What To Expect From Your Wedding Party

The wonderful staff at our wedding venue near Knoxville, as well as the many excellent wedding professionals that we can steer you toward, are all here to help you throw the most amazing ceremony and reception possible. A few other people that can help you take care of some successful wedding planning are the members of your wedding party. They are a fantastic support team, and Country Jewell has compiled a list of the duties most often associated with each position. 

Maid/Matron of Honor
This wonderful woman is the bride's "2nd-in-command." (After the groom, of course!) She is the person you can call with questions, bounce ideas off of, and spill all of your wedding planning frustrations to. This is most likely one of the people that knows you best, so she should be able to convey and carry out your wishes to others when you can't. Your maid/matron of honor is also the "leader" of the rest of your bridesmaids. 

Before the wedding, she will make sure that plans are made for pre-wedding events, like a bridal shower and the bachelorette party. Her jobs on the wedding day include making sure that you have everything you need, getting you where you are supposed to be on time, holding your bouquet during the vows and photographs, and making sure your train is straightened after you come down the aisle. She may be asked to make a toast at the reception, possibly hold the groom's ring until you place it on his finger, and she will sign the marriage license as a witness. During the reception, your maid/matron of honor will be "on call" for anything that you may need. 

Bridesmaids
If your maid/matron of honor cannot get to a task, these ladies are there to jump in and help out. They will assist with the planning of the bridal shower and bachelorette party, usually sharing the costs of throwing them. They are your support team before and during the ceremony, and at the reception, they can take on a hostess role and guide guests to where they need to be. This is a good group to keep the crowd entertained and excited to spend the majority of the reception out on the dance floor.     

Best Man
This is the groom's "go-to guy." He can help your future husband with any wedding planning tasks he has agreed to take on. He is the head groomsman, so this is the man to make sure the rest of the groom's wedding party know what is expected of them, such as when to get fitted for suit rentals and knowing when to be where at what time. The best man is usually the one in charge of making the bachelor party happen. 

The best man makes sure that the groom gets to the wedding on time. He is often asked to hold the bride's ring until the ceremony, as well as the envelope containing the officiant's fee if it has not been collected before the wedding. He is the other witness to sign your marriage license, and you may ask him to give a toast at the reception. If the men's clothing is rented, the best man can be in charge of making sure that all returns are taken care of. 

Groomsmen
These gentlemen are "team groom," led by the best man. They will assist in planning the bachelor party, and they usually share the costs of throwing it. They are great for any heavy lifting that may be involved while setting up and decorating for the big day. If you need ushers and have not given anyone that title, the groomsmen can step in and take care of getting the guests seated, and they can help the bridesmaids keep everyone entertained at the reception.

You should make sure that each member of your wedding party knows what may be expected of them before they agree to be in the wedding. This includes paying for their own attire and hotel stays while they are in town, unless that will be part of your thank you gift to them. Most friends are happy to do the things listed above, plus more. 

When you choose to get married at our rustic wedding venue near Knoxville, we're happy to help you with some of the preparations before and during the special day when we can. Your wedding party is there to help you with all of the rest. We see lots of successful celebrations take place here at Country Jewell, and the best ones involve a supportive team to make it all happen. 

A delightfully quaint Knoxville wedding

& event venue.

6550 Hickory Valley Road

Heiskell, TN 37754

865-494-0552

Visit our website:  www.CountryJewell.com

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Wedding Party Duties - Who Does What?

When you are planning a wedding in Tennessee, the majority of tasks will be handled by the bride and groom. You don't have to do it all alone, though. The friends and family members that you ask to be in your wedding party make up a support team that can take care of many things for you. 

Country Jewell has compiled a list of traditional duties that each member of your wedding party is expected to handle. As with all of our wedding planning advice, this is simply a guideline of what is often done. Feel free to adjust it to meet your particular needs and the talents and personalities of the people in your wedding party. 

The Happy Couple
Technically, you are the wedding couple rather than members of the wedding party, but you should see yourselves as the captains of "Team Wedding." You will be asking people to help you with certain tasks, but all final decisions are yours. Your "job" is to convey your wedding wishes in a way so that the ones assisting you know what is expected of them. Oh, and one more "job" for the happy couple: REMEMBER TO HAVE FUN! 

Maid/Matron of Honor
This lovely lady is the bride's "2nd-in-command" over team wedding. (After the groom, of course!) She will be the one that you can call with questions, ideas, frustrations, and everything else. This is probably one of the people that knows you best, so she should be able to convey your wishes to others when you can't. For that reason, the maid of honor is the head bridesmaid, keeping the rest of the ladies in your wedding party on the same page. 

Before the wedding, she will make sure that plans are made for pre-wedding events, like the bridal shower and bachelorette party. On the wedding day, her job is to make sure that you have everything that you need, get you where you are going on time, hold your bouquet during the ceremony, and make sure your train is straightened and beautiful after you come down the aisle. This is also one of the people that will sign your marriage license as a witness. She may be asked to make a toast at the reception, and possibly hold on to the groom's ring until you place it on his finger. 

Bridesmaids
If your maid of honor cannot get to a task, one of these women can step up and handle it. They will all assist in the planning and executing of the bridal shower and bachelorette party, usually sharing the costs of throwing them. At the reception, they can take on a hostess role and offer answers and assistance to guests. Once the party gets started, these ladies can help to keep the crowd entertained and having fun all night long. 

Best Man
This fella is the groom's "go-to-guy." Just as your maid of honor is your backup, this man is the groom's. He can help your future husband with any wedding planning tasks he takes on. He is the one to make sure all of the groomsmen know what is expected of them, and he can help to make sure they are all correctly fitted for their suits or tuxedos. The best man is usually in charge of planning the bachelor party too.  

