No moment inspires the collective awwww in a wedding like the moment the page boy (sometimes spelled pageboy) and flower girl bound down the aisle. There’s just something about seeing little munchkins dressed to the nines in elegant formal wear that melts even the stoniest heart. We’re guilty of blubbering over cute page boys in the photos submitted to us for our Real Weddings articles, and we wanted to provide you with our favourite dapper little dudes to inspire your wedding planning.
Photo courtesy of Medi & Gareth’s Real Wedding
The Purpose of a Page Boy
Traditionally, page boys had the task of carrying a bride’s train down the aisle to the alter. Nowadays, page boys are trusted with wedding bands and walk down the aisle ahead of the ushers. Across the pond, our American friends refer to page boys as ring bearers and they walk down the aisle in tandem with the flower girl.
Page boys tend to be between the ages of 3 and 10 and are most commonly of close relation to the bride or groom. While page boys are common at weddings, the practice of having one isn’t au fait with all brides. It’s important to remember that the younger the page boy, the more likely he may be to throw a massive strop during the ceremony or flat-out refuse to take part.
We’ve all seen the videos on You’ve Been Framed of strong-willed page boys stamping their feet or plopping down in the aisle, refusing to budge. While it can be, and is often, funny, you may feel completely different when it’s at your wedding. If the thought of an uncooperative toddler is stressful, simply opt not to have a page boy on your big day. Alternatively, choose your page boy wisely, being sure to elect an older child with the maturity required to not create a spectacle during the ceremony. If your ideal page boy is shy to come around to the idea, bribing him with sweeties, small toys or other special treats is certainly an option!
Photo courtesy of Dynamique Baby Boutique
The Role of a Page Boy
Page boys play a very important role in weddings: keeping hold of and carrying valuable rings down the aisle can put quite a lot of pressure on their little shoulders! Just imagine should those rings get lost or swallowed! (Hey, stranger things have happened and boys of a certain age put absolutely everything into their tiny gobs!)
If you’re afraid of the page boy misplacing your precious metals, you could swap the actual rings with duds or cheap replicas and let the page boy tote these down the aisle instead. Keep the actual wedding bands safe by entrusting your chief bridesmaid or best man with them instead.
Photo courtesy of Crisa and Chris’s Real Wedding
The Look of a Page Boy
Finally, here is a brief collection of some of our favourite looks for page boys, collated from our Real Weddings submissions and our page boy outfit suppliers. Get ready to fall in love with these gorgeous lads:
Photo courtesy of Roco Clothing
Photo courtesy of Gemma and Richard’s Real Wedding
Photo courtesy of Little Bevan
Photo courtesy of Yvonne & Craig’s Real Wedding
