Your Christian Wedding Attendants

Planning wedding ceremonies Christian in nature starts with an excellent support group. Hopefully you have that in your fiance and in your parents, other family members, and close friends. You will need good Christian people you can depend on to help you with the smallest details.

If you still have your parents, especially your mom, and they are supportive of your marriage, that is great. They will be a big help. Not all brides are that fortunate.

If you do not, try to enlist the help of a motherly lady at your church with whom you have a good relationship, to help guide you as you do your planning. Preferably someone who would be great at helping with the reception planning. Someone who can do that will be a great asset to you.

The next most important person a bride chooses to help with the planning of wedding ceremonies Christian in nature, other than her fiance, is the maid or matron of honor. Some brides have both. Even better--double the help!

Ideally this is your best friend or your favorite sister, someone who knows you intimately and has been around your tantrums and is used to them. She should be someone who you can depend on, someone good with details and with finishing tasks on time. She should be someone who has seen you lose your cool and not get insulted. She should be understanding and forgiving because chances are that you will lose your cool before the big day!

Bridesmaids should also be close to you. They should be willing to help with planning. Helping to plan the reception and creating do-it-yourself items for the wedding and the reception should be expected. These items could include favors, centerpieces, and decorations, just to name a few.

Other attendants to choose will include the adorable flower girl and the super important and handsome little ring bearer. Sometimes, the flower girl and/or the ring bearer are beloved pets who take part in the wedding.

Your groom will have his best man and his ushers or groomsmen, as they are often called. The best man will be called upon to make a speech at the reception.

The mother of the bride should choose her outfit and then call the mother of the groom to let her know the color she is wearing.

The father of the bride plays an important part in your wedding ceremony. He will need to look sharp. This is a big day for him as he gives his little girl away.

As the bride, you will need to help choose the maid's/matron's of honor dress. Choosing the bridesmaids' dresses does not have to be a nightmare, but it can be.

Choosing the flower girl's dress and the ring bearer's clothes can be a lot of fun.

If Fluffy or Fido are going to be in your wedding, they must have proper attire as well!

Don't forget about gifts for your attendants. Wedding ceremonies Christian or not work out better when you have the cooperation of your wedding attendants and if they have been helpful, give them something as nice as you can afford. Gift certificates are great if you can't think of anything else. They are always appreciated. Just choose the right store or restaurant.

Wedding ceremonies Christian or secular will usually have some combination of all of the attendants listed above. Some will have more, others will have less. It is all up to what the bride and groom and their families want and how much money they have to spend.

That is right. He was once the man in your life, your knight in shining armor, your protector, defender, and provider. Now he takes the number two position as he moves over to make room for your new husband.

Hopefully, the father of the bride has made friends with your fiance and they are on their way to having a great long-lasting relationship. It is not that way in many families.

As the bride's dad, fathers, please know that getting married and leaving one's parents is supposed to happen. Remember when you did the same thing. Your perspective was so different back when you took someone's little girl as your wife.

Just make sure that he will be a good husband to your daughter and trust him. Get to know him as well as possible. Be supportive of your daughter and her new husband so they will want you to be a part of their new life.

Tell your daughter you love her before you walk her down the aisle. Walk her down proudly. Let her know that she can still come to you about anything, but don't try to interfere in her marriage.

The father of the bride will escort his daughter down the aisle and will answer, "I do" when asked who gives this woman to be married. Sometimes the father will respond, "Her mother and I do." Whichever way you want will be fine.

Then you will stand in the reception line as the host of the wedding and reception, greeting each guest. Later you will toast your daughter and her new husband.

If you are like many fathers, you will be paying for the event and will think of it each month when your credit card bills come, unless you were smart and started saving for this big event years before!

Know that your daughter loves you and appreciates you. She will more fully appreciate your sacrifice when the time comes for her own child to marry. Thank you for all that you do for us while we are growing and even after we have become adults.

The mother of the bride plays an important part behind the scenes of any wedding. That is, unless she and the bride do not get along well.

If the bride and her mom are close, the bride can get great advice and ideas from her mother. Remember, Mom has been through all of this a time or two, and she knows a lot more about throwing a large party than a young bride does.

Usually the bride and her mom will go shopping for the wedding dress together. A mother knows what looks good on her daughter and what does not. Brides, listen to your mother. She has always been there for you. She will, hopefully, be there for you now.

