The bride and groom are the stars of the day but their best man, attendants and ushers play special supporting roles. In her book Wedding Etiquette Antonia Swinson writes about their duties.

Whether or not you have attendants and ushers is up to you. It's usual to have one best man, but you could have two - or the best man could be a best woman. The best man is the groom's chief helper, and has a fairly long list of duties and a speech to make. The bride may want to have a chief bridesmaid she's the bride's right-hand woman on the day, so she should be well organized and practical. There is no doubt that young bridesmaids and pageboys add great charm to a wedding.

Ushers help a church wedding to run smoothly. They hand out orders of service as guests arrive and show them to their seats, escorting the bride's mother and groom's parents to their seats at the front of the church, and they get guests together for formal photographs. Traditionally, the bride's mother organizes the reception. Her duties include compiling the guest list, sending out invitations, organizing the flowers, ordering or making the cake, booking the photographer and arranging accommodation for the guests. Nowadays, the bride or bridal couple assume many of these duties themselves.

Antonia Swinson's book When I was a Bridesmaid, covering the joys of the role, makes a treasured memento of the day for any young bridesmaid.