Flower girls and ring bearers bring youth, whimsy, and pure adorableness to your wedding procession. Our online wedding accessory store is here to make sure that they have all the tools they need to perform their duties with pride. Here are a few tips to have them looking and performing their very best on your wedding day. 

Flower Girls 

The majority of flower girls are generally under 8 years of age. She and the ring bearer can be a family member or the child of a friend of the family. You'll want to choose someone who is old enough to handle the job and the fact that all of your wedding guests will be watching them. If you have a little girl who is a bit shy, you might decide to have 2 flower girls so that they can help each other down the aisle. For couples that want to make a great big grand statement, you might even consider having a whole bunch of flower girls parade down the aisle before the bride makes her big entrance!    

Most flower girl dresses somewhat resemble a bride's gown, sometimes with accents that match your wedding colors. You could also dress them in a similar way to the bridesmaids but in an age-appropriate style.

Flower Girl Duties

Traditionally the flower girl walks down the aisle ahead of the bride, dropping flower petals out of a lovely basket. An alternative to this is to let her drop items that pertain to your wedding theme or the season. For example, colorful leaves look wonderful strewn down the aisle at a fall wedding, or possibly some shiny, cut-out snowflakes for a ceremony in the winter. 

You don't have to go the traditional route if that's not your style. She could carry a mini bouquet or a floral accent, like one of our beautiful Wedding Flower Balls.  It has also become customary for the flower girl to carry a sweet or humorous sign announcing the bride's arrival.  

The Ring Bearer

Ring bearers are usually between the ages of 4-10. If they will be carrying the actual wedding rings down the aisle rather than symbolic replicas, you may want an older child who is a bit more responsible. It looks nice if the ring bearer and flower girls are around the same age, but it's not necessary. He can walk in alone before the flower girl or they can walk in side-by-side. 

The formality of the wedding will dictate whether you put him in a full suit or a more casual look. At WhereBridesGo.com, we even have a top hat for the ring bearer that doubles as a ring pillow alternative! 

Ring Bearer Duties

The ring bearer has the very important job of getting your wedding rings down the aisle so that the ceremony can happen. If that makes you nervous, it is perfectly acceptable to let him carry replicas of your rings instead.

Traditionally the rings are carried on a pillow down the aisle. Today there are lots of options for different types of creative containers for the ring bearer to carry down the aisle. Many of the ring bearer pillows and pillow alternatives you will find at WhereBridesGo.com can even be personalized so that you have a beautiful keepsake to display in your home after the wedding. 

Helpful Kid Tips 

When you are dealing with children, they don't usually have the patience that adults do or the understanding of what is going on in this type of situation. Here are a few tips to help your flower girl and ring bearer adjust to the situation in a positive and productive way. 

• Make sure they can be at the wedding rehearsal so that they can practice before the actual wedding. If they cannot make it to the rehearsal, have someone run them through their duties a few times before guests begin arriving. 
• Introduce them to the rest of your wedding party so that they are all familiar faces on the wedding day. Also, the kids will appreciate knowing that they are a part of the team. 
• Have someone they know and trust nearby to get them started down the aisle, and a similar person seated near the end of the aisle that can coax them down if they get nervous halfway through. 
• The kids may not have the attention span to stand with the rest of the wedding party for the entire ceremony. Seat their parents close to the end of the aisle so that the children can go to those seats once their walk down the aisle is over. You might even consider having something fun waiting at their seat to keep them occupied until after the vows. 
• Request that the kids get plenty of rest the night before the wedding, and put off getting them dressed until the last minute so that their clothes have a lot less time to get dirty or wrinkled. 

Don't Forget To Thank Them

You'll find an adorable variety of flower girl and ring bearer gifts in our online wedding store. These will make the kids feel extra special and know that their hard work was appreciated. There are even a few items that they (or their parents) can keep and cherish for years to come. 

If you have the chance to add a flower girl and a ring bearer to your wedding ceremony procession, it adds a serious cute factor that all of your guests will love. You can find a lot more inspiration about items for these youngest members of your wedding party by browsing WhereBridesGo.com.  

~ The WhereBridesGo.com Team
Post by Deanna Powell, Certified Bridal Consultant