Witness at a wedding: responsibilities, role and signs

Why should there be a witness at a wedding?

The tradition of appointing witnesses came to our country from Greece and Rome. There, the bride and her friend were wearing matching outfits. This choice is due to “removing troubles and evil forces from the newly made spouses.”

During the times of Ancient Rus', the witness took part in the bride’s preparations, and during the wedding, she held the crown over the young woman’s head. In the USSR, without the signature of witnesses, a marriage could be considered fictitious.

Today, as in the old days, witnesses must be present at a wedding. One of their main responsibilities is to sign documents when registering a wedding at the registry office. But now, this is more of a formality than an official necessity. Young people can sign themselves. But during the ransom, the walk and the celebration itself in the banquet hall, you cannot do without them. It is very difficult for future newlyweds to independently follow all the nuances, think through all the details, for example, order wedding decorations and organize a celebration without outside help. It is the invited friend and girlfriend who help to cope with this difficult task.

Responsibilities of a witness

The witness, just like the witness, begins preparing for the wedding long before the appointed date. He is the right hand, personal psychotherapist and manager all rolled into one.

On the wedding day, the groom's friend should help him get ready and make the last important calls to organize the celebration. It is the witness who goes to the restaurant on the eve of the wedding and checks the readiness of the hall and makes the final adjustments.

The tradition of taking assistants to a wedding is associated not only with signs, but also with a colossal workload, most of which is taken on by the witnesses at the wedding.

Responsibilities of a witness

This role should not be underestimated, since it goes beyond the usual gatherings side by side with the bride at the festive table. You will be the young woman's first assistant. And only after learning all the responsibilities will you be able to understand whether you are ready for such troubles, whether there will be time for preparations, and whether you will be able to “fly through” the whole evening.

In preparation for the wedding

Dress. Our first priority is to help you choose a wedding dress. You may think that this is a fun activity and that there is nothing wrong with it, but in most cases this is not the case. The more types of dresses and the budget, the longer the selection process will take; the number of outfits to try on can exceed a dozen. But you, like a real friend, need to endure all the whims of the young woman and help her in fitting. Remember, you don’t need to express your complaints, you should endure everything and help with your practical advice in choosing.
Hen-party. You can't do without this. And most often, its entire organization, which includes choosing a venue, coming up with surprises and a scenario, falls on the shoulders of the witness. You need to clearly know all the preferences of your girlfriend and, based on this, book a sauna, go to a nightclub or prepare for a celebration at the dacha. Selecting and purchasing alcohol and snacks is also your task.
The bride price for the witness is a very important part of the wedding day. Therefore, the preparation of the ransom must be taken with responsibility. It will be necessary to develop a scenario in advance and come up with tasks that are suitable specifically for this couple. Remember, you should not demand a lot of money from the groom, let him show with his actions what he is ready to do to win his future wife. You should know the ransom script without prompting, say everything without hesitation. It is better to fit the ransom into 5-10 minutes, no more.
Important little things. This should include the wedding decor of the entrance and the bride’s room, decorating the car for the wedding, searching for a photographer and host, ordering banquet hall decor from designers, you need to think about the design of outdoor painting if necessary, etc.

Morning before the registry office

Arrive before everyone else. You should be first on the bride's house guest list on the morning of the wedding day. You have to help the bride put on her dress, the witness prepares everything for the ransom, and greets the guests.
Preparing for the registry office. It is imperative to check whether the newlyweds have taken the rings, whether the towel, sweets and champagne are prepared. Don’t forget about millet, small coins, rose petals - this is needed to shower the cortege and the newlyweds when leaving the wedding palace.
A bag with the necessary small things. You should take the following things that the bride might need: comb, mirror, lipstick, lip gloss, band-aid, bottle of water, umbrella depending on the weather, etc.
Dress support. If the bride has chosen a dress with a train or a full skirt, then you need to help her get in and out of the car, when climbing the stairs and throughout the celebration, monitor the appearance of your friend.
Moral support. No matter what happens, no matter what incident occurs, it is the witness who needs to support the bride and resolve all the irregularities and ambiguities.

At the registry office

When the newlyweds exchange rings, the bridesmaid holds the bride's bouquet. When congratulating the newlyweds, it is she who accepts and holds all the bouquets.
You must have the marriage registration certificate, as well as the passports of the newlyweds, before arriving at the banquet hall or even before the end of the evening.
The bridesmaid needs to arrange the guests invited to the registry office into a “living corridor” through which the young man will carry his wife in his arms. At this moment, guests should applaud and shower the newlyweds with rose petals (if this is allowed on the territory of the wedding palace).
If required, witnesses certify the conclusion of the union with their signatures.

