n of guests to the newly-married couple. He also makes the
necessary arrangements about their departure, secures the tickets,
and, if their destination is to be kept a secret, to him alone is it
confided.

It occasionally happens that there are as many groomsmen as there are
bridemaids, but this is the exception and the "best man" takes their
place.

The ushers frequently form, two and two, and precede the bridal party
up the aisle.

Bridemaids.

The number of these is optional, from one to twelve being allowable.
Four, six or eight are usually chosen. Unmarried sisters of the bride
and groom are frequently selected. Custom emphatically declares that
they must be younger than the bride. For an elder sister thus to
officiate would be extremely inappropriate.

Indeed, the favored fashion of the present time is for little tots,
all the way from three or four to eight, clad in bewitchingly quaint
and picturesque costumes and crowned by the largest of Gainsboro'
hats, to precede the bridal couple to the chancel. In addition to
these, the bride is followed by a chosen number of bridemaids as well,
but often the children are all. Frequently they carry baskets of
flowers, and, preceding the newly-made wife in her progress down the
church aisle, they scatter the blossoms in her pathway.

Sometimes this order is changed, and children rise in groups from
seats near the front, and, preceding the bridal _cortege_ to the door,
scatter flowers before them. Children selected for this purpose should
be under ten. Young boys, selected from among relatives, are sometimes
dressed as pages and accompany the bride as train-bearers.

Bridemaids usually consult the bride as to their toilets, and each
other as well, that there may be no unfortunate combinations of color
to mar the effect of the whole. They usually dress in colors, unless
the bride choose some faint tint for her costume; then it is customary
for them to wear pure white, and sometimes the whole group are clad in
spotless purity.

The bridemaids' gowns are walking length, as a rule, and they wear
large, picturesque hats, overshadowed with plumes or adorned with
flowers, and carry huge bunches, or baskets, of fragrant blossoms.
Wealthy brides, who have some special fancy to carry out, often
provide the gowns for their maids. Historic styles are frequently
chosen, making every gown after the exact mode of the epoch selected,
but adopting a different color for each.

W