Sarah Lizabeth Barker - Planning A Wedding For Dummies

Social media is likely the most popular way that couples all over the world spread the news of their engagement. Here are some ways to share the good news:

The location. If the location of your proposal is special to you or just a neat spot, use it in your post. Share a picture of the actual proposal. If you didn’t catch it on camera, recreate it after the proposal is over with your phone camera.

Do it together. Take a photo together and make it unique. You can buy fun novelty items such as T-shirts, hats, or cups and take a picture with those items. For example, one person wears a shirt that says, “He [or She] asked!” and the other wears a shirt that says, “I said yes!”

Use a prop. On a chalkboard or poster, write, “I said yes!” Then take a photo with the prop and share the news. Or make a sign that says, “It’s time to celebrate! I’m changing my last name.”

Take a selfie. A selfie is most likely the most popular way to share the news. Take a selfie together with big smiles and say, “We’re getting married!” This is the simplest and fastest way to share the news, and who doesn’t love a good selfie?

Show off the bling. You have a ring on your finger; now show it off! Whatever way you choose to share, make sure that ring is in the photo. Everyone wants to see the ring, so including it in your social media post is always a good thing — the classic symbol that you’re engaged.

Use a pet. Let’s face it, pets are just cute. Everyone loves them, so use them in your social media post. They’re part of your family and are just as excited as you are that you’re getting married. Well, I like to think they’re excited — I haven’t been able to get any of my pets to talk to me but I’m going to guess they’re excited too!

Whatever way you share the news, have fun with this! It’s the first thing you do in the wedding planning process. Now that it’s official, it’s time to share your excitement and joy with the world in a playful and creative way. Everyone will be excited for you and love your creativity. Congratulations, the world officially knows it’s official!

The bridal party you pick are your people. They are the ones who have seen you on your best and your worst day. They know your deepest secrets; they have seen your heartbreaks and are on your side no matter what. Picking your squad is an important task when planning your wedding. Who will make the cut? Who will be standing next to you on your wedding day?

I have seen the good bridesmaids and the bad. I have also seen the good groomsmen and the bad. I have stories for days about bridal parties. Some are funny but some are heartbreaking, like the time a best man professed his love for the bride during his speech at the reception. That was a moment in my career that I will never forget.

My hope is that after you read this section, you’ll be able to pick the very best team to love and support you beyond the wedding and into your marriage. In this section we’ll discuss the job requirements of your bridal party, what it means for them to stand by your side, and the logistics of the order and how you’re going to ask them.

We all know that the bridesmaids and groomsmen stand by your side during the ceremony. But, what else to they do? Do they have job responsibilities? Yes they do! It’s an honor to be chosen as part of a bridal party, and it’s important to understand the bridal party’s job so you can pick the perfect squad.

First, let’s start with the fact that you don’t need a bridal party if it’s not important to you to have one. Maybe you’re blending families with your fiancé, and you want only your children to be with you. Or maybe you have too many friends to pick just a few to be in your bridal party. Whatever the case, know that you do not have to have a bridal party if that doesn’t fit your life.

Maid of honor, matron of honor, and best man. If you do decide to have a bridal party, picking your maid of honor (a single person) or your matron of honor (a married person) and the best man or men is first on the list of creating the perfect team. If you are female and have a best friend who is a male, he would be your man of honor. If you are a male whose best friend is female, she would be your best woman.Traditionally, these people are either relatives or your very best friend. Prior to the wedding, the job responsibilities of these people are to help with any planning, throw showers or parties in your honor, help with selecting the attire for the bridal party, and anything else that you need during the planning process. On the wedding day they are by your side to troubleshoot any problems, hold the rings during the ceremony and give a speech at the reception. They have your back no matter what. If you need anything, they should be there to help.On many occasions, I’ve seen parents of the couple serving as the matron of honor or best man. This is a special way to acknowledge parents who have been your number one fan. If that is the case for you, I say do it. They know you the best and will support you like no one else.

Bridesmaids and groomsmen. The bridesmaids and groomsmen are additional siblings, siblings of your fiancé, or very close friends. They too have responsibilities, which include helping with any planning needs, attending dress fittings, assisting with showers and parties, and standing next to you on the wedding day. They attend the rehearsal, rehearsal dinner, and the wedding day.

Flower girl. The flower girl is typically a relative, such as a young cousin, sibling, niece, or a family friend, between one and ten years old. Some of my clients who are teachers use their students as the flower girl. You can have one or multiple flower girls. They will throw rose petals down the aisle — if permitted by your venue — or may wear a flower crown.

Ring bearer. The ring bearer is typically a relative, such as a young cousin, sibling, nephew, or a family friend, between one and ten years old. Traditionally, the ring bearer carries a pillow down the aisle, but I have had clients who took the very cute approach of having the ring bearer carry a box that says, “Ring Police.” It’s popular to think that ring bearers actually hold the rings, but they do not. Those rings cost a lot of money and the last thing you need is for them to get lost on the way down the aisle. Give the ring bearer a fake ring, which can be purchased online or a local craft store. The real rings need to be given to the best man or maid or matron of honor prior to the start of the ceremony. If you don’t have a little potential ring bearer in your life, consider incorporating your pet on your wedding day (make sure your venue allows animals!). Assign someone in your squad to take care of the pet for the remainder of the evening or have someone pick them up and take them to where you will be at the end of the night. I can’t tell you how many times clients don’t think about this, and our team is left to watch their animal for the night. While we are all animal lovers, it needs to be assigned to someone in your circle.

Junior bridesmaids and groomsmen. If you have someone special in your life whom you want in the wedding but they’re too old to be a flower girl or ring bearer and too young to be a bridesmaid or groomsman, they can be your junior bridesmaid or junior groomsman. Their responsibilities are not as extensive at the bridesmaids and groomsmen but you can include them based on age-appropriate activities. (I’m certain they would love to attend the bachelorette or bachelor party, but they may be too young.) They will stand with you on your wedding day with the rest of your bridal party.

Mother of the bride. The mother of the bride is a very important person on the wedding day. She will typically be with the bride all day and help her get ready. She will make sure she is dressed and ready to go for her big moment. The mother of the bride is most often the one who hosts showers and parties for the bride. She will also be the one who stands first when the bride enters the ceremony. Sometimes at the rehearsal dinner or the reception, she will give a speech.