An angelic looking page boy marching down the aisle with your wedding bands held high will bring a smile to any guest’s face, so if you have a young nephew, or a close friend has a young son, consider adding a page boy to your wedding party.
Be aware that boys and girls are different, and while your niece might be thrilled to get all dressed up and walk down the aisle with the adult members of the bridal party, you may find your nephew thinks it’s all just a lot of fuss about nothing. If you want to have a page boy, explain to him what his duties will be and ask him if he’d like to do it. Just don’t be offended if he says he’d rather not.
What does a page boy do?
In America page boys are usually known as ring bearers as their prime function is to carry the wedding rings down the aisle. They are usually at the head of the bridal procession, and walk in front of the flower girl, although some people find it easier if the page boy and flower girl walk together.
Once the page boy reaches the groom, he passes the rings to him or to the best man. Depending on the age of the page boy he will either stand with the best man during the ceremony or go to sit with his parents or other relatives. At the end of the ceremony older page boys might be involved in distributing confetti to the guests to throw over the newly weds.
What should the page boy wear?
For young page boys it is possible to get away with adorable outfits such as sailor suits if that is appropriate to your wedding theme. However, once boys get a bit older they may resent getting dressed up in anything too cutesy and you should look for small versions of the groom’s outfit.
The key to a great page boy outfit is comfort because he will fidget all day if he is uncomfortable. Be prepared for him to take off anything too fussy after the ceremony and photos, and just run around in trousers and a shirt.
Practical Page Boy Tips:
- Ask the parents of your page boy to try to ensure he has a good night’s sleep before the wedding or a decent nap in the morning. Make sure he doesn’t have a lot of sugar right before the ceremony; a hyperactive page boy could be hard to control.
- If you are worried he might drop the rings try sewing them onto a silk pillow with a single stitch that can easily be broken at the altar. Alternatively give him faux rings to carry and have the best man carry the real rings in his pocket.
- Try to have some photos of the page boy taken before the ceremony when he will still look fresh and neat, and won’t be too tired. It’s amazing how quickly young boys can get hot, tired and messy, especially when there is a whole new venue to explore.
