Wedding Entourage Explained: Understanding The Key Roles And Responsibilities

A wedding entourage, also known as a bridal entourage, is a group of people with close relationships to the bride and groom who are chosen to assist, sponsor, dress up, and walk down the aisle to celebrate the wedding. The entourage is composed of family members and honoured friends who work hard behind the scenes to make the wedding a success. They are not paid for their work, but do it out of excitement, support, and love for the couple.

Who are the principal sponsors?

In Filipino weddings, the principal sponsors are also known as the ninongs and ninangs. They are the godparents to the couple and act as witnesses to the marriage, signing the marriage certificate. They are the only people who are legally required to be at the wedding.

Principal sponsors are usually older individuals who are married and whose marriages the couple admires. They are chosen because they are people the couple can look up to for guidance and easily talk to for advice about married life. They are often relatives or friends of the couple's parents, but can also be teachers, godparents, or parents of close family friends.

The number of principal sponsors varies depending on the size of the wedding. Churches usually require a minimum of two wedding sponsors or witnesses. For small weddings, two to four pairs of ninongs and ninangs are suggested, while for larger weddings, six to eight pairs may be appropriate.

What are the roles of the best man and maid of honour?

The wedding entourage, or bridal party, is made up of people who are closely related to the bride and groom. They are usually family members and close friends who are chosen to assist, sponsor, and celebrate the wedding. The bridal party walks down the aisle and stands at the altar to witness the wedding.

Best Man

The best man is the groom's closest friend or relative. He is the groom's personal advisor and aide during the wedding planning and on the wedding day. His duties include:

• Helping the groom choose his wedding attire
• Assisting the groom in getting dressed before the wedding
• Ensuring the groom arrives at the ceremony on time
• Holding the wedding rings
• Joining the receiving line
• Offering a toast to the newlyweds at the reception
• Acting as the master of ceremonies
• Planning the bachelor party
• Returning the groom's and groomsmen's suits to the rental shop, if necessary
• Driving the couple to the airport for their honeymoon

Maid of Honour

The maid of honour is the bride's closest friend or relative. She is the bride's right-hand woman and confidant throughout the engagement and wedding day. The maid of honour's duties include:

• Assisting the bride with wedding planning and decision-making
• Leading the bridal party and acting as the point of contact for any questions or concerns
• Accompanying the bride to wedding dress appointments and fittings
• Planning the bachelorette party
• Ensuring the bridesmaids order their dresses and accessories on time
• Serving as a point of contact for wedding guests
• Hosting or co-hosting the bridal shower
• Giving a speech at the reception
• Helping the bride get dressed and ensuring she looks picture-perfect
• Acting as a messenger between the couple on the wedding day
• Preparing an emergency kit for the bride
• Keeping the bride calm and ensuring she eats and stays hydrated
• Arranging the bride's train and veil during the ceremony
• Holding the bride's bouquet and the groom's ring during the ceremony
• Signing the marriage license as a witness
• Dancing with the best man at the reception
• Ensuring the bride changes into her travel clothes after the wedding
• Taking the wedding gown to the cleaners for preservation

What are the duties of the groomsmen and bridesmaids?

The wedding entourage, or wedding party, includes the bridesmaids and groomsmen, who are chosen by the bride and groom to be by their side as they prepare for their wedding day. The bridesmaids and groomsmen are usually the couple's closest friends and family members. While the specific duties of the wedding entourage will vary depending on the couple's preferences and needs, there are several traditional duties associated with these roles.

Duties of the Bridesmaids:

• Assist the Maid of Honor with wedding planning duties and offer additional help to the bride as needed.
• Emotionally support the bride throughout the wedding planning process and ceremony.
• Assist the Maid of Honor in planning and paying for the bridal shower and bachelorette party, as well as assisting her throughout the wedding day.
• Attend all pre-wedding events, such as the engagement party, wedding shower, bachelorette party, rehearsal, and rehearsal dinner.
• Run necessary errands during wedding planning, at pre-ceremony events, and on the wedding day.
• Keep a record of gifts at the bridal shower and help with thank-you cards.
• Offer help with DIY projects for the wedding, such as favours and place cards.
• Purchase their own gowns, accessories, shoes, jewellery, and undergarments, and attend all fittings for their dresses.
• Help the bride get ready on the morning of the wedding, including checking her hair, veil, and accessories.
• Assist with decorating at events and venues.
• Coordinate day-of communications with vendors and guests.
• Walk down the aisle and stand in the receiving line.
• Organise wedding gifts and keep them in a safe place.
• Attend to wedding guests and encourage interactions and dancing.
• Stay until the end of the reception to help with packing gifts, gathering centrepieces, etc.

Duties of the Groomsmen:

• Serve as a support system for the Best Man and the groom throughout the wedding planning process and ceremony.
• Assist the Best Man in planning and attending all pre-wedding events, such as the engagement party, bachelor party, rehearsal, and rehearsal dinner.
• Pay for their own attire, including fittings and picking up their suits.
• Run errands for the group, such as gathering items for the bachelor party and picking up boutonnieres.
• Stand by the Best Man and help the groom prepare to walk down the aisle.
• Arrive early at the ceremony to greet and usher guests to their seats.
• Help distribute wedding programs to guests.
• Escort the bridesmaids down the aisle and stand in the receiving line.
• Welcome key guests, such as family members, as they enter the reception.
• Thank guests as the ceremony ends and see them out.

Who are the secondary sponsors?

The secondary sponsors in a wedding are chosen from the couple's close friends or family. They are usually long-time friends, siblings, and relatives, especially aunts and uncles. Their main tasks are to manage the wedding candles, the veil, and the cord ceremonies that take place during the nuptial mass.

The list of secondary sponsors in a church wedding should include three sets of sponsors: candle sponsors, veil sponsors, and cord sponsors. Each set of secondary sponsors can be men or women, and you don't need to pair them up with the opposite sex.

The candle ceremony symbolises the Light of Christ or God's guidance, with the candle representing the same light that is received during baptism. In this ritual, some couples choose to have their parents light the candles instead of secondary sponsors. The veil symbolises that the couple is clothed and unified as one, with its original meaning being that it symbolises the presence of God, as the colour white signifies purity. The veil is placed over the shoulders to symbolise their union. Lastly, the cord is a symbol of the couple's bond, representing that they are no longer two but united as one in the binding nature of their marriage.

When choosing secondary sponsors, it is important to consider reliability. You will need to count on your bridesmaids and groomsmen at certain moments, such as with dress order deadlines and tight wedding timelines. It is also important to choose people who are up to the task, as the duties of the secondary sponsors are quite specific.

What are the roles of the bearers?

Bearers are usually young boys, around three to nine years old, and are traditionally nephews, little cousins, godsons, or sons of the bride and groom's friends. However, there is no hard rule that the bearer has to be a male child, and it is also fine to have a female bearer or an adult bearer.

In a traditional Filipino wedding, there are three bearers:

• Ring Bearer: They carry the wedding rings on a pillow. Since ring bearers are usually young boys, dummy rings are used to avoid losing the actual rings. The real rings are kept with the best man.
• Coin Bearer: They carry the 13 gold or silver coins called "arrhae" for the coin ceremony. The groom presents these coins to his bride to symbolise his promise to look after his wife and their children.
• Bible Bearer: They carry the bible used in the wedding ceremony.

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