Shopping for the wedding dress can be one of the mother of the bride's greatest joys. She has known your whole life that one day this would happen. As hard as it is for her to let go and let you grow up, she knows it is inevitable, for she went through the same thing when she got married.

So be sure and take her with you. Let her be there as you try on each dress until you both have the "ah-ha" moment when your eyes, moist with excitement, meet and you both know that this is "the one", your perfect dress!

Then, together, shop for a veil, a petticoat if needed, shoes, and a bag for your personal things on your wedding day.

The mother of the bride can help with the guest list, choosing a venue, picking the caterer, choosing the food, and helping to choose the wedding cake and flowers as well.

She can assist you in choosing your colors and decorations. If you are very fortunate, she may assist you by making your wedding cake and/or the food if you are not having a very large wedding.

If she is crafty, she can help design and put together favors, centerpieces, and decorations. That will save you a bundle!

The mother of the bride can also help to throw your wedding shower. Usually this is done by the maid of honor or a sister or close friend, but if no one else steps up to the plate, mom can pitch in and get it started.

Discuss with your mom how she can best help you prior to starting your planning. Tell her you want her help and advice. But make sure she knows that this is your wedding and you get to make the decisions.

Mothers, be supportive of your daughters. Help them, assist them, but let them plan their wedding their way. Do not take control. Your relationship will be a much happier one if you support your daughter instead of fighting because she is not "doing it your way".

This is a great time of bonding for mothers and daughters, but only if there are no major blow-outs. Just remember whose wedding it is and that you are there to assist your daughter and all will be well.

Hopefully, when you get married, you will have access to the perfect little flower girl in your family or in your circle of close friends.

The ideal girl should be between the ages of three and seven. But you know what? If you want to use a girl who is a little younger or older, go ahead. It is your wedding and you can do whatever you want to do!

If you use a girl who is under the age of three, she may have to be accompanied down the aisle by her mom or a big sister. Or you may be pleasantly surprised and she will be fine and do a fabulous job.

The young girl can carry a bouquet like your bridesmaids are carrying, only smaller. Or she can carry a beautifully decorated basket filled with flower petals or confetti, dropping handfuls along the way. Her main job is to look absolutely adorable until you, the bride, make your appearance.

She should wear a dress similar in color and style to your bridesmaids. Or she can wear whatever is okay with you and her parents. Like I said above, it is your wedding and you can have things any way you want.

The girl you choose may normally be bright and bubbly and do very well during your wedding rehearsal. Then on the day of the wedding, she may get stage fright and refuse to walk down the aisle. Or maybe throw a temper tantrum or cry.

Have a back-up plan! When working with young children, realize that anything can happen. If it does, don't let it ruin your wedding day. Even though it seems it at the time, this is no big deal in the scheme of life. Trust me, compared to the next twenty years, your wedding is a sweet walk in the park!

Sometimes getting the little girl's mom or dad or another child to walk down the aisle with her will do the trick.

If not, let her go to her parents. Take it in stride and move on with your wedding. It is not personal. Children can be unpredictable.

My flower girl was almost four and her performance went off without a hitch. She was fabulous and today she is a registered nurse. She was an adorable flower girl and the daughter of our best man. She wore a short pink dress and a pink hat that matched my maid of honor's hat.

Bethany, thank you for helping to make my wedding so special!

Hopefully, there is a little ring bearer in your circle of friends and family. Ideally, the little guy should be between three and seven, but if yours is a little younger or older, that is okay. Don't worry about it.

Mine was a friend's six year old son named Tony. He was adorable in an eggshell colored jacket and darker pants. Tony did a superb job of carrying the ring pillow down the aisle. Thank you, Tony!

The job of the wedding ring carrier is to look adorable and transport the ring pillow to the best man down at the front of the church. Some couples put their actual wedding rings on the pillow, secured with an attached ribbon. Other couples tie two toy rings on the pillow, just for show.

In some weddings this pillow-carrier walks behind the flower girl. In other weddings, he walks beside her. So it is your choice.

If your little guy throws a temper tantrum or gets scared, try having his dad or a friend walk down with him. If he will not do it, let him sit down with his parents. It is okay. Don't let it spoil your wedding day. People are understanding. Just move on with the ceremony.

You can buy decorated pillows or decorate a plain white one. They come in square, round, and heart-shaped.

Your beloved furry four-legged animal needs a pet wedding collar to look great at your marriage ceremony!

Yes, that's right. If you are one of the many dog or cat lovers around, you may be thinking about bringing Fido or Fluffy to the ceremony. Just make sure your pastor or priest is okay with it if you are getting married in a church. If not, either leave Fido or Fluffy home or move your wedding to a rented hall or outside.

