Taking Them by the Arm

Your Wedding Day

Bride Login

Vendors

Search Sites

Organizing Your Ushers

Ushers are responsible for escorting your guests to their seats and making sure everything goes smoothly during the ceremony. But who do you choose, what do they do, and how should they be prepared?

Who to choose.
Numbers vary depending on preference, but in general you should plan on having 1 usher for every 50 guests. Your groomsmen can do it, but you might want to appoint friends or relatives as back-up if you’re planning a large ceremony. These additional ushers can wear suits to match the attire of the groomsmen, or don outfits that fit with the “feel” of the wedding. Consider choosing those who you don’t have room for in the wedding party, such as teenage cousins or close friends.

By the way, there’s no rule that says you can’t have female ushers! Just be sure to decide what they will wear ahead of time (match the bridesmaids? wear something different?) and give them corsages to match the male ushers’ boutonnières.

Planning ahead.
Your ushers should be fully dressed and ready to greet guests at least 45 minutes before the ceremony is scheduled to begin.

Give them a copy of the seating plan and notify them about any special arrangements. Tell them who will be sitting in the reserved seats close to the altar and make sure that they’ll recognize any VIPs. Also, inform them if there are any guests who you know don’t want to be seated next to each other.

Remind your ushers that guests in wheelchairs should be seated at the end of rows, and advise them to seat people who might block the views of others (like tall guests and women in large hats) towards the back. As an extra precaution, consider telling your guests to identify themselves to your ushers.

You will also want to be sure that they know the location of the bathrooms!

The big day.
Your ushers should stand by the greeting area, where they will welcome and then escort guests to their seats. Traditionally, male ushers will offer their arms to female guests (choosing the oldest if there are several women in a party) as they guide them to their seats. If you are using female ushers or if you don’t wish to participate in this tradition, ushers can simply walk guests down the aisle.

Friends and family of the groom usually sit on the right side when facing the altar. The bride’s family and friends will sit on the left. (For Jewish wedding these sides are reversed) If you know that one side will be supported by a lot more people, you can give instructions to seat the guests evenly. Once all of the guests have been seated, they will show the parents of the groom to their seats. The Mother of the Bride is traditionally seated last, by the Head Usher or by a brother of the bride or groom. For divorced parents, be sure to tell your ushers the seating arrangements you have chosen for them.

You will want to have one usher remain at the back during the ceremony to ensure that any latecomers are seated unobtrusively. The rest can either take their places as groomsmen or quietly join the audience after they have finished seating guests.

Go Back to Traditions & Etiquette

Check Out Too Many Bridesmaids?

Check Out The Best Man