During the photo shoot

After the ceremonial registration, the newlyweds and the guests organize a photo shoot in the most attractive places in the city. The shooting is usually carried out by a professional photographer. Here the role of the witness is invaluable - she needs to monitor the bride’s image and, if necessary, adjust her makeup and hairstyle. It may also require assistance from the photographer in posing—a wedding arch or other props may be used.

It is necessary to keep an eye on the things of the young people so that they do not leave anything anywhere, since the young people themselves will think about completely different things.
Organizing the drinking of champagne with sweets is a direct responsibility. All garbage after an impromptu feast, as you understand, needs to be collected and thrown away.
The witness also needs to be in touch with the parents of the newlyweds, who are the first to arrive at a cafe or restaurant. It is necessary to agree on the time when the wedding procession will actually arrive at the hall.

The role of a witness at a wedding banquet

Upon arrival at the restaurant, witnesses need to make sure that no personal belongings are left in the car, and ask someone to remove all the decorations from the car, or dismantle everything themselves. We bring to your attention information about a witness at a wedding video.

What should a witness do at a wedding?

During the banquet, the bridesmaid is the person who will “plow for everyone.” When giving gifts, all gifts and flowers are accepted by witnesses.
Participation in most competitions is an undeniable obligation. You need to stir up the guests so that they don’t sit still, take the initiative and “pull” the required number of people to participate. The witness may not be very active, but the girl, using her sociability and natural charm, must do everything to make the celebration fun and cheerful (here you need to do everything, of course, in tandem with a good presenter).
Do not shy away from participating in the dance program - activity and only activity.
At the discretion of the young couple and the toastmaster, the witness will either need to protect the bride from theft, or organize it herself.
Collections for a boy and a girl are also taking place with excessive participation of witnesses.
Another role of a witness at a wedding is making a toast. He should be among the best. It’s worth thinking through and rehearsing in advance so that young people remember it for a long time.

At the end of the celebration, you need to help the young family collect bouquets and gifts, take everything to a taxi and send the newlyweds to their wedding night.

Duties of groomsmen and groomsmen at a wedding

No wedding is complete without the participation of groomsmen and groomsmen. And even though today these heroes perform only a symbolic role, for the bride and groom these people are simply irreplaceable. The witness and witness, agreeing to these positions, begin to share with the young people not only the joy of the upcoming event, but also some concerns regarding its preparation.

What are the responsibilities of a bridesmaid?

Before the wedding, the groomsman does the following. She takes an active part in choosing a wedding dress, carefully comes up with and works out the scenario for the bride's ransom, and is responsible for the cultural program of the bachelorette party. Can help in choosing wedding invitation cards.

On the wedding day, the groom is one of the first to come to the bride’s house in the morning, helping her get dressed and prepare for the groom’s arrival. You can ask your friend to organize the decoration of the bride’s wedding car. She also meets the groom and guests who have arrived to buy the bride, then conducts the ransom ceremony. Helps accept bouquets when congratulating the bride and groom after the wedding ceremony.

At the banquet, the groomsman is next to the bride, helping her adjust her veil, dress, and makeup. Together with a friend, she helps the toastmaster in holding competitions, actively participates in them and sets an example for other guests.

What should a groomsman do?

Before the wedding, a witness or best man can relieve the groom a little from his worries and assist him in ordering transport and agreeing on where cars will be parked during the banquet. You can ask your friend to organize transport that will take the guests home in the evening.

The main task of the witness in preparing for the wedding is to organize the bachelor party and monitor the condition of the groom so that he does not get too carried away with alcoholic beverages, especially if the bachelor party is celebrated on the eve of the wedding. The groom is personally responsible for food and drinks for the bachelor party. The witness is left with: the bachelor party scenario, entertainment, competitions, ordering strippers. The main goal of the friend is to make the holiday fun and memorable.

At the Civil Registry Office, the witness and witness open the door to the ceremony hall for the newlyweds and guests and lay down a towel for the newlyweds. The witness ensures that all guests in the hall have enough space to sit and that everyone is seated comfortably before the ceremony.

After the painting, the witness opens champagne and also helps the bride accept flowers from the guests. During the banquet, the witness sits next to the groom. The honorable duty of the witness is to pronounce the first toast to the health of the newlyweds, which always ends with the word “bitter”; the best man receives the right to be the first of the guests to dance with the bride.

During the evening, the witness plays the role of assistant toastmaster and participates in competitions. During the banquet, the witness is the guardian of the bride. If he doesn’t pay attention and one of the guests manages to steal the bride or her shoe, then the groom will have to fulfill all the conditions of the kidnappers in order to return his sweetheart to the groom. So the best man will not be able to relax particularly at the banquet.