You may consider your pet to be one of your closest friends or even a member of your family. So, of course, you don't want to get married with one of your best friends or a favorite family member not at the wedding.

If Fido or Fluffy is well-behaved, dress him/her appropriately for the ceremony with the perfect wedding collar.

Consider a bow tie or a black and white tuxedo look for your male. For your female pet, ribbons and lace or a faux diamond-studded wedding collar would look beautiful.

The video below shows some expensive pet wedding collars that you can try to replicate. It also shows other wedding ideas for you, such as the unity candle, sand ceremony, and mini milkshakes during the reception. Enjoy!

Maybe your male dog or cat will be your ring bearer. Tie a tiny ring pillow with two toy rings in gold or silver onto his collar or on a separate lei around his neck.

Your female pet would be the perfect flower girl with flowers glued on a special pet collar. A flower lei would also be great for her to wear around her neck.

Assign a friend or family member who knows your pet well to be responsible for him/her during the wedding and reception. It is probably best to use a leash unless your pet is extremely well-behaved. At the very least, use a leash if you go outside for part of the festivities for your pet's safety.

Your maid of honor (or matron of honor if she is married) is your right hand gal. She should be someone who knows you well and will not be offended if you get angry or throw a fit if something does not go right during the wedding planning period.

Ideally, she should be detail-oriented and full of energy. She needs to have a "can do" attitude. She should love you enough to use almost all of her spare time helping you fulfill your wedding dreams.

She is normally a sister, cousin, or a close friend of the bride. If she is married, she is called a matron of honor. Most brides have one or the other. Some brides have both. This is especially helpful if the two get along and work well together because the bride will have double the help!

The maid of honor helps the bride and her mother by making sure the caterer, florist, bakery, church, officiant, reception venue, furniture rentals, dressmakers, and on and on and on get everything done and delivered on time. Your bridesmaids will also help with everything, but your best friend will do the majority of the work.

She helps address envelopes for the wedding invitations. She helps the bride shop for everything the bride needs.

If she is crafty, she can help you make favors, decorations, centerpieces...to help you save a lot of money and add that personal touch to your wedding.

She listens to the bride when something goes wrong without getting angry or upset. She provides comfort and assurances that everything is going to be okay.

She also usually throws a bridal shower and a bachelorette party with the help of the bridesmaids. She is in charge of recording your wedding gifts so that you send the right thank you note to the right person. She can actually delegate this responsibility to one of the bridesmaids at your shower and at your wedding reception.

She helps the bride dress on the morning of the wedding. The maid of honor holds the bride's bouquet once the bride makes it to the altar. She also carries the groom's ring until it is time for the ring exchange.

She also signs the wedding certificate as a witness. The best man also signs it.

She stands in the receiving line either at the church or the reception and greets wedding guests.

Another important task for her on the day of the wedding is to hold your small purse with makeup and necessities. Whenever you need to freshen up your makeup, she should be close by!

After the ceremony and reception, she helps the bride change clothes and takes charge of the wedding dress while the bride goes off on her honeymoon.

What the maid of honor is not is a doormat. Brides, this is your dear friend or family member. Remember that before you go off on her because something was not done properly.

Do not insist that she cut her hair a certain way or that she wear some hideous awful ugly dress that you would not be caught dead in because you think it will make your wedding better. Do not insist that she lose weight before she can be in your wedding. (Yes, some brides actually do these things!)

She is not your servant or your slave. She is helping you with no pay because she cares about you. Treat her well, even when things do not go the way you plan. Chill out. You will get through this time and all will be fine!

Likewise, treat your bridesmaids well. They will normally buy their own dresses and shoes, but they may hate them. The nice thing to do is for the bride to give them a color and let each one choose the dress they like in the right color. Many brides do just that, avoiding the cookie cutter dress. This allows each girl to choose a dress she will want to wear over and over.

Remember this. Your wedding is short, but life will continue for a long time afterwards. Do you want it to continue without her friendship? Treat her well and it is okay if things go wrong. You will get through it!

The father of the bride needs to look great for your wedding day. He will be performing one of his most difficult tasks as a dad--that of giving away his precious, little girl.

Here is a touching scene from the movie, Father Of The Bride. Listen to Steve Martin as he describes what dads go through when they give their little girls away at their weddings. If you have never watched this movie, rent it today! It is great.