Getting Personal

                The 'who's who' of a wedding do
            
                Offer all those involved Gifts of Congratulations and Thanks
            
                Weddings are about people. The fact that people are “gathered here today” to celebrate the couple's public declaration of love makes wedding ceremonies special. But a successful wedding depends on the presence of many people who have come together in unison to make sure the day runs smoothly. Have a look at GettingPersonal.co.uk's guide, which will sort out exactly who's who.

The Happy Couple
These are the ones who put the V in VIP. Everyone else is just an IP. They might have been together for decades or they could have met a week ago, but today they're only thinking about the future, and guests will have travelled far and wide to witness their big day. In fact, the couple are so important that if just one of them decides not to show up, the wedding can really fail to get into full swing. 

The Officiant
Someone has to actually perform the ceremony, and that responsibility falls on the officiant. If it's a religious ceremony, the officiant will be the vicar, priest or rabbi for example. If the ceremony is a Christian one, anyone who has watched a British soap opera will know their script off by heart. Officiants can also be appointed by local authorities to oversee secular weddings at the registry office.

The Best Man
This is a friend or relative of the groom. As well as arranging the stag do, he'll be in charge of the wedding ring on the day, and will have to make a speech at the reception. A bit of gentle teasing or gasp-inducing humiliation is normal here. Some grooms will choose several best men and allocate a specific job to each of them, so nobody is offended.

The Maid of Honour and Bridesmaids
Honour isn't necessarily a prerequisite for the maid of honour role. She will be in charge of treating the bride like royalty for the day. Again, she is normally drawn from the bride's circle of friends and relatives, and will often be bought a wedding gift by the couple. All girls apparently dream of one day being a bridesmaid. This may or may not be true, but there is rarely a shortage of applicants when the job is advertised. Since nobody wants to leave anyone out, they can often be quite numerous.

The Father of the Bride
Here we have perhaps the most emotional guest at the ceremony, at least until Black Lace comes on at the disco. He will be officially “giving away” the bride, although this is really a throw back to the days when his permission needed to be granted before the engagement could start. He'll arrive at the ceremony with the bride, followed only by the bridesmaids. It's a role that can also be fulfilled by a brother, relative or friend; it's not unknown for sons to do it, too.

Ushers
The job of the usher is, as the name suggests, to ush. Guests arriving at the venue will be ushered into place depending on pre-arranged seating plans.

The Rabble
Otherwise known as guests, these are the invited friends, relatives and colleagues who fill the venues with laughter, goodwill and wedding gifts. Due to venue capacities and basic economics, some people will be invited to the evening do but not the ceremony itself. This should not be taken personally.

The Disc Jockey
Legally obliged to play “You're my First, My Last, My Everything” and keep the Barry White dream alive.

So as you can see, many people are involved when it comes to making a wedding tick seamlessly along, and that's not to mention all the drivers, bar staff, waiters, cooks, florists and printers who each do their bit. That's why GettingPersonal.co.uk have a wedding gifts range that offers all those involved with, or on the path to wedded bliss, inspirational Gifts for each step of the journey.

If you've been invited to a wedding yourself, now is the time to look at the GettingPersonal.co.uk collection of wedding gifts to really round off the big day with a smile!