On wedding day, he needs to make sure that the groom gets to the church on time, and often is asked to hold the bride's ring until the ceremony, as well as the officiant's fee if it has not been collected before the wedding. He is the other witness to sign your marriage license, and is usually asked to give a toast at the reception. If the men's clothing is rented and needs to be returned, the best man is someone that can make sure that gets taken care of. 

Groomsmen
These men make up the groom's team of helpers, led by the best man. They will assist with planning and executing the bachelor party, and they usually share the costs of throwing it. At the reception, they can help the bridesmaids keep the wedding guests entertained and having a great time. They can be asked to help usher guests to their seats before the ceremony and act as greeters as people arrive.   

Ushers
Depending on the size and formality of your wedding, some couples choose not to have ushers. If you do, their job is to show up before the other guests so that they are able to help everyone find their seats. They can be in charge of greeting guests and answering any questions that may arise, such as the location of restrooms or where guests should go for the reception. Once the ceremony is over, the ushers will release the guests in an orderly fashion. 

Ring Bearer & Flower Girl
Children usually fill these roles, so there isn't much more expected of them than to make it down the aisle and look adorable. They should attend the wedding rehearsal so that they can get familiar with the other members of the wedding party, and also to practice and get comfortable with their walk down the aisle on wedding day. 

You will want to make sure that each of the members of your wedding party know what will be expected of them before they agree to be in your wedding. Most friends are happy to do the things listed above, plus more. When you choose to get married at our rustic wedding venue near Knoxville, we're happy to help you with the venue preparations and offer advice when it is needed. We see a lot of successful weddings here at Country Jewell, and we can't wait to help you pull off the ceremony and reception of your dreams.  

A delightfully quaint Knoxville wedding

& event venue.

6550 Hickory Valley Road

Heiskell, TN 37754

865-494-0552

Visit our website:  www.CountryJewell.com

Like us on Facebook

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The Roles of Your Wedding Party

One part of planning a wedding is choosing the family and friends that you will include in your wedding party. They can be extremely helpful in taking a bit of the pressure off of the bride and groom by taking on a few of the planning tasks, as well as making sure that everything goes smoothly on the wedding day. 

Today we are highlighting a few of the traditional roles that the people in your Country Jewell wedding party will play. These are not strict, set in stone rules, but guidelines pointing towards areas where you can expect a little help. 

Bride & Groom
You two are the stars of the show! This entire day is about celebrating the love you share as you become husband and wife. All of the final decisions to be made during the wedding planning are yours, so your roles stretch far and wide. 

In relation to your wedding party, an important thing for you to do is to convey your wishes for the to the people that will be assisting you. Stay true to who you are as a couple, and do your very best to stick to the budget you have set for yourself. Oh, and above all, have fun!

Maid/Matron of Honor
This is the bride's right-hand-woman. She will be your closest backup during the planning and on the wedding day. She will be the person in charge of corralling the other bridesmaids, and also the one that needs to make sure other major events, like the bridal shower and bachelorette party, get planned. This is an excellent person to ask for opinions on the wedding fashions that you choose too.  

On the wedding day, her job is to make sure you have everything that you need, get where you are going on time, hold your bouquet during the ceremony, and make sure your train is straightened and beautiful after you come down the aisle. The maid/matron of honor will also sign the marriage license as a witness, and may be asked to make a toast to the couple.
   
Bridesmaids
These girls also have your back and can help to take care of the things that your maid/matron of honor doesn't get to. They will help with the planning and executing of wedding-related parties. At the reception, they can take on a hostess role and offer answers and assistance to guests. They are also great for making sure the dance floor stays full.  

Best Man
This is the groom's right-hand-man. He needs to make sure that the groom is ready for the big day, and help him to get to the ceremony on time. The best man  is in charge of keeping the groomsmen in line, and is often entrusted with holding on to couple's wedding rings until the officiant asks for them. 

He will be the second witness to sign the marriage license, offer a toast at the reception, and is generally the one to plan the groom's bachelor party. If the men's formalwear needs to be returned after the wedding, he is a good person to be in charge of this.   

Groomsmen
These fellows are there to offer the groom any support he may need and assist the best man. They usually don't need much coaxing to help out with planning the bachelor party, and at the reception they can help the bridesmaids keep the wedding guests entertained and having fun. If you do not have people assigned in the role of usher, the groomsmen can step in and take care of that duty.

Ring Bearer & Flower Girl
You can have any person of any age take over these duties, but it is usually left to some adorable young children. They should attend the wedding rehearsal to get used to the rest of the wedding party, which will hopefully put them at ease enough to perform their duties on the actual day. 

Ushers
These helpers need to dress the part and show up early enough before the ceremony so that they will be there to guide all of the wedding guests to their seats. They can also point out the location of the restrooms, and help to let guests know where to go for the reception. Ushers also release the guests from their seats in an orderly fashion after the new Mr. & Mrs. leave the ceremony.

Letting everyone in your wedding party know what is expected of them before they agree to join you is the best way to make sure everything goes as smoothly as possible. If they are willing and able to help with other tasks, like picking up rental items or putting up decorations, accept their assistance. The more you allow them to do, the less stress you will have to endure. 

We offer wedding planning assistance at our rustic Knoxville wedding venue too. Let us know what you have in mind and the type of help you are needing, and if we don't provide it, we can help you to find the vendors that do. Many of our Country Jewell wedding packages already include things like catering, DJ services, reception decorating, and more. Our team, along with your wedding party, will make sure that this is a very special, very memorable day.  

A delightfully quaint Knoxville wedding

& event venue.

6550 Hickory Valley Road

Heiskell, TN 37754

865-494-0552

Visit our website:  www.CountryJewell.com

Like us on Facebook
Follow us on Twitter
Follow us on LinkedIn
Follow us on Google+