Wedding witness & bridesmaids
You are at a crucial juncture in your wedding planning process: selecting your wedding witnesses and bridesmaids.
However, you may be pondering the distinction between the two and what their respective roles entail. Moreover, you might be unsure of how to approach them. In this article, we will endeavor to address all your inquiries and provide comprehensive answers.
Wedding witnesses, often referred to as “best men” or “maid of honor,” play a crucial role in the wedding ceremony. They are mandatory for both the bride and groom, as their presence validates the marriage in the eyes of the law. By signing the civil marriage registers and, if applicable, the church register for religious ceremonies, they affirm the authenticity of the union. Additionally, wedding witnesses stand alongside the couple during the ceremony, offering support and companionship. In some cases, they may be entrusted with reading texts during the church service and presenting the wedding rings to the couple.
The selection of wedding witnesses is made by the bride and groom, and they can be either family members or close friends. There are no specific requirements regarding the chosen individuals, as both men and women can fulfill this role on either side. However, the number of wedding witnesses is regulated. The groom must have a minimum of one witness and a maximum of two, while the church usually allows only one witness to sign the registers. Nonetheless, it is still possible to have multiple wedding witnesses present to support the couple throughout the ceremony.
Moving on to the role of bridesmaids or gentlemen of honor, it should be noted that this position is not obligatory but holds symbolic significance. While a wedding can proceed smoothly without bridesmaids, they provide the bride and groom with a supportive team of friends to rely on and care for them.
This role is highly valued in weddings and is often considered a dream opportunity for many individuals to accompany their friends throughout their special day. In France, bridesmaids are typically young girls who are part of the wedding procession, assisting the bride with her train and scattering petals or other items as she exits the church. If they are adults, their responsibility is to ensure the smooth running of the wedding and attend to the needs of the couple if necessary. It is worth noting that wedding witnesses can also take on this role and assist each other throughout the day to make the occasion even more memorable for the bride and groom.
In the United States, bridesmaids are usually close friends of the bride, often dressed in matching attire. As for your preference, you have the freedom to choose between French or American traditions. Ultimately, it is your special day, and you have the freedom to make choices that best suit your preferences.
Once again, the selection of bridesmaids and gentlemen of honor is at the discretion of the bride and groom. They can be family members or close friends, and there is no official limit to their number. However, it is common to have between two and five bridesmaids to avoid having an excessively large entourage to manage throughout the day.
If you’re wondering how to ask someone to be your wedding witness or bridesmaid/bridesmaid of honor, here are a few creative ideas that are sure to delight those involved:
Arrange a special meal with the individuals you wish to propose to. As they sit down to eat, present them with a scratch card placed on their plates, revealing the question, “Do you want to be my best man/maid of honor?”
Consider sending a balloon with a written request attached.
Offer a card that includes your request, and as an added touch, include a small gift such as matching bracelets for each groom’s witness or identical boutonnieres for each wedding witness.
Personalized requests can be made with a puzzle or a mug bearing the inscription, “Do you want to be my best man/maid of honor?” For a truly unique and personalized request, wine or beer lovers can receive customized bottles with the proposal written on the label. Alternatively, for those with a sweet tooth, slip a note with your request inside a chocolate bar, a box of macarons, or any other delectable treat that might please your future wedding witnesses or bridesmaids.
Create a personalized box with your request inside for each of your future wedding witnesses and bridesmaids. By personalizing the box, you can tailor it to the individual recipient’s taste.
Of course, simplicity can also be charming. You can choose to ask your wedding witnesses and bridesmaids orally, as there’s nothing quite like the directness and sincerity of a spoken request.
Remember, the goal is to make the moment special and memorable for both you and those you are asking to be part of your wedding day. Choose an approach that reflects your personality and the relationship you have with each person, and they will surely feel honored to be a part of your celebration.
What can the wedding witnesses and bridesmaids/men of honour do to help the bride and groom?
Marriage is a source of immense happiness but also a source of great stress. The future bride and groom will be overwhelmed by many emotions throughout the preparations and the D-day. For fear of not finishing the preparations in time, of making a mistake in some parts or of making a mistake in their choice of dress! So the bridesmaids but also the wedding witnesses are there to avoid any unnecessary stress and to advise their friends as best they can.
First of all you wonder how to help with the preparations?
The role of wedding witnesses and bridesmaids is to support the bride and groom during the preparation of the wedding. So throughout the preparations you must be available as much as possible, especially when you are needed. Even if the main tasks of the best man and bridesmaids are to help and objectively advise the bride to find the dress of her dreams, the shoes and accessories that will look great together, not to mention the make-up and hairstyle that will make her look even more beautiful on the day!
Some tasks are much more fun than others don’t forget, but keep in mind that you are doing all you can to help a friend in the middle of organizing her dream day.
– Organizing the bachelorette party
One of your main misions is the organization of the bride’s bachelorette party. You must make sure that you organize a day or even a weekend for her, choosing activities that will be carried out throughout her stay, without forgetting that they must please the main person involved, so that she has a good time and keeps unforgettable memories.
