List of Wedding Roles

Weddings celebrate the strength and uniqueness of your love story that has led you to say “I do.” Surrounded by family and friends who have watched your relationship grow, you and your partner take the next step into a life together. To honor those who have played important roles in your lives, asking your loved ones to fill different roles in a wedding ceremony lets them continue to be a part of your story.

As you prepare for the big day, this wedding roles list will help you find special positions for those who have always supported you.

Maid and Matron of Honor and Bridesmaids

If you’ve been dreaming of your wedding for years, you may have had these wedding roles for friends filled long ago. To honor more friends and family with traditional wedding party roles, invite single and married friends to be your maid and matron of honor. They will be in charge of bachelorette parties and stay by your side through showers and wedding prep. The bridesmaids role in a wedding is to help ensure that you look your best and feel relaxed throughout the day.

Best Man and Groomsmen

For the groom, these are the men who have encouraged him throughout his life, and their job is similar to the bridesmaids role in a wedding. They’re there to get ready with the groom and get the party started. The best man is also typically in charge of the rings.

Junior Bridesmaids and Groomsmen

For young teenagers who the bride and groom have mentored, allowing them to play different roles in a wedding helps model love and commitment for them as they celebrate getting ready with you and standing by you during the ceremony.

Ushers

Important roles in a wedding that shouldn’t be overlooked are the ushers. This is one of the wedding roles for friends who you haven’t chosen as groomsmen but are still important enough in your life to be a part of your wedding ceremony. Before the ceremony starts, they’ll assist guests to their seats and help them file out afterward.

Ring Bearer

One of the traditional wedding party roles is the ring bearer. While most couples no longer entrust a little boy to carry expensive and sentimental rings down the aisle, it’s still one of the most adorable roles in a wedding.

Flower Girl

Flower girls continue their traditional wedding party roles by throwing petals down the aisle just before the bride comes. Many brides often select two little girls or more for this, in case one gets nervous or cranky beforehand.

Page

One of the different roles in a wedding that has become more popular since Kate Middleton’s royal wedding is the pages, an assortment of boys and girls whose roles can range from carrying the bride’s train or signs announcing her arrival down the aisle.

Candle Lighter

If you’re having a traditional church ceremony or incorporating a unity candle, you’ll need a candle lighter to prepare things on stage before the ceremony starts. This is one of the wedding roles for friends or family, young or old.

Reader

Having a passage or poem read during your ceremony is both meaningful and sentimental, capturing the essence of your story and love. On a wedding roles list, it’s easy to focus on the bridesmaids or adorable flower girls, but readers should be family and friends you admire and look up to, passing on wisdom on this momentous day.

Guest Book and Wedding Program Attendants

To include more relatives or friends in your big day, have attendants at the entrance encouraging people to sign the guest book and passing out programs, which is also incredibly helpful in making sure everything goes smoothly.

Officiant

This is perhaps the most important role in the wedding since they’re in charge of helping you say “I do.” Today, anyone can become a registered officiant online so this role can be filled by a close friend or family member rather than an ordained minister or judge.

As you read through this wedding roles list, you probably started imagining particular people filling each role. From the important bridesmaids role in a wedding to the friends passing out wedding programs, asking your friends and family to be a part of your big day recognizes the bond you share with them and the role they’ve played in your entire love story.