I received this request from a bride:

I was hoping to get your opinion on some honors for friends at my wedding. I am only having sisters and sisters in law in the bridal party but would like to give special roles to my friends. I don’t exactly have a best friend but have close people from different groups (High school, college, grad school). I was thinking of having my college roommates as ushers. My mom also mentioned an idea that I think you may have told her about, which is that I could have friends walk down the aisle and place a flower in a vase. I like that idea because I could incorporate a lot of people. Anyway, I just wanted to get your opinion and hear any other ideas that you might have. I don’t want people to feel left out and want to have an inclusive wedding.

And here are some more ideas I had:

If you are looking to give your friends “jobs” rather than just an honor like walking down the aisle with a flower, you could include some or all of these:

1. Photo captain (helps to have people “on deck” to expedite family photos)
2. Gift captain. At end of cocktail reception, cards and gifts need to be moved to a secure place.
3. Person to bring all gifts and other personal items back from wedding to hotel.
4. Transportation/ bus captain
5. Hand out programs at ceremony (2)
6. Usher at ceremony (2 or more)
7. Guards for yichud (2)
8. Someone in charge of guest welcome bags (can direct/assist in the stuffing and delivery?)
9. Editor- someone in charge of proofreading every piece of paper that goes out/ invitations/ signs/ programs/ wedding website, etc. In my experience, sometimes the people who are closest to the wedding can’t spot the errors. That even goes for the stationery store/provider. Once I had a groom’s middle name spelled wrong by his mother! (sometimes I do this job but not always, but if you have a friend who was an English major, it might be fun to give this task to her).

It’s always fun for your wedding planner to be asked for something creative, so please don’t hesitate!

photo courtesy of Tyler Boye