Every wedding day is different, but in every wedding, the wedding party is one of the most important parts of the day. You were chosen by some of your best friends to support them, encourage them, and party with them through this whole season of their life. That’s amazing!! And all of the stuff that leads up to the wedding day is usually pretty fun as a part of the wedding party… Trying on dresses, helping with the planning, drinking, getting to know the rest of the wedding party, drinking, enjoying the bachelor/bachelorette party, drinking…. You get the idea.

But on the day of the wedding, it’s important to remember that there are A MILLION moving parts to a wedding day, and YOU are one of those very, very important moving parts. For a member of the wedding party, this day is something you’ve been waiting for and looking forward to, and it’s definitely supposed to be fun. If you were asked to be in the wedding party, it’s probably because you’re a good friend and an awesome person and the bride/groom really values your friendship. But you have to remember… This isn’t just a big fun party. There are people that literally do weddings for a living because they’re complicated, and they’re incredibly important. So while all that stuff I listed up there is important and fun and awesome (and I know, you’re ready to party), if you REALLY want to be a total champ of a bridesmaid/groomsman, you have to focus, and you have to nail the things listed below.

So without further ado…

How to Be An Awesome Bridesmaid or Groomsman

Take your time walking down (and back up) the aisle.

The two shots we absolutely need to get of each of you during the ceremony are 1. the shot of you coming down the aisle and 2. the shot of you processing back up with your partner at the end of the ceremony. If you walk too fast or too close to the person/couple in front of you, that’s a problem. The general rule of thumb is to start walking when the person/couple in front of you is halfway up the aisle, and try to maintain that distance throughout your walk. That way, the photographer has plenty of time (half an aisle’s worth of time, to be exact) to get your picture.

If you see a backup at the end of the aisle during the recessional, SLOW DOWN so the photographer can get a picture of you. If you’re all stacked up in a line, we’ll miss that shot and there’s nothing we can do about it. All the guests are standing, and the wedding party is walking down the center aisle, which means we’re stuck at the end of the aisle for the recessional.

Remember: If you can’t see our lenses, we can’t see you!

Know what’s coming up next. Don’t assume that someone else will know, because they may not.

And if you don’t know, ASK. Ask the photographer, ask the planner, ask the venue coordinator… I know we all probably look a little busy and frazzled on a wedding day, but I PROMISE I’d much rather take 10 seconds to answer your question now than spend 30 minutes solving a problem later. So once you finish one “thing,” find out where you need to be for the next “thing” and when.

Be early everywhere.

It’s just good manners. And honestly, there’s a LOT to do on a wedding day. You don’t want to be the person that holds up the entire day! Wedding professionals timeline the wedding day down to the minute. Seriously. So a quick stop for coffee between the ceremony and the reception might not seem like a big deal to you, but it could be a huge deal to someone else. You’re one of the most important parts of the day! No one ever means to be “that guy” and we know it’s never intentional. But just remember – there are a whole lot of people relying on you and waiting for you on the wedding day. If you’re thinking to yourself “I may be cutting it close here” don’t risk it.

Try on your outfit in advance.

Especially if it’s a rental! Finding out that your dress is too big or that your jacket is a little tight 15 minutes before we’re taking pictures is not ideal. It’s probably fine, but check a few days in advance anyway! It’s always the person who felt like their dress/suit fit like a glove during their fitting that suddenly puts it on day-of and realizes it’s not so perfect anymore. Don’t be that person. Better safe than sorry!

Ladies: hold your bouquets low!

If you hold your bouquets up really high, chances are we won’t be able to see the top/front of your dress in pictures! Relax your elbows and hold your bouquets nice and low, near your pelvis. And speaking of bouquets…

Keep your bouquets with you and your boutonnieres on. 

Don’t sit them down somewhere and forget them! You’ll need them for pictures, and you’ll probably want them as a fun prop when you’re introduced into the reception.

Have a spot to stash your phone/wallet/keys during picture time planned out in advance.

Guys – we don’t want anything bulky in the pockets of your fancy suit during photos, because we can see it! And no, ladies, your bra isn’t the best place to stuff your phone because we can see that, too ;) Sometimes the MOH/Best Man takes one for the team and carries a tote bag to stash everyone’s stuff in if we’re traveling to a few different spots for pictures, and I definitely don’t hate that idea!

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So there you have it! Weddings are full of amazing, fleeting moments, and the slightest derailment could mean that we might miss one of those moments. We always want to do our absolute best work for every couple, so if we can minimize little things that might go wrong, we definitely want to do that! And if you’re reading this and you’re a member of the wedding party for one of our 2017 or 2018 LCP couples, THERE WILL BE A TEST ON THIS.

Just kidding.

… But seriously.

(Pictured above: Most rockin’ wedding party ever… Coming to the blog soon!)

Read more of LCP’s “For Brides” blog series here! If you’re planning a Nashville wedding, a Chattanooga wedding, or any wedding at all you’ll probably find it helpful!