The Flower Girl's role

Here's your guide on what should the flower girl do, where she should stand, and who makes sure she gets down the aisle with all her clothes intact.

The Cute Factor
For years children have been the attactions in wedding parties, mostly for the guests to ooh and aah over. The reason to have a flower girl is that they are extremely cute, and could sometimes provide a little comic relief. If you plan not to have children at your wedding, or do not wish to have a flower girl, it is not a compulsion.

Who would be a Flower Girl?
Most baby brides are not any older than 8 or 9. If you have an older girl whom you want included in the wedding, make them a junior bridesmaid instead.

What does the Flower Girl wear?
The flower girl does not necessarily have to wear a mini bride's dress - though some bridal gowns come with them. The flower girl dress may be a pretty dress of her own that she could use again after the wedding.

When does the flower girl walk?
Flower girls are usually placed either before the maid of honor, or right before the bride in the procession. On accasions, the flower girl and the ring bearer walk down the aisle along side.

The Petal Toss
Symbolically, the flower girl would scatter rose petals for the bride to walk on as a token of beauty. Some say that the rose petals are tossed as a symbol of the bride's walking down the path of a new life.

Where does the flower girl sit?
As far as having them to stand with the wedding party at the altar, most flower girls and ring bearers would be too young to stand still through an entire ceremony. It is probably best to have their parents seated up near the front, so that after their walk, they can go straight to sit with their parents.

Who keeps a watch on the flower girl?
There are several ways to handle this delicate situation. You might ask the maid of honour or one of the bridesmaids to hold on to her until her big moment arrives, especially if one of them is related to the little girl. You may also ask one of the parents to wait in the back with her, but that means they will either miss a portion of the ceremony or will have to walk in after it has already begun.

The receiving line
Usually the flower girl is not required to stand in the receiving line. Her only other tasks after her tossing technique is to hang around for pictures.