Part of any wedding are the people who stand beside the bride and groom during the ceremony, the bridesmaids and groomsmen. These wedding party members are the couple’s closest friends and relatives. The wedding party plays a big part in the process as they help the couple prepare for their big day from assisting in making selections to planning parties and calming nerves. For all the time and support they give the bride and groom it’s traditional to give them each a gift as a way of saying “thank you.” These presents are handed out during the rehearsal dinner. While they can be anything in the world the following are some fun ideas most anyone will enjoy.

Engraved flasks

The guys will love having a handy little flask they can discretely hide for those occasions when one just needs a drink to calm the nerves, spice up a drink or just start the party. You can have their names engraved or just initials, that is entirely up to you. There are tons of different styles and sizes of flasks nowadays as well so you can shop around to find the one that perfect for each guy whether he’s the city slicker type, cowboy or good old boy next door.

Embroidered bags

Make the girls smile with a cute embroidered bag. Larger duffle size or gym bag totes are great because they can use it for whatever they want whether it be for books, the beach, a vacation carry all or just a large purse even. Choose each girl’s favorite color or a fun pattern that they will just have to have. Then have their name embroidered on the side of the bag or use iron-on lettering to do it yourself. Fill the bag with some goodies if you want either related to the big day (such as their jewelry, shoes, disposable camera) or otherwise (favorite candy, playful socks or a special handmade card).

Spa gift certificates

Everyone can use a day away from the world and a day at the spa is just that. If it’s in your budget get your wedding party spa gift certificates. This is the perfect form of relaxation after months of grueling schedules, planning and helping you with all your details.

Bar sets

Most guys love a good bar set. Get your fellows some engraved beer mugs, a cool corkscrew, mixed drink guide, stirrers, margarita shaker or other fun bar related gift. This is perfect for any guy who knows how to party!

Movie packages

Entertainment is always a safe bet so put together a movie gift basket. Include some movie passes, candy and bags of microwaveable popcorn. Or skip the movie tickets and include some of their favorite DVDs so they can enjoy a movie night at home.

Sometimes you have someone in your life that you want to be a part of your wedding but not necessarily as a bridesmaid or groomsmen. Perhaps you already have numerous attendants or you don’t want too many. Or maybe they’re close to you but not that close and you simply don’t feel it’s right to ask them to be your attendants. Whatever your reasoning there are still lots of positions and roles you can ask them to fulfill so they’re still a part of the wedding and feel included. Here are some ideas of things you can have these special people do.

Ceremony readings

Ask someone to read a special passage from the Bible, a poem or something else nice during the ceremony. This individual is usually introduced by the person officiating and then they come up, do their reading and sit down. It’s a pleasant moment for everyone involved and they feel like they’ve gotten to do something special for your big day.

Ceremony releases

If you want to release something at the end of your ceremony as a symbol of two families or two people joining together as one ask your sibling, cousin or friend to do it. Popular releases are butterflies and doves. Both look beautiful as they fly off into the air and make for a truly fantastic photo moment.

Guest book attendant

You need someone to help guests as they arrive either to show them where to go, ask them to sign the guest book or hand out place cards so they know which table to sit at. This person should be very friendly and hopefully knows a good deal of the people attending as they will have to interact with the guests.

Sing a song during the reception

If you have a great singer in the family or your group of friends you might ask them to sing a song during the reception or even the ceremony. Make sure you discuss what song they will be singing ahead of time though so it’s appropriate and isn’t duplicated with something you’ve already pre-selected for another aspect of the day.

Hand out programs

If you’re having programs at the ceremony you need at least one person (two is usually better) to hand out programs. This person will be responsible for giving the guests a program and helping point them in the right direction to the seating if needed.

As maid of honor the bride is very dependent upon you. She has a lot on her plate to make her big day just like the fairytale one she’s dreamed about since she was a little girl. As her best friend you’ll be wearing more than a formal dress, in fact you’ll be wearing multiple hats because accepting the role of maid of honor means a lot more than just showing up the day of the wedding. A maid of honor has numerous duties, here’s a look at some of those.

Throw bridal shower

The maid of honor is responsible for throwing the bride a bridal shower. She may receive help from the mother of the bride, bridesmaids or other family members and friends but the major planning is all up to her. This is a very important party for the bride so the maid of honor should really spend a good deal of time planning it to make it incredible. It’s a day she’ll remember forever, think of things you would want at yours when you make the arrangements.

Shopping with the bride

The maid of honor will do a lot of shopping with the bride to find bridesmaid dresses, pick out flowers, interview vendors and such. Help her make decisions but don’t be too pushy about anything.

Helping with little tasks

The maid of honor needs to be available to help the bride with simple little tasks like putting together favors, creating the seating chart and so forth. It’s part of your job.

Arrange bachelorette party

Plan the bachelorette party with the other bridesmaids. Make sure it’s something that the bride would like and she won’t feel out of place.

Support system

Planning a wedding is extremely stressful. The bride may have some meltdowns from time to time when things don’t go the way she hopes or someone mettles into her business and tells her how to do things. The maid of honor has to be her support system and help her see the silver lining. You may not want to do this but remember, she needs you. Be there for her when she needs you most.

Take wedding dress to cleaners

The bride will be off on her honeymoon and you have one more task, take her dress to the cleaners so it can be pressed and put away for preservation purposes.