– Give your real opinion when asked
When the bride asks for your opinion, make sure it is truthful, so that it is a useful opinion. But of course if she does the opposite don’t get frustrated, it can happen quite often!
– Helping her choose her wedding dress
Going from store to store without a second’s respite will be part of your daily routine now that you have agreed to be a Wedding witness or bridesmaid, but don’t forget it’s for a good cause. Find the wedding dress of your dream bride! Your role is to advise and reassure the bride throughout the fitting and of course help her find her happiness.
– Wear a bridesmaid’s dress chosen by the bride
Usually the ladies dresses are identical for each and they are chosen by the bride. While you or we appreciate it, you don’t have much choice but to accept to wear the dress selected for you. Tell you that this is your friend’s day so you are supposed to please her and she is the one who has to be the most beautiful, moreover it is your friend so she will surely take your opinion into account in spite of everything.
– Choose a dress according to the dresscode given by the bride and groom.
Some times the bride leaves the choice of the dress to the witnesses and bridesmaids while respecting the imposed dresscode.
The dresscode will surely be worn on the length of the dress, the shape or the color the bride wishes.
You may also be asked to help with some less fun tasks, such as the shaping of the invitations and sugared almonds, or even to help set up the decoration in the reception hall.
Again, you are reminded that the bride is your friend, so even if you have agreed to be her best man or bridesmaid, if you are unable to be available every time, she will understand that you cannot be available every time.
Secondly, the role of wedding witnesses and bridesmaids is to help on the day of the wedding.
If during the preparations the bride encounters many stressful moments, the wedding day is often frightening. So your role is to support her again on every element that can cause her problems, does my dress still fit me as well? Will everyone enjoy the meal? Make sure she is reassured on every point that makes her nervous. Above all, remind her that this is her wedding day, the day she has dreamed of since childhood and that she is going to marry the person she loves, this day can only be wonderful in every way!
Your role is also to organize and coordinate certain points during the ceremony and the meal.
– Organize activities during the wedding
Make sure to organize activities that the bride and groom will enjoy. Activities can be fun and moving, and can focus on the life of the bride and groom or on anecdotes about the bride and groom. Make sure that there is entertainment between each course to keep the guests busy and that they too have a wonderful time.
– Make a speech
Some brides and grooms enjoy having their best man and bridesmaids make a speech, so if you feel like it, pull out your best pen and write a beautiful speech for the bride and groom without forgetting the anecdotes, it’s always the funniest part.
How to thank your witnesses and bridesmaids
Your bridesmaids will be involved throughout the preparations, but also on the D-day, so that you have the wedding of your dreams. So don’t hesitate to thank them for the time they will have devoted to make the most beautiful day of your life come true.
– The photo session
For even more memories, a photo session with your witnesses and bridesmaids is ideal. A photo session allows you to choose the place, the theme but also the desired look to make it a magical moment that will remain anchored on paper. It’s a moment to have fun with the girls and to create even more unforgettable memories thanks to these moments full of emotions. The photos can be printed in basic format but also on mugs, key rings, tote bags, polaroids… These are memories that are kept for a lifetime.
– The bridesmaid box
This idea allows you to create a box with personalized gifts for each person who will receive it, a bit like the request box seen previously. This intention makes it possible to offer anything that can please them, whether it is a delicacy they love, a cosmetic they adore or that they wanted. A pretty jewel that made you think of her directly or photos and words as a souvenir of all the moments you had together. This gift has a personal and touching side.
Without forgetting a letter of thanks for all that she has done for you and that this day would not have been the same without her!
– A DIY (DO IT YOURSELF)
Creating and offering your own gift is always a pleasurable gesture because you know it comes from the heart. Moreover, the fact that it is homemade allows you to personalize it as you wish so that it perfectly matches the person you are going to offer it to. You have the choice between soap or scented candles, or even jewelry, there is necessarily something for all tastes and all budgets. Now it’s up to you!
– A personalized gift
Of course not everyone has the patience or ability to create their own gift alone. But fortunately for you, people with a lot of talent exist and sell their creations in their physical store, online or with Etsy, for example. With this type of gift you have a wide choice. It can be a notebook that allows you to slip in a photo and a personalized word, a phone case, a photo frame or magnets to stick on the fridge… With these gifts, you can write down what you want to give to your friends and family to allow total personalization. Another gift that fits every taste and every budget!
– A cocooning moment
The preparation of the wedding as well as our daily life brings us stress, therefore to remedy the case, organize you with your bridesmaids witnesses, a day at the institute. This moment will allow you to spend a pleasant moment surrounded by your family and friends and to relax, thanks to the care which will be carried out during this moment in institute. This gift often delights all the guests!
– A meal to gather your bridesmaids of honor
A few days after the wedding why not gather all your bridesmaids, around a good meal, to remind you all it is good time to spend together. Moreover you had the choice either to make them at home, or in a restaurant. According to your desires you could make a brunch, a lunch or a dinner. This meal is a good way to thank your witnesses and bridesmaids who helped you make your wedding even more successful. It is the perfect time to offer them the thank-you gifts if you have any planned.