The mother of the groom has important responsibilities including liaising with the bride’s family, planning and paying for the rehearsal dinner, and choosing a dress similar in style to the mother of the bride. She also attends the bachelorette party, helps spread information about wedding gifts, and stands in the receiving line. The groom’s family traditionally pays for the groom’s cake and father’s formal wear.
In a marriage, the responsibilities of the mother of the groom are not as widely known as the responsibilities of the other members of the bridal party. What the mother of the groom is responsible for, however, is vitally important and quite varied. Traditionally, her job has included liaising with the bride’s family, providing a guest list for wedding invitations, and making hotel reservations for any out-of-town guests from the groom’s family. However, many of the rules about who does what tasks and who pays for what have merged over the years, and customs often vary according to where the couple lives and their family traditions.
Also traditionally, the mother of the groom should wait to choose her wedding dress until the mother of the bride has made her choice. Hence, she should choose a dress that is similar in style and formality. In other words, if the mother of the bride chooses a floor-length gown, so should the mother of the groom.
The responsibilities of the groom’s mother also include the rehearsal dinner, which the groom’s family plans, hosts, and pays for. The rehearsal dinner doesn’t have to be a formal, expensive dinner; it can be a picnic or a barbecue party. All people attending the wedding are invited to the rehearsal dinner, along with their spouses or significant other.
Naturally, the groom’s mother attends the bachelorette party and gives a gift. Another of her responsibilities is to contact any friends or relatives of the groom’s family who have not responded to the wedding invitation. It helps the couple if the mother of the groom helps spread the word about her where the couple has recorded their wishes for the wedding gift.
At the actual wedding, the responsibilities of the mother of the groom are quite simple. She is escorted to the front row on the right side. Often the chief usher, a witness who is part of the family, or even the groom himself, accompanies her instead of her. If the ceremony includes a family candle, she, along with the bride’s mother, lights that candle. In the receiving line, the mother of the groom stands between the bride and her mother so that she can introduce the bride to friends and relatives of the groom.
The groom’s family traditionally pays for the groom’s cake at the reception and the tuxedo or formal wear for the father of the groom, so he can be added to the responsibilities of the mother of the groom. If the groom wishes, his mother may help him with his responsibilities for the wedding, such as the bride’s bouquet and boutonnieres for mothers and grandmothers. The father and mother of the groom are certainly welcome to offer financial assistance for other parts of the wedding as well.
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