Help with post wedding arrangements

Thing that may need to be done when the couple leaves for their honeymoon such as take the presents back to their home or drop off items and pay certain bills should be handled by the maid of honor and best man. It’s a shared responsibility that must be discussed ahead of time to ensure everything is taken care of.

The best man doesn’t have too many duties when it comes to the wedding but one he does have that is very important is the toast. The best man is expect to give a speech before dinner to honor the bride and groom. Usually this is very funny and the best man tries to make everyone laugh by embarrassing the groom but every one has their way of making this moment special and depends on the relationship between the groom and his best man. No matter what the best man decides to do there are some things he should avoid as well as some things he should do to ensure everyone is happy and the speech is a success.

Introduce yourself

Not everyone may know who you are so it’s nice to introduce yourself just to break the ice as well as get everyone’s attention if they’re in the middle of a conversation or doing something else.

Start by talking about your relationship

Speak about how you know the groom whether you’re brothers, met in elementary school or were once enemies fighting over the same girl. It’s a nice way to get others interested in what you have to say and may lead into your story or overall message.

Stories are good

Short stories about your times with the groom and why he’s such a good guy are great. Be careful which stories you reveal to everyone though as you don’t want to put anyone in an awkward position that doesn’t know about certain things occurring or incidents that may give off the wrong impression.

Mention the bride

Don’t forget to talk about the bride during your speech. She’s important too and deserves to be talked about. Make sure you at least acknowledge her.

Don’t embarrass the bride

The number one rule when it comes to giving a speech, do no embarrass the bride. It’s unforgivable. You have to be kind to her. Even if you don’t like her just be civil and wish the two of them the best luck in their marriage.

Keep it PC

Keep the speech clean. There are people there who shouldn’t hear certain things. Grandma and the kids don’t want to or need to hear about drunken frat parties during spring break. Keep the focus on the future and the couple.

Don’t drink too much beforehand

Drunken best men have been known to give terrible, day ruining speeches because something slips out that shouldn’t have and they can’t ever take it back. Be careful not to drink too much beforehand so this doesn’t happen or you don’t sound like a bumbling fool. Afterwards go ahead and get drunk, but not before the speech.

Practice

Prepare something ahead of time so you’re not fishing for ideas out of thin air. Then practice ad-libbing a couple speeches so you have some idea of what it might sound like.

Bridal showers are one of the things that brides look forward to most. It’s a day when they get to forget all the stresses of wedding planning, relax and enjoy getting showered with gifts. While it’s perfectly fine to though a very traditional shower with tea sandwiches, dresses and simple games it can be a lot of fun to give the party a theme and make things a but out of the ordinary. Here are some great bridal shower themes for maids of honor to consider when putting together the details.

Alphabet Shower
You need a lot of people to get this one done but if you have at least 26 invitees you can pull it off. Assign each guest a letter of the alphabet and ask them to bring a gift starting with that letter. Then have them write down an attribute of marriage that begins with that letter. During the shower have the bride open the gifts in alphabetical order as well as read the words of advice.

Christmas Ornament Shower
Perfect for fall and winter weddings. Ask each guest to bring a Christmas ornament for the bride and groom to hang on their first Christmas tree together. The have the games and prizes all coordinate with the theme of Christmas and the holidays.

Room To Room Shower
Putting a first home together is a lot of work. Assign each guest a room in the home of the couple. Give them a photo of the room as well as details on the couple’s style, theme or colors. Ask them to bring a gift for that room. Depending on how many people and how many rooms you have to cover you can assign multiple guests to one space.

Stock The Pantry Shower
Help the bride and groom start their lives together off with good food. Have each guest bring a recipe and all the dry ingredients needed to make it. This will give them something to look forward to making and ensure they have basically everything they need right at their fingertips.

Although the wedding largely revolves around the bride in the scope of planning as well as the focus of the day (“all eyes are on the bride”) there is another participant, the groom. Most grooms aren’t very involved in the planning process but that doesn’t mean they don’t still have responsibilities. In fact the groom has a list of responsibilities and tasks he is expected to complete prior to the wedding. While the list may vary from couple to couple these are the traditional duties of the groom.

Choose your attendants
No one else can pick who stands beside you on the big day, you need to make that decision, ask them and keep them informed of the events.

Pick your wardrobe
Choose your outfit for the wedding day as well as that of your groomsmen. Also you need to arrange for times for your guys to get measured and check to ensure they actually get everything taken care of.

Transportation arrangements
Figure out how you and the bride will be arriving at the ceremony, leaving as well as how the key figures in the wedding will be traveling (wedding party, parents). Make sure everyone is aware of the plan and schedule according to the wedding day timeline.

Marriage license
You do need a license to get married and obtaining this very important documentation is your responsibility. Make sure you get it done a couple weeks ahead of time so you don’t forget or have time to take care of any issues that might arise.

Rehearsal dinner
The groom’s family traditionally hosts the rehearsal dinner. Work with your parents or other family members to select a location and make the required arrangements.

Get ready to talk
Prepare a toast for the rehearsal dinner as well as a speech for the wedding reception. The more prepared you are the better.
Get all the couples involved. Have the men sit on a chair. Give each couple a bucket of balloons. Make sure everyone has the same number of balloons. Once you say “go” they have to try to pop the balloons with their partner without using their hands. This may involve sitting on the balloons, pressing their bodies together to make it explode, whatever they come up with. It’s a whole lot of fun to watch and one you definitely should take photos of.