Category Archives: Wedding Reception

Having trouble deciding how to include your mothers in the wedding planning process? We’ve laid out a list of responsibilities for the mother of the bride and the mother of the groom to help you decide what tasks to assign to each.

Now remember: the mother of the bride has more responsibilities than the mother of the groom, simply because traditionally the bride’s family pays for most of the wedding. Today, however, many couples are choosing to split costs more evenly between families or pay for the wedding themselves. So we say divvy up tasks however you see fit!

Responsibilities of the mother of the bride:

• Help the bride find the wedding dress of her dreams, as well as other wedding attire.

• Help look for wedding and reception locations, particularly if the wedding is taking place in your home town and not theirs.

• If you haven’t already met, contact the groom’s parents and arrange to meet.

• Choose your mother-of-the-bride dress as soon as possible, then let the groom’s mother know what you have picked to coordinate.

• Discuss the wedding budget with daughter and her fiancé, including what you are willing to pay for.

• Discuss guest count with daughter and fiancé.

• Help choose family or ethnic traditions for ceremony or reception.

• Draw up a guest list for your side of the family.

• Closer to the wedding date, call any guests who are late in RSVPing.

• Reserve blocks of hotel rooms for your out-of-town guests and other guests in need.

• Attend the wedding shower and rehearsal dinner.

• Help spread the word about where the couple is registered.

• Participate in parts of the ceremony such as unity ceremonies or possibly walking the bride down the aisle.

• Stand in the receiving line after the ceremony.

• Act as hostess at the wedding and reception, making sure guests are comfortable.

• Make sure the bride has greeted all her guests.

• Dance with father and groom!

Responsibilities of the mother of the groom:

• May serve as the main contact for wedding professionals

• Help scout out reception sites and vendors.

• Provides guest list for the groom’s side of the family.

• Choose dress to compliment the mother of the bride. (i.e. if she selects a long dress, the mother of the groom should wear a long dress.)

• Help choose family or ethnic traditions for ceremony or reception.

• Make hotel reservations for out-of-town guests invited by the groom’s family.

• Attend showers.

• Hosts the Rehearsal dinner.

• Participate in parts of the ceremony such as unity ceremonies or possibly walking the bride down the aisle.

• Stand in the receiving line after the ceremony.

• Dance with father and son!