The last duty of the witness is to escort the bride and groom and make sure that all the guests go home.

How to choose a bridesmaid

Is it possible for a widow or divorced girl to be a witness? Of course not. This is evidenced not only by signs, but also by the opinions of competent psychologists. Such a person, due to his emotional state, will have a negative impact on the young family and the holiday itself.

Age matters. The witness should be at least a little younger than the bride. It is unknown where this restriction came from, but such a rule will allow us to weed out a lot of potential applicants.
Name overlap is not allowed.
If a girl was a witness for two girlfriends, then the third should already be hers.
External resemblance. This is not the main criterion, but it must be taken into account. The build and height of the young woman and her girlfriend should be approximately the same, otherwise the “couple” will look very comical.
Character. A person with complexes and embarrassment will not be suitable. You need to look for a cheerful, active and sociable applicant.
Relationships. Don't choose a relative as your girlfriend out of politeness. Young people should feel as comfortable as possible at the table, and know that they have reliable support.

In most cases, the bride chooses her sister or best friend as her bridesmaid. But there is no need to rush into your obsession. First, explain to the potential applicant the duties of a witness; she may not agree to shoulder this burden.

How to choose witnesses for a wedding

The witness and witness at the holiday occupy the most significant place after the young. Previously, Russians always chose a baptized married couple for these purposes. Other nations also have similar traditions.

Today, customs have changed: it is believed, for example, that a married couple in this role is unlucky. Divorced people are also not invited, otherwise the young people will quickly get divorced. Today, an unmarried guy and an unmarried girl are called to help newlyweds. Beliefs say that the witness and the best man should be younger than the newlyweds, not related to them, and not namesakes.

When inviting witnesses to a wedding, signs advise you to take into account that some rules are allowed to be partially violated. For example, a sister is often called to help at the ceremony. Moreover, if there is no time to prepare, it is permissible to invite random passers-by as witnesses, which will not make future family life unhappy, but will leave you without vivid memories, beautiful photographs, or funny stories.

Important! A widower or widower is never invited to help the newlyweds, even if they are remarried.

Creating the image of a witness

Of course, the bride should attract the attention of guests on this day. But the witness should not be too lost against her background and should be different from the other guests. The image of a bridesmaid should be thought out as carefully as the image of the bride herself.

Bridesmaid hairstyle for wedding

In our country, unlike Western countries, bridesmaids do not have their outfits and hairstyles chosen. Here the girl herself thinks through everything. But don’t do everything quickly, take time and think over your image.

The hairstyle should not overshadow the bride. If the young woman decided to stick to elegant and simple curls, then the witness should not do her hair with a lot of pins. Work with your hair without using a lot of rhinestones, extensions, hats and combs.

Last throughout the day. Complex shapes and clutter on the head are not our way. You will have to take an active part in competitions and dances, and help young people. Therefore, depending on the length of your hair, use hairspray and 1-2 accessories. It is worth entrusting the creation of hairstyles, as well as decoration of the wedding hall, to professionals.

Outfit

The witness's dress should be simple, but at the same time beautiful, not too flashy. You can consider a white version, but not floor-length and not made of satin/tulle, a lace version is acceptable.

Do not choose too revealing outfits - a deep neckline and open back are not acceptable.
It is better to use a pastel-colored outfit in which the use of rhinestones will be kept to a minimum. Avoid options with gold trim and other pronounced decorative details.
We advise you to avoid heels, as you will have to run.
If dresses of the same color are chosen for all bridesmaids, then the main one should choose a lighter option, this will allow you to stand out from the rest.

The witness should be beautiful, but still the background of the main character of the evening.

How can witnesses bring happiness to young people according to signs?

People believe that the family will be happy if the bride’s friend wears a golden or pink outfit. These shades are a symbol of financial stability and material wealth. The color pink symbolizes pure and sincere love. A bridesmaid should not choose black dresses or suits - this is a bad sign.

Another way witnesses can bring joy to a family is by pinning pins to the wedding clothes of the newlyweds. This should be done immediately after leaving home or before the wedding. In this way they protect young people from envious glances and negative energy.

Another duty of the best man and bridesmaid, who protects the newlyweds from family troubles, is to pick up empty boxes from wedding rings. If the bride or groom touches them first, then trouble awaits. For the witness and witness, such a wedding sign, on the contrary, symbolizes imminent positive changes in his personal life.

Helpful advice! Those who were invited to be witnesses must take a white thread with them to the celebration. If during the ceremony wedding rings fall to the floor, then using a white thread it will be possible to neutralize the negative meaning of the event. To do this, the witnesses at the wedding must take the ring and thread a thread through it. All the negativity from the decoration will transfer to her.

