeback, you can have fun, candid shots from your designated Polaroid professional!
Designate a person who has a good eye and won’t mind snapping pics all night. You can give them a camera with multiple film cartridges. Ask them to walk around, snapping pictures of couples, tables, and fun moments on the dance floor. You can set up a space to display the photos or look through them the next day!
Traditional Wedding Party Roles
Bridal party roles can take many shapes and forms depending on the couple’s preferences. However, the most common roles and responsibilities include:
Parents of the Bride and Groom: The mother and father of the bride and groom are often included in the wedding party. They enter at the start of the procession and sometimes walk the bride down the aisle. This role can also go to a special family member who has supported the bride or groom throughout their lives.
Groomsmen & Bridesmaids: These are the members of your bridal party. They are often there throughout the wedding planning process and attend most planned events, like the rehearsal and rehearsal dinner.
Best Man & Maid of Honor: These are the wedding party VIPs. They often sign the wedding certificate and plan the bachelor and bachelorette parties. The maid of honor may also plan the bridal shower as well.
Flower Girl: This role often goes to one or more young girls. They carry a basket and spread flower petals along the aisle ahead of the bride.
Ring Bearer: The ring bearer is often a young boy who carries a pillow or box containing the wedding rings. They stand at the front of the ceremony and hand the rings to the couple as they say their vows.
Conclusion
You don’t need a gigantic wedding party to ensure that you include all of the special people in your life during your wedding. Offering non-traditional wedding party roles is a great way to maintain a small wedding party while allowing those closest to you to help make your day run as smoothly as possible.
Remember to recognize these people in a special way. You can list their names in the wedding program, give them a shout-out during the reception, or send them a special thank-you gift as a token of your appreciation.