Less Spending on Your Wedding! Flower Girls & Ring Bearers

The flower girl and ring bearer have been prevalent wedding customs since they were popularized in the Victorian Era.  Little girls were dressed in white and scattered flower petals, while little boys were formally dressed and carried the wedding rings down the aisle.  Today, these two adorable roles are still very much alive, and everyone loves seeing them at weddings.

During wedding planning, couples have been known to get stressed when it comes to the aspects of these roles.  They start contemplating who will buy their attire, their accessories, if a gift should be given (in lieu of the dress/suit/tux), and most dreadfully, if the tiniest members of the wedding party don’t make it down the aisle smoothly.

Luckily, there are ways to fix these issues and it can even save you money doing it!

• Because little girls and boys look cute in anything formal, it is not necessary to dress them up so lavishly.  If the both of you have decided to purchase their attire, make a trip to a decently-priced store (such as Target) and check out their formal wear section for children.

Decide if you want your flower girl(s) in white or a color from your color palette.  Usually, it is more cost-efficient to get a simple white dress and dress it up with accessories or embellishments.

For the ring bearer, try to recreate the look that the groomsmen will be wearing.  If you find this is too “mature-looking”, simple slacks, a dress shirt, a matching tie (bow ties are  adorable, too), and dress shoes are fine.

• Accessories for flower girls need not be plentiful.  All your flower girl(s) need would be earrings (if their ears are pierced) and/or a necklace.  If you would like, purchase a low-cost necklace that is age appropriate.

• Another budget-friendly accessory for flower girls are floral crowns.  They will look beautiful on any little girl and can go with any hair type or style.  Check out this great inexpensive DIY project: Vintage Floral Crown

• A nice alternative to dropping flower petals would be pomander balls, either ones with real flowers or paper flowers.  She could also blow bubbles while walking down the aisle.  It makes for an even cuter show!

• If you don’t like the concept of using a pillow for your rings to perch on while the ring bearer walks down the aisle, try little ceramic plates.

Purchase a small ceramic plate at your local craft store.  Decorate it to your style.  To hold the rings, get a thin ribbon and cut it fairly long.  Determine the middle of the ribbon and using super glue (super glue works best on ceramic), glue the  middle of the ribbon onto the middle of plate.  When the day comes, string each ring on the ribbon.  When they are sitting nicely on the plate, tie the two ends of the ribbon to your liking.  This is a nice, unique, low-budget project.

It’s understandable that these two special roles can bring apprehension to the bride and groom and the childrens’ parents.  It can get tedious when you’re hoping that your smallest members of the wedding party will do their parts flawlessly.  Below are some wedding planning tips to make sure it will go as smooth as possible.

• When you are picking out these roles in your wedding, fully consider all of the possible children.  Determine their ages, personality, and behavior.  In the end, pick the children who are the best-behaved, aren’t shy, and who are still around the appropriate age for participating in these positions. (The general cutoff age for flower girls and ring bearers is eight or nine years old.)
• If you choose to have children who are under the age of four, are shy to walk down the aisle, or quite possibly, aren’t walking yet, get an affordable wagon or mini-carriage, or even cheaper, ask someone you know if they have one so you can borrow it.  From there, decorate it according to your wedding theme or colors.  Assign an older boy or girl to pull the wagon or mini-carriage down the aisle.
• It’s always nice to have a little reward at the end.  Let your little attendants know that when they are done walking down the aisle, they can sit with their parents, who will provide them with a small, low-cost gift from you (cookies, candy, etc) for such a great job so far.
• Should a tantrum occur, do not stress.  Take a few breaths and relax.

If a child refuses to walk down the aisle, let them walk down with a parent or if there is someone else in your wedding party they would be comfortable with, allow them to walk with them.  Another good alternative is calmly reassuring the child(ren) that they just need to walk and they can sit down with their parent(s) afterwards.

If a child begins walking down the aisle but doesn’t go any further, have their mother or father come up and help them down the aisle.

I hope that these tips will help in planning out the looks and roles of your little flower girls and ring bearers!