Other ways that friends of the bride and groom can bring happiness to the family:

during the feast, sit on a corner so that the future spouse “is with the corner”;
in the dining room, discreetly pull the tablecloth towards you to bring the meeting with your betrothed closer or speed up the development of the relationship;
sit on the bride’s chair for a short time (they do this unnoticed);
take a piece of wedding cake from the bride’s hands;
try to catch the wedding bouquet;
quietly take some cutlery (spoon or fork) from the table and store it at home;
make an accessory for your friend: a brooch or hairpin that she will wear during the ceremony. make an accessory for your friend: a brooch or hairpin that she will wear during the ceremony.

Witness at a wedding: signs

Let us list the main signs associated with witnesses at a wedding.

Not married	Otherwise, either an already created or a freshly made couple will break up.
Dress color	A green outfit will help the witness become a bride as soon as possible. But the blue, pink or golden shade of the dress will protect the bride from “envious glances.”
Don't hand over the bouquet	The bridesmaid will often have to hold the bride's bouquet on the wedding day, but she cannot pass it on to others. If you give away the bouquet, you will miss out on the happiness of the newlyweds.
Fork theft	If a friend steals a fork from the newlyweds’ table, this will bring her happiness. We will not recommend this sign for reasonable reasons.
Lucky pins	A bridesmaid can pin pins on the clothes of the newlyweds for “happiness in the house”, but she cannot prick herself.
Third time - no marriage	In the case when someone decides to become a witness 3 times, then relying on folk signs, you can forget about your family life.
Wedding	Is it possible for a witness not to be baptized? No, believing witnesses are the main condition.

Signs for a witness - how to get married

When a girl knows special signs for a witness, she will help bring happiness to the newlyweds, but will also bring her own wedding closer. It's easy to do. But do not become a professional bridesmaid, it is believed that you are allowed to become one twice, and the third time is your own wedding. Those who break the ancient rule do not marry.

It was written above what colors of bridesmaid dresses bring a happy future to young people. But in order to get married yourself, you need any green item of clothing or decorative element of a dress.

To quickly become a married woman, make something for the bride. When she wears a piece of jewelry or accessory to a wedding, it promises you marital happiness.

At the ceremony there will be an opportunity to take a box or pillow from wedding rings. Be sure to use it, it is a sign for marriage. Also gently pull the bride's hemline at the ceremony. But they do it unnoticed.

During a feast, the girlfriend is advised to sit on the corner of the table and lightly pull the tablecloth towards herself, as if pulling her husband. There is a recommendation to steal a fork from the wedding table in order to quickly start your own family.

These signs will help you gain happiness or bring it to others’ lives, and will become a help and an interesting moment for the wedding ceremony.

Congratulations on the wedding from the witness

Everyone expects that the bridesmaid's toast at a wedding will be the most beautiful and exciting, so you need to prepare for it. You don’t have to look for already hackneyed congratulations on the World Wide Web and learn them. The congratulation should be filled with personal moments, then the bride will understand that these words are addressed specifically to her.

Reading from postcards or a phone is acceptable for colleagues or relatives. And the words of a witness at a wedding should come from within and without any prompting.

You can adopt something from the West: long toasts that include a story about meeting a young woman, several interesting moments from her life. Humor is acceptable, but it should not be edgy and cause discomfort to those listening.

Mutual functions of witnesses

The best man and witness at a wedding take on an important mission; there are a lot of subtleties that need to be thought through and resolved. And these are not just words of support, but actual help. They monitor the appearance of the bride and groom. They organize a bachelorette party and a bachelor party if they are included in the plans of the newlyweds. They decorate wedding processions and maintain a positive mood throughout the holiday. That is why witnesses at a wedding should have a light disposition, oratory skills and not be shy. The more activity, the better.

Who to take as a witness. Wedding signs

Signs begin already at the moment of choosing a witness. Moreover, at different times, some signs remain, while others change, and radically.

For example, it used to be that a married witness and a married witness were a requirement. Now, it is strongly recommended to give preference to a girl who has never been married and is not in a relationship. Proponents of this theory argue that if you take a married couple as witnesses, then the witness’s marriage will soon fall apart, but if you take a widow or divorced woman, then the young couple’s marriage will be destroyed either due to the death of the spouse or due to divorce.

Another sign says that the witness must be at least a day younger than the bride. Therefore, it will not be possible to take your twin sister as a witness. Unless, of course, one was born before midnight, and the second immediately after. However, most sources agree that close relatives, in principle, should not be taken as witnesses.

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If the bride cannot decide which of her friends to give preference to, then let both be witnesses, because not a single sign indicates the number of witnesses.