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Planning a Wedding: Roles of Bride and Groom

A church full of friends and family, fresh food and flowers and the tapping foot of a nervous gentleman. It’s the wedding day of a very lucky girl. Months of planning, a well-divided wedding roles list, tough decisions and tears – often for more than one reason – are finally coming down to two simple words: I do.

A quick internet search for the word “wedding” produced 562 000 000 results, with “wedding venues” dominating the first page.  A wedding is however much more than just a venue. Two people who are very much in love, a date, a dress, a suit, photos, drinks, the abovementioned food and flowers and music are only a few things that need to be organised for the big day.

Dividing Wedding Planning Responsibilities

Before the reality of arranging these finer details for the big day can kick in, the bride and groom need to draw up a wedding roles list to divide the responsibilities between them. A few vital details must also be agreed upon by the soon-to-be Mr & Mrs which includes a date for their big day and very importantly, they need to calculate a budget for their nuptials.

The traditional way of planning weddings has really changed says Letetia Deyzel from Letetia Deyzel – Wedding & Events Planner.  ”Nowadays couples are paying for themselves.” she explained.

While the organisational responsibilities can differ from couple to couple, both will have a little help from their parents with ticking certain items off the wedding roles list. The groom’s parents will take care of the rehearsal dinner, should there be one, and their own outfits. The bride’s parents will be responsible for the wedding planner, invitations and most importantly, the dress picked out by the blushing bride.

Said bride will take care of the outfits for her bridesmaids says The Aleit Group, a luxury wedding and events planner. Deyzel adds that the bride should take care of gifts for her bridesmaids as well as her future husband’s wedding band. She will also need to have a special gift for her groom. Wedding Ideas magazine suggests buying your groom a gift that aligns with his hobbies. The more classic choices include cologne or an engraved item such as a flask or cufflinks.

The groom will generally be in charge of the wedding licence, the honeymoon and naturally the bride’s ring. Also on the groom’s wedding roles list is choosing his best man, groomsman as well as being responsible for choosing his and their attire. The groom also arranges for the officiant of the ceremony.

The bride’s new hubby is also responsible for giving a Thank You speech at the reception according to The Aleit Group. The bride, her parents and everyone that participated in arrangements need to be thanked in the speech. They also recommend that you thank your guests for coming, especially those who travelled far to the wedding. If the groom is not great with speeches, they advised that he gather some assistance from a family member or friend.

One of the few joint items on the wedding roles list for the bride and groom is to make sure that their families each compile a guest list. If the bride’s parents are paying for the wedding, they will often require certain friends and family members to be there to share in their joy.

The bride and groom’s ultimate responsibility on their wedding day however is just to enjoy their special day. While some guests may not arrive, flowers wilt and the music gets switched off at midnight, there’s nothing that will take away the magic of when the couple says ‘I do’.