Of course, each wedding is unique and inimitable, despite the fact that most of them are arranged according to settled wedding traditions. Thus, in western wedding traditions apart from the groom and the bride, a wide range of people should be present. Perhaps, the most important of them is the wedding officiant, because without him the marriage can't be performed. Among other participants of the wedding party there are the father of the bride (one who traditionally leads the bride to the wedding altar), the best man as an essential person of the wedding traditions (a close friend or a relative of the groom who assists him), the maid of honor or the matron of honor – if she is married (a close friend or relative of the bride who assists her), groomsmen (male attendants supporting the groom), bridesmaids (female attendants helping the bride), the ring bearer (a small boy who carries the wedding rings), the flower girl (a small girl who scatters flower petals before the couple), junior bridesmaids (young girls generally between 8 and 16 ages – too old to be the flower girl and too young to become the bride themselves – who take part in the ceremony) and ushers (people who know the wedding traditions and help with organization).
By the wedding traditions, before the ceremony the ushers and groomsmen have to make sure that all the guests have taken the correct places. According to the wedding traditions, the front rows are reserved for the members of the bride's or groom's families and their closest friends. The groom and the best man arrive to the church beforehand and wait for the bride with her companions which typically come in luxurious cars or in hired horse-drawn coaches. After everybody has arrived, the ushers and groomsmen escort the grandparents and the mothers of the bride and groom to their seats. Then the wedding traditions bridesmaids and groomsmen enter, and after them – the maid of honor accompanied by the best man. At last, the ring bearer and the flower girl come in. And finally, when everyone is ready, the bride clad in an exquisite, either designer or cheap wedding dress and jewelry, appears escorted by her father. As the wedding traditions require, the music is playing, and the wedding ceremony starts. After this the groom and bride sign the state-issued marriage license (in the USA) or the wedding register (in the UK) without which the marriage isn't considered legally valid. When all the ceremony functions are complete, the guests congratulate the newly-married couple and throw flower petal (ordered from a well-known florist like 1-800Florals or some other) with confetti, keeping the wedding traditions. After that a photo session follows, as an integral part of the wedding traditions.
During the reception the guest eat, drink and give greeting speeches, the groom and bride cut the wedding cake and dance the “Bridal Waltz” which is often replaced by their favorite love ballad, in spite of the wedding traditions. |