Nothing is more adorable than a flower girl adorned in frills and flowers or a pageboy dressed in a dashing suit.

When considering involving children in your wedding you need to be sure of their personalities and also of their reaction to all the fuss that inevitably takes place on a wedding day. Do they relish being the centre of attention or are they likely to be shy and retiring? When choosing a flower girl, pageboy or ring bearer there are a few things to bear in mind.

Firstly, you must have a familiar relationship with the child. It can be a daunting experience to have to walk down an aisle with lots of stranger watching you and camera flashing. With this in mind, it’s a good idea to have a familiar face (such as a parent or grandma) in view for the little one to see as they perform their all-important role of walking down the aisle. Another way to ensure your little one doesn’t suffer stage fright is by letting them walk behind the bridesmaid or holding hands with one of the bridesmaids.

Their attention span, behaviour, attitude and level of confidence all need to be considered.

Typically the flower girls, pageboys and ring bearers are between three and seven years of age. If your feel that they can walk down the aisle and behave during the ceremony then it should be fine to include them on the day.

Remember….a wedding can be quite a long event and children can become tired and irritable, so try to sneak in a nap a few hours before they dress for the day.

Try to have photographs taken early in the wedding day. This way you ensure that the children are not tired and are eager to participate. And don’t worry if photographs don’t interest them – an experienced photographer will capture them at their best and will surprise and delight you with the results.

Madalina Lesan Photography

When choosing outfits for children, keep in mind how comfortable the garments are. Avoid outfits with scratchy labels, seams or decorative touches that they can pull at. Also consider the time of year and make sure the children will be warm or cool enough. The outfits need to be well fitted and not too tight or restricting. Buttons and bows at the back will also help avoid any unexpected stripteases throughout the day!

As obvious as it may sound, it’s important to do a toilet check just before leaving for the ceremony. ‘Accidents’ can happen and are more likely if the little ones are a bit nervous and excited.

Give the older children the responsibility of carrying the posies or flower baskets and the ring cushion, and for the younger ones you can have a flower circlet made for their hair or a pomander of flowers made for their wrists. And the boys…well, they get to escort the princess down the aisle!

And finally, we all love to be praised no matter what our age. Make sure that you explain the children’s role to them but continue to affirm with praise and encouragement before, during and even after the event.

This way you should all have fun on your wedding day.

It can be quite expensive being a groomsman, you could be up for things including cost of apparel, travel, and hotel room for the ceremony, hosting a stag party, as well as the gifts. A groomsman should have these expenses in mind when he accepts the honour and be up front with the groom about what he is and isn’t able to afford. Once he has agreed to be a groomsman, however, he shouldn’t complain about the cost. (As long as the groom was upfront with you!)

If you’ve been asked to be a bridesmaid it means you are a truly trusted and valuable friend. It can be a chance to create great memories and enhance friendships, but it can also be very busy, expensive, and stressful so before you accept the responsibility make sure you can afford the time, energy, and extra money the job may take.

Weddings are hard work to organise – particularly for the bride – and a bridesmaid’s job is to help relieve the stress so it would be unfair to accept if you can’t give 100% support and commitment.

One of the usual questions asked regarding bridesmaids is – who pays?

In this day and age anything goes. There are many couples who ask that the bridesmaid pays for her own dress, shoes, hair and make-up. Others will pay for the hair & make up but expect the bridesmaid to pay for her own dress.

My personal opinion is the bridesmaid shouldn’t have to pay for anything. You have asked her to be a part of your wedding so it is your responsibility to take care of the things she needs to perform that duty. I would however make an exception for her shoes – a bridesmaid could either wear some of her existing shoes or buy a pair of shoes which she would wear again.

Consult your bridesmaids about the style of dress they would like to wear -  if they don’t feel comfortable, they won’t look or feel good on the day. Decide who will pay the dresses, shoes and accessories, and if they can be worn again for other occasions. If you are having flowergirls or pageboys, talk to their parents about what style of attire would be appropriate for them. You can use small details from the bridal gown on the outfits of the bridesmaids and children to tie the look together.