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Special Participants:
Getting Other People Involved
By Megan Mercer
Last Update: November 5, 2004

After selecting your wedding party, you are bound to have a number of other special people you wish to incorporate in the wedding!

Below are several ideas of how to honor all of these close friends and family members, get them involved in your wedding, and make them feel as important as you think they are!

Tip: Make all of the people that you involve in the wedding feel extra special by adorning them with a boutonniere or a corsage. Mention them in your program, if appropriate. Also, be sure to thank them with a gift no matter how small their role!

Consider assigning special people tasks such as:

Program Distributor: Have one or two of your favorite people hand out programs as your guests arrive for the ceremony.

Usher: A great way to incorporate teens, family members, or a few extra friends into the celebration. Also gives your groomsmen a break before the ceremony.

Honored Elders: Honor your grandmothers and grandfathers with a corsage/boutonniere and a special walk down the aisle just before the mother of the bride. If they are up for it, you could also include them in an honorary dance at the reception.

Candle Lighter: Typically pre-teen boys or girls, who light altar candles just before the mother of the bride is seated, however candle lighters can also be adults (Remember, choose wisely since you are dealing with fire, pyromaniacs need not apply!).

Reader: A nice, easy way to add people to your wedding ceremony and have them front and center is to have them perform a reading during the ceremony. If the person shares the same religious beliefs then they could read a passage of scripture at the ceremony, otherwise a poem or passage from literature is always nice.

Soloist: Put a loved one’s vocal or musical talent to work. Be sure that the person actually has performance experience before you agree to have them sing/play at the ceremony.
Tip: Since it might be a lot to ask for a friend or relative to learn a song and perform at your wedding…many brides and grooms suggest that the song be preformed as their wedding gift instead of simply as a favor!

License Signatories: While your maid of honor and best man will sign the legal certificate, commemorate the presence of very special relatives, friends and the rest of the wedding party by having them sign a decorative wedding license.

Rice/Bird Seed/Bubbles Distributor: Designate a friend or a couple cute kids to hand out these goodies to the guests.

Guest Book Keeper: Have a lighthearted friend or family member man the guest book table, greet guests and ask them sign in.

Gift Table and Card Box Keeper: Place a cheerful, gregarious friend or family member, who will know most of the crowd, in charge of greeting the guests and directing them to the gift table and card box at the reception.

Favor Arranger/Distributor: Ask someone special to pass out favors as the guests arrive/depart or to place the favors on the tables before